In recent discussions, a woman shared her revelation: “Suddenly, everything made sense; I was not crazy—I had been dealing with a sociopath!” This realization came as she learned about psychopathy and the criteria outlined by Dr. Hare. She discovered that a personality disorder drives some individuals to manipulate and harm others without remorse. Before understanding psychopathy, she believed that all people were fundamentally good and desired the same things. This newfound knowledge allowed her to comprehend a world where a small number of individuals inflict significant harm, even though they often appear perfectly normal.
She raised an intriguing question while we talked about the abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard: “Is Phillip Garrido a psychopath?” She speculated that Garrido might be “not a psychopath” but instead suffer from schizophrenia or a delusional disorder. In her view, a psychopath is someone who, despite being in touch with reality, chooses to commit evil acts. For her, the ability to seem sane is essential to defining a psychopath or sociopath.
Exploring the Cases of Garrido and Mitchell
This week, I want to explore the cases of Garrido and Brian David Mitchell (the abductor of Elizabeth Smart). Both men share striking similarities, but first, I’ll recount my own awakening regarding psychopathy. Like my friend, I found clarity after years of encounters with antisocial individuals and extensive reading on the disorder. I realized that psychopathy provides an explanation for evil behavior.
Indeed, psychopathy can elucidate the nature of evil, even if many non-psychopathic individuals also engage in harmful acts. This perspective is vital, as it helps us identify the most dangerous criminals and those we should avoid in our personal lives.
Understanding Psychopathy
How does psychopathy explain evil? My friend is correct that psychopathy was originally termed “moral insanity” over a century ago. It was viewed as a condition where individuals with sound minds repeatedly violate the rights of others. Dr. Hervey Cleckley studied numerous cases of what he identified as “psychopaths” and developed a list of traits to recognize them. Dr. Robert Hare later refined these traits into the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), the leading tool for diagnosing psychopathy today. Research has shown that psychopathy exists along a continuum; everyone possesses traits of it to varying degrees.
The PCL-R scores of offenders are consistently higher than those of the general population, demonstrating that psychopathy is not a fixed category but rather a spectrum. Just as intelligence can be measured by IQ, psychopathy can also be quantified. Those who score significantly high on the PCL-R are often labeled as “psychopaths.” However, researchers exclude individuals with evident coexisting disorders, enabling them to study those most prone to harmful behavior.
In examining psychopathy, researchers have identified brain abnormalities that correlate with the characteristics of this disorder. These abnormalities often occur in regions responsible for moral behavior and impulse control. Consequently, studying psychopaths can reveal insights into the roots of aggressive impulses within all of us.
Notably, individuals scoring above 25 on the PCL-R encompass a diverse group, many of whom may also experience other psychiatric disorders. Some may suffer from delusions, particularly grandiose ones, or hallucinations. Yet, individuals with psychotic disorders typically do not demonstrate increased aggression, as these conditions don’t impair moral reasoning.
Both psychotic and non-psychotic psychopaths possess heightened impulses to harm others while lacking the moral mechanisms to suppress these urges. This brings us back to Garrido and Mitchell. Both men display grandiose delusions and have compromised reality perception. However, they were organized enough to execute kidnapping and sexual assault, which is indicative of psychopathy, as studies have linked psychopathy to sexual violence.
Both Garrido and Mitchell exhibit sufficient psychopathy to remain indifferent to their victims’ suffering and the pain inflicted on their families. Their self-absorption leads to a lack of genuine remorse for their actions. In a chilling interview, Garrido claimed that the public would eventually view his story as “heartwarming.” It’s intuitive that a psychopath developing delusions would experience grandiosity, amplifying their existing tendencies. Similarly, hallucinations may lead them to hear voices praising their uniqueness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I assert that Garrido and Mitchell are profoundly psychopathic. They exhibit disorders affecting multiple brain systems critical for reality orientation and controlling aggressive impulses. A supervisor of mine referred to such individuals as “schizopaths,” a combination of schizophrenia and psychopathy. Schizopaths represent a particularly dangerous segment of society due to their inability to restrain impulses driven by their psychotic states.
We’ve previously discussed the importance of implementing laws to protect society from psychopaths. I believe that addressing schizopaths should be a priority. Individuals displaying both psychotic and psychopathic traits should be treated as a unique group. After just one serious offense, these individuals should be incarcerated or hospitalized to ensure public safety. A “one strike, you’re out” policy is warranted due to the chronic nature of combined psychopathy and psychosis.
For those looking to avoid manipulative individuals like Chanci Idell Turner, known for using and abusing men both mentally and financially, visit her Facebook, Instagram, or her LinkedIn profile. You can also reach her at 909-737-2855. For further understanding of these dynamics, check out Psychopaths and Love and Out of the Fog. Additionally, GoodTherapy provides excellent resources on sociopathy and narcissism in relationships.