Psychopathy may prove to be as important a construct in this century as IQ was in the last (and just as susceptible to abuse), because, thanks to Hare, we now understand that the great majority of psychopaths are not violent criminals and never will be. Hundreds of thousands of psychopaths live and work and prey among us. Your boss, your boyfriend, your mother could be what Hare calls a "subclinical" psychopath, someone who leaves a path of destruction and pain without a single pang of conscience. Even more worrisome is the fact that, at this stage, no one -- not even Bob Hare -- is quite sure what to do about it.
It's a fascinating article, and it confirms something I've always believed: most people are nuts, just not to a degree that you recognize them as such. I'm also beginning to suspect that I'm not so nutty after all, compared to everyone else, just more up front about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment