Threatened Egotism

Threatened Egotism

Jason M. Hawes

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

           

            The article titled “Violent Pride” was very interesting. The connection between low self-esteem and aggression seemed intriguing. When I first started reading the article I was surprised that so many individuals with varying degrees of power over a child would worry about criticizing them. According to the article their belief was that if they negatively critique a child then they may cause the child to act out in aggression.

            Thus, low self-esteem is supposed to be directly linked to violence. This theoretical perspective does seem to make sense at first. One would think that if an individual had low self-esteem, perhaps that person would have less to loose. That person would act out violently without the loss of anything. The higher sense of self-worth that an individual has, perhaps that person would not want to risk the loss of someone without a sense of self-worth. We can look at social construct theory or the value an individual holds in society. It seems to me that the more value an individual assigns him or herself is directly correlated to the way he or she is willing to conduct him or herself.

            This article demonstrated that low self-esteem theory is incongruent with what we have learned about self-esteem and aggression. Threatened egotism is a new concept that was introduced in this article. An individual’s ego can become threatened when someone else challenges his or her own beliefs/values/morals/folkways/desires. Once challenged, the individual may become aggressive due to the challenge. The article also presented another interesting concept. An individual can also threaten his or her own belief system/values. This can create aggression that may be directed inward upon oneself or outward towards others. Once we pit ourselves against our own values, we create an internal struggle. This struggle can manifest itself into anger. This is exactly why self-help books have been proven to be problematic, rather than an easy solution for the reader.

            It was very thought provoking how they conducted the research associated with aggression. It was astonishing how the third party in the trial was not persecuted. I would have thought for sure that the agitated individual would have misdirected his or her anger against the stranger at hand. Instead, the research showed that the anger was directly linked towards the individual he or she thought had given the negative score/feedback.  

            Before reading this article I did believe that self-esteem varied at times for individuals given certain life events. I was surprised to read that research has shown that it stays consistent without regard of whatever life throws at us. Life events still cause our self-esteem to mildly fluctuate but we still remain stagnant with what we originated with. This begs the question of how we look at our own self-concept and the personal stories and ideations that we carry. 

            I also found it interesting that men have a higher level of self-esteem than women. I would have been very interested in reading the author’s perspective on the reasoning behind this. I believe as a society, we hold men to a hierarchy in life. Women fall below men still in our society and are rated as a large category to be less aggressive. It would have been very interesting if the author looked at the gender biases that each sex lives up to. Men are breed to be aggressive so perhaps we have created this behavior socially rather than the behavior being part of this theory.

            I do believe as this article suggested that we hold dearly to our valued sense of identity. We are true to our own beliefs regardless of the light others hold us in. We are quick to end our lives once we feel there is maleficence in our own traits or expectations.  The Chinese culture is a great example. They hold each other accountable for such a grandeur of self-respect that if something should go wrong, they cannot live another day due to the shame associated with the loss of whatever has occurred.

References

Baumeister, R. F. (2006). Violent Pride. Scientific American Mind, 17(4), 54-59. doi: 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0806-54

Hacker, D. (n.d.). Rules for Writers - Tabbed Edition. 6th Edition. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://www.valorebooks.com/textbooks/rules-for-writers-tabbed-edition-6th-edition/9780312485733

Hacker, D., Sommers, N. I., Jehn, T. R., Rosenzweig, J., & Carbajal, V. H. (2008). Rules for writers. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Psychopaths: Real Life Big Screen Horror Next Door?

Written for MP578 Mental Health Law

          In 1941, Medical College of Georgia psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley (2007) analytically described Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder. He described a set of personality personas and behaviors as described below (Meyer & Weaver, 2006). These superficial personalities display continually charismatic behavior, normal, trustworthy and comforting. However, a person with Psychopathic and Antisocial Personalities are really egocentric, self-absorbing, dishonest and erratic behaviors for self-fulfilling pleasure.  They do not fully feel a sense of responsibility, compassion and love. They normally are insensitive during relationships; vindicating their reckless behavior by placing blame on others instead. Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder seldom learn from their mistakes and struggle with their immoral impulses (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007).

Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder as described by Cleckley has led to the conception that real life monsters exist in society (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007). A society that the media and Hollywood enjoy promoting through real-life horror stories elevating them to an almost pop-culture status. The depiction of Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder individuals in movies, television shows, stories and news reports are depictions of insane killers using their charm to torment their victims. However, are they really insane, or do their morals not fit within society?

Andrew Tudor (1989) study of the horror films from the 1960’s to the late 1980’s demonstrated an intense use of a psychotic killer over the horror’s more conventional forms such as monsters, vampires, werewolves, or aliens. Steffen Hantke’s (2010) book American Horror Film: The Genre at the turn of the Millennium also states that American film goers love a psychotic killer because they are so close to being scared by the real thing. In 2012 Almost a quarter century after Tudor’s book came out, Hollywood and American culture still favor the psychopathic killers. Hollywood’s shift from using mythological antagonists to human based real life psychotic killer movies are because the demons are so real. The serial killer is usually portrayed with Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder characteristics, as described by Cleckley’s as well as characteristics such as genius intelligence, charismatics, cunning, manipulative, charming, disillusioned, cryptic, regimented, compulsive, etc. 

Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho (1991) created controversy when it was released because of the horrific details and the book’s ability to exhibit the thought process of a serial killer and their perception of reality. One can question in the novel whether any of the crimes really happened, or are they really a delusional psychotic fantasy. The cinematic version of the book was able to establish a bewildering visual demonstration of his thought. Many questioned the book and film’s plot was it a fantasy or were they seeing the world through the eyes of psychotic killer, or both? Are psychopaths living in an alternate perception of reality where they do not have a sense of moral judgment? 

 Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pattern of disregard, the unforgiving violation of others and deviant characteristics of a person that harms without remorse. A person with Psychopathy and/or Antisocial Personality Disorders demonstrates the same characteristics as many of their fictional counterparts.  The term Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder is currently not a diagnostic criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an appropriate diagnosis for a personality disorder (Meyer, R., & Weaver, G., 2006). The law defines them as moral disorders; which seems appropriate according to the Encarta Dictionary definition moral as “the right, wrong and how individual people should behave”. Society decides these morals though laws and social culture, when one does not fit into society’s standards because of their perception they become deviants.

Society’s social deviants such as John Wayne Gacy can have the ability to appear as a model citizen. Gacy was able to fool his community because he would be seen doing volunteer work, working with kids, helping out his neighbors and even dressed up as a clown and visited sick children.  Individuals with a Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder are sometimes able to manipulate the people around them. Gacy was caught and sent to prison for illegal sexual acts. Gacy was able to manipulate and convince the parole board that he was fit for society. A mental health expert may be able to see the behaviors but in Gacy’s case they were not able to convince the parole board (Hawes, 2012).

Gacy had an unnatural ability to manipulate and lie. His ability to do this resulted in the deaths of 33 known victims (McCormick, J, 1998). Gacy is not the only serial killer to demonstrate such traits, Jeffrey Dahmer’s antisocial personality allowed him to manipulate and lie. Jeffrey was a social outcast during his high school years, however when he started killing he needed to start learning how to manipulate and lie in order to stay out of trouble. During Jeffrey’s first murder he was pulled over by police and they questioned him about the full trash bags (A&E Biography-Jeffrey Dahmer 1996). Jeffrey was also seemly caught by police 10 years later when he left a young 14 year old drunk boy alone. The boy was able to get out of Jeffrey’s apartment and the police were called on his behalf because he was standing in the middle of the street naked. When police questioned him, he was able to convince them that this was a “lover’s quarrel” and even invited them into his apartment and showed them photos of their relationship. Jeffrey had mastered the art to manipulate and lie (A&E Biography-Jeffrey Dahmer 1996).

Ted Bundy one of America’s most notorious serial killers story sounds as though it comes straight from a Hollywood script. His story demonstrated how manipulative and egotistical a Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder person can be. Ted Bundy was able to master traits that allowed him to be a public figure and serial killer. Ted Bundy was able to commit over 30 known murders of women and believed to have killed many more during the 1970s and possibly earlier. This real life serial killer was so charismatic, intelligent and sophisticated that his real life killings, personality and story are believed to inspire one of the most famous fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter (A&E Biography-Ted Bundy 2007).

Ted Bundy was considered handsome and charismatic, so profound in exploiting these traits he was able to win the trust of over 30 victims many in public places as an authority figure. Ted was so manipulative that he was able to explain his way out of many arrests. One such famous incident was when police found what Ted called “household items”. These items included an ice pick, a crowbar, trash bags, a coil of rope, as well as a ski mask, a second mask created from pantyhose, handcuffs, and other items assumed to be burglary tools. The police were holding Bundy and were allowed to search his room and found a brochure advertising a high school play (where a victim had recently disappeared). He was so skilled and intelligent; Ted was able to convince police that they did not have enough condemning evidence to hold him (A&E Biography-Ted Bundy 2007).

Ted Bundy was able to escape prison twice in the State of Colorado. He acted as his own counsel and was able to outmaneuver the legal system. He was so charismatic that he obtained “groupie” status during his media driven trial. The media allowed Ted Bundy to develop “pop culture” status all while trying to prove that he was innocent as his own counsel. Ted Bundy was so incredibly deceptive that his own mother believed him until the day before his death when he told her the truth about his victims (A&E Biography-Ted Bundy 2007).

Often Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder characteristics are apparent during childhood and continue on throughout adulthood.  All three of the above famous personalities had similar childhood upbringings. They did not have strong father figures, they had some reports of animal abuse, and they were outsiders in high school that developed charismatic personalities after high school. They all disassociated themselves and created a alternate personalities, which was how the main character of “American Psycho” Patrick Bates descended into serial murders.  

