BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Beyond therapy: Some evil can't be cured by Norman Doidge What, other than our wish that it be otherwise, makes us think that every human vice is treatable by some form of psychotherapy? That this wish is not just naive, but, at times, harmful is illustrated by a recent Canadian study on group treatment for 238 sex offenders (rapists, incest offenders) from Warkworth penitentiary in Ontario. These prisoners included some well-documented psychopaths. All were taught to "empathize" with victims, and understand their "offence cycle" as part of treatment. After their release, it was found that those who had scored highest in terms of "good treatment behaviour" and who had the highest "empathy" scores were the more likely to reoffend on release into the community. Hannibal Lecter Charm School teaches good manners, but not morals. The important study by Seto and Barbaree replicated -- unintentionally -- a 1992 Canadian study that found treated ...

by Gene Messick Frequent arrest of Senators and Congressmen forces a question that has been far too long ignored: How do we deal with sociopaths in our government? Most Americans have a mistaken belief that sociopaths in America are a rare breed, that they are wild eyed, murderous lunatics who are regularly recognized, put away or executed. Most unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. What's a sociopath? Why do we not recognize them for what they are? How do we protect ourselves from them? Reading early FBI descriptions of the crime spree of Illinois Governor Blagojevich and other accomplices is like reading a 3rd rate piece of horror pulp fiction: surely, this did not actually happen! How could this go on and the many people involved NOT know that what they were doing was wrong? How could anyone believe that such cynical behavior as trying to sell a Senatorial Seat is acceptable in America today? To understand this fully, we must first understand what a sociopath i...

Conscience is considered the seventh sense. It is felt instinctively. For the most part, it can't be taught or conditioned or rehabilitated. The absence of conscience is a non-correctible disfigurement of character. There is no effective treatment. In a word: Guiltlessness. More words: Remorseless, deceitful, manipulative, self-centred, callous, unscrupulous, emotionally shallow. There was a time when the condition was described as "moral imbecility," which still fits. The modern shrinking heads bible, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, refers to the clinical diagnosis of little or no conscience as "anti-social personality disorder." More commonly, it's called psychopathy or the slightly semantic alternative, sociopathy. M.T., the 17-year-old girl convicted of first-degree murder on Friday for orchestrating - demanding, via sexual blackmail - the death of a perceived rival, 14-year-old Stefanie Rengel, is arguably a psychopath, or soci...

I know far too many people who fit this profile. FAR TOO MANY. I even dated one off and on for 3 years... though today, I don't for the life of me understand why - except that I was trauma-bonded to him, my mother adored him and his mother adored me. Every time I tried to get out he'd scare the crap out of me (including almost killing me at least once and convincing me it was my fault I was in the hospital with a broken jaw) ... I guess those are actually fairly valid reasons but -- all based on FEAR. This article from the BBC asks a few key questions - if you answer yes, perhaps you should dig further. And don't ignore 'red flags' - even if its your friend, spouse, coworker or neighbor you've known for years. Psychopaths don't always kill you, sometimes they just shred your soul and destroy your trust while leaving your life in pieces, and telling you to just MOVE ON while offering no apology. And you cannot tell by looking. - Barbara ~~~~~ Psychopath...

by 'Anna Valerious' at Narcissists Suck: This question was somewhat addressed by me in my post, T hey DO Have Empathy...Just Not for You . I mentioned that the narcissist has oodles and bunches of compassion (empathy) but only enough for themselves. You don't get any. The "Do They Have Feelings? " question is answered in the same way: Yes, they do, but only for themselves. In my experience with narcissists (which includes a larger circle than just my mother and sister for you folks who think I extrapolate off of only those two) the more narcissistic a person is the easier it is to hurt their feelings. They have the tenderest little feelings. Boo, f**king, hoo. They can be the biggest ass about your feelings, but watch the tears (or rage) start when you accidentally bump into one of theirs! I feel the need to ask (and answer) this question even though it appears to be the same question as to whether or not the narcissist has empathy. They are essentially the same q...