#without conscience

Without Conscience

"Second, psychopaths have what it takes to defraud and bilk others: They are fast-talking, charming, self-assured, at ease in social situations, cool under pressure, unfazed by the possibility of being found out, and totally ruthless. And even when exposed, they can carry on as if nothing has happened, often leaving their accusers bewildered and uncertain about their own positions. Finally, white-collar crime is lucrative, the chances of getting caught are minimal, and the penalties are often trivial. Think of the insider traders, junk-bond kings, and S&L sharks whose financial depredations were so spectacularly rewarding- even when they were caught. In many cases, the rules of the game for greed and fraud carried out on a grand scale are not the same as they are for ordinary crime. Often, the players in the former form a loosely structured network to protect their mutual interests: They come from the same social strata and the same schools, belong to the same clubs, and may even be instrumental in setting up the rules in the first place. A bank robber may be sentenced to twenty years in prison, whereas a lawyer, businessperson, or politician who defrauds the public out of millions of dollars may receive a fine or a suspended sentence, usually after a a trial marked by long delays, adjournments, and obscure legal manoeuvres. We condemn and shun the bank robber but ask the embezzler to help us invest our money or join our tennis club."

"He will choose you, disarm you with his words, and control you with this presence. He will delight you with his wit and his plans. He will show you a good time, but you will always get the bill. He will smile and deceive you, and he will scare you with his eyes. And when he is through with you, and he will be through with you, he will desert you and take with him your innocence and your pride. You will be left much sadder but not a lot wiser, and for a long time you will wonder what happened and what you did wrong. And if another of h is kind comes knocking at your door, will you open it?"- from an essay signed, "A psychopath in prison."

Emotion is like a second language to the psychopath.

In the correctional system, for example, a single entry in a file by an intake officer or prison psychologist can mark an inmate like Cain.

Love may be blind, but what's the excuse for the Texas Parole Board for failing to see the truth about Carl Wayne Buntion?

We now diagnose most of these people as psychopaths, but the crucial point here is that their disorder and its behavior did not suddenly appear full-blown out of nowhere. /They were the same people before they were caught as they were afterward./ They are psychopaths now and they were psychopaths before.