 There are many well-known stories, cinematic portrayals, documents and disclosures describing characteristic traits of Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder especially during the childhood years. The above three display similar immoral behaviors and validated how terrible Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder can be without mental health assistance. The above examples are just a sample of the aggressive and violent behaviors that only grow as the person matures (Baskin-Sommers, Wallace, MacCoon, Curtin, & Newman, 2010).

A psychopathy checklist was created in order to help find moral deviants. Meyer and Weaver (2006) explain that the Psychopathy Checklist -Revised (PCL-R) score may predict the future characteristics of the individual or even develop ways to prevent violent crimes. The score is a measurement that assesses whether or not the individual may have psychopathic traits and tests criminal offenders. The PCL-R involves questions about criminal activity and helps to predict violent behavior as well as other criminal acts. The PCL-R is said to be a good tool to assess risk factors of violence tendencies. 

According to the American Law Institute (ALI) (pg.245) the US Court of Appeals rejected the plea of mental illness for psychopathy because it is not considered a mental illness and therefore it cannot be considered insanity. All three are portrayed as insane but as Meyer and Weaver (2006) state, “psychopathy is deviations of character rather than disorders of the mind” (pg. 245). 

There are many reasons this writer believes that Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder should not be considered a mental health disorder. A moral is the difference between right and wrong. In order to be considered insane one must prove that he is unaware of his actions and not of sound mental health. Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder suffers are of sound mind, because they know what they are doing is wrong. If they did not know what they were doing then they would not go to such great lengths to ensure self-preservation. Another reason Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder should not be considered a mental health diagnosis is due to the fact that it would be an easy excuse to kill someone. These individuals have a moral dilemma, but they are egotistical and already find loopholes to ensure their own self-preservation.  If the diagnosis were to change then it would open up the possibility of the individual not being held responsible for any of their actions. A psychopath can easily fool society into thinking “they have cast no stone”.

Mental health professionals are the best source in helping the legal system and society understand the thought process of these individuals. Society cannot rely on Hollywood movies or television shows to provide accurate information about Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder mainly because of the overly dramatized sanity levels. Also, society loves the feeling of being scared by the onscreen personas and some even develop their fantasies about the possibility that their neighbor or someone they see as a positive public figure is really a morally corrupt psychopathic killer.

It appears that modern American culture is in unilateral belief that psychopaths are violent. This is what over 50 years of Hollywood’s portrayal of psychopathic antagonist as engrained on our culture. There has been much research by psychologists since Hervey M. Cleckley’s initial definition (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007). It is now understood that psychopathy and Antisocial behavior “is a risk factor for future physical and sexual violence” (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007). Gacy, Bundy and Dahmer all had a history of traumatic childhoods which might have lead them on to a dark sinister path as psychopathic serial killers. 

Lilienfeld and Arkowitz (2007) mentioned in their article that behaviors can be diverted through positive role modeling, therapeutic intervention and medication.  Many with Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Disorder are not violent, and one could even say that most violent people are not psychopaths (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007). Mental health professionals need to prove support and use the tools that have been developed to thwart violent behavior.  The Psychopathy Checklist -Revised (PCL-R) assessment score just might be the key to stopping the next Ted Bundy (Meyer & Weaver, 2006).  

References

A&E Biography [Television series episode]. (2000, February 8). In Ted Bundy: the mind of a killer. A&E.

Arkowitz, H., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2007, November 28). What "psychopath" means: scientific american. Retrieved August 12, 2012.

Baskin-Sommers, A. R., Wallace, J. F., MacCoon, D. G., Curtin, J. J., & Newman, J. P. (2010). Clarifying the factors that undermine behavioral inhibition system functioning in psychopathy. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 1(4), 203-217. doi: 10.1037/a0018950

Hantke, S. (2010). American horror film: The genre at the turn of the millennium. Jackson, MI: University Press of Mississippi.

Hawes, J. M. (2012). Psychopaths are they always dangerous? (Master's thesis, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2012). Norwichtown.

Jimenez-Albiar, I., Piqueras, J. A., Mateu-Martinez, O., Carballo, J. L., Orgiles, M., & Espada, J. P. (2012). Gender, personality and coping characteristics in the use of internet, mobile and videogames in adolescence. Health and Addictions, 12(1), 61-82.

McCormick, J. (1998, November 23). Digging Up The Past – Did John Wayne Gacy Kill More Than We Knew?”. Newsweek.

Meyer, R. G., & Weaver, C. M. (2006). Law and Mental Health: A Case-Based Approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Shuler, C. (Writer). (1996). Jeffrey Dahmer: The Monster Within [Television broadcast]. In Biography. A&E.

Tudor, A. (1989). Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of The Horror Movie. Oxford, England: B. Blackwell.

Vronsky, P. (2004). Serial Killers the Method and Madness of Monsters. New York, NY: Berkley Books.