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May 8, 2008 at 19:33:33

BEWARE THE PSYCHOPATH, MY SON...

by Clinton Callahan     Page 1 of 3 page(s)

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The following is largely extracted from two articles:Twilight of the Psychopaths, by Dr. Kevin Barrett (http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/01/02/02073.html) and The Trick of the Psychopath’s Trade by Silvia Cattori (http://www.tinyurl.com/53qjml). Both articles are recommended. Both articles reference the book Political Ponerology: A science on the nature of evil adjusted for political purposes, by Andrzej Lobaczewski. Cattori’s article is longer and includes an interview with the book’s editors, Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Henry See.

I make the effort to share this information because it gives me, at last, a plausible answer to a long-unanswered question: Why, no matter how much intelligent goodwill exists in the world, is there so much war, suffering and injustice? It doesn't seem to matter what creative plan, ideology, religion, or philosophy great minds come up with, nothing seems to improve our lot. Since the dawn of civilization, this pattern repeats itself over and over again. 

The answer is that civilization, as we know it, is largely the creation of psychopaths.

All civilizations, our own included, have been built on slavery and mass murder. Psychopaths have played a disproportionate role in the development of civilization, because they are hard-wired to lie, kill, cheat, steal, torture, manipulate, and generally inflict great suffering on other humans without feeling any remorse, in order to establish their own sense of security through domination.

The inventor of civilization – the first tribal chieftain who successfully brainwashed an army of controlled mass murderers – was almost certainly a genetic psychopath. Since that momentous discovery, psychopaths have enjoyed a significant advantage over non-psychopaths in the struggle for power in civilizational hierarchies – especially military hierarchies. 

Behind the apparent insanity of contemporary history, is the actual insanity of psychopaths fighting to preserve their disproportionate power. And as their power grows ever-more-threatened, the psychopaths grow ever-more-desperate. We are witnessing the apotheosis of the overworld – the overlapping criminal syndicates that lurk above ordinary society and law just as the underworld lurks below it.  

During the past fifty years, psychopaths have gained almost absolute control of all the branches of government. You can notice this if you observe carefully that no matter what illegal thing a modern politician does, no one will really take him to task. All of the so called scandals that have come up, any one of which would have taken down an authentic administration, are just farces played out for the public, to distract them, to make them think that the democracy is still working. 

One of the main factors to consider in terms of how a society can be taken over by a group of pathological deviants is that the psychopaths’ only limitation is the participation of susceptible individuals within that given society. Lobaczewski gives an average figure for the most active deviants of approximately 6% of a given population. (1% essential psychopaths and up to 5% other psychopathies and characteropathies.) The essential psychopath is at the center of the web. The others form the first tier of the psychopath’s control system. 

The next tier of such a system is composed of individuals who were born normal, but are either already warped by long-term exposure to psychopathic material via familial or social influences, or who, through psychic weakness have chosen to meet the demands of psychopathy for their own selfish ends.

Numerically, according to Lobaczewski, this group is about 12% of a given population under normal conditions.  So approximately 18% of any given population is active in the creation and imposition of a Pathocracy. The 6% group constitutes the Pathocratic nobility and the 12% group forms the new bourgeoisie, whose economic situation is the most advantageous. 

When you understand the true nature of psychopathic influence, that it is conscienceless, emotionless, selfish, cold and calculating, and devoid of any moral or ethical standards, you are horrified, but at the same time everything suddenly begins to makes sense. Our society is ever more soulless because the people who lead it and who set the example are soulless - they literally have no conscience. 

In his book Political Ponerology, Andrej Lobaczewski explains that clinical psychopaths enjoy advantages even in non-violent competitions to climb the ranks of social hierarchies. Because they can lie without remorse (and without the telltale physiological stress that is measured by lie detector tests), psychopaths can always say whatever is necessary to get what they want. In court, for example, psychopaths can tell extreme bald-faced lies in a plausible manner, while their sane opponents are handicapped by an emotional predisposition to remain within hailing distance of the truth. Too often, the judge or jury imagines that the truth must be somewhere in the middle, and then issues decisions that benefit the psychopath. As with judges and juries, so too with those charged with decisions concerning who to promote and who not to promote in corporate, military and governmental hierarchies. The result is that all hierarchies inevitably become top-heavy with psychopaths.

Since psychopaths have no limitations on what they can or will do to get to the top, the ones in charge are generally pathological. It is not power that corrupts, it is that corrupt individuals seek power. 

How can we distinguish between psychopaths and healthy people? What is the portrait of a true psychopath? 

Such a dangerous question has almost never been successfully asked. The reason is because we mistakenly confuse healthy for normal. Human psychological diversity is the health of our race. There is no normal because healthy humans continuously evolve beyond all normalizing standards. The terrorism of searching through hierarchies for anyone deviating from normal is no different from witch hunts or Inquisitions. You must remember that hierarchies thrive on such low dramas, torturing victims until they confess to evil beliefs. Not so long ago the church and state ongoingly acquired significant income and property through witch hunts and Inquisitions. This continued for over two hundred and fifty years. Ten generations of Europeans understood pogrom as normal life. Let us not return to that nightmare. Testing for normal is guaranteed to backfire in our face. There is no normal.

But there is conscience.  

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http://www.just-stop.org

Clinton Callahan, originator of Possibility Management, author of Radiant Joy Brilliant Love, founder of Callahan Academy, naturalist and activist, empowers responsible creative leadership through authentic personal development. He spent 2 1/2 years traveling around the world and has travelled, lived or worked in 35 different countries.

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Major Royal Australian Infantry (Inactive) RFD, Former Mayor City of Greater Dandenong, CPA, University Lecturer Risk Finance, Wife from Arabic speaking coutry, Former Lecturer Arabic & Islamic culture - Army Reserve Command & Staff College.
kwalshMajor Royal Australian Infantry (Inactive) RFD, Former Mayor City of Greater Dandenong, CPA, University Lecturer Risk Finance, Wife from Arabic speaking coutry, Former Lecturer Arabic & Islamic culture - Army Reserve Command & Staff College.

I agree change is necessary

Our whole system is built on violence.  But a change must be planned and staged.  If we all stop supporting the system we will all starve before we reach that sane new world you speak of.  Also be careful as non violence is not always a workable defence.  We must be sometimes prepared to stand up to psychopaths and engage in attitude adjustment, many are not stupid and will adjust to the new reality if the jig is up. 

by kwalsh (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 73 comments) on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 9:51:15 PM
 


National Master at chess. Mensa member.
Brad ArnoldNational Master at chess. Mensa member.

Human and reptile brain

Citing the book "The Edison Gene," there is a chemical that pares about half of our brain's connections while in the womb, and another half when we are born.  Wheither it will be pared from the reptile part are the human part is deturmined by how harsh the environment is.  I have a feeling that Mr Callahan might be confusing pathology with predominately reptile brain.

By the way, in my opiinion Mr Callahan hit it out of the park with this article, it was informative, origional, provocative, and enlightening.  Hope he is wrong about that one in twenty of the population are psychopaths.

One last thing: if Mr Callahan is correct, and psychopaths as a group are self-aware and coherent, then he could be in danger because of his efforts to unmask them.

by Brad Arnold (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 11 comments) on Friday, May 9, 2008 at 2:27:50 AM
 


This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Kathryn SmithThis quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Thank god for this article and your insights, Clinton!

Hello Clinton

Phew. At last. Someone who recognizes the fact that it is sociopathy we are dealing with. And that is why we get deaf ears turned to us. It's just exasperating to see leaders of political grassroots groups trying---yet again----to deal sanely with an insane person, namely our President (and VP and their cohorts). If we all spread this article around to grassroots leaders----the ACLU, Moveon.org, True Majority, Working Assets/Credo, etc....then maybe we will get somewhere. That is, if those grassroots leaders are smart enough to listen. Maybe once they get it that abnormal psychology is just so blaringly obviously at work, then they will stop barking up a dead tree.

Please let's forward this article to every grassroots organization we can think of! PLEASE!!! It could be the most important thing we all ever do. And please forward it as an email. Thank you all!!!

by Kathryn Smith (56 articles, 0 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 142 comments) on Friday, May 9, 2008 at 2:35:52 AM
 


Hater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired
John HanksHater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired

People devoted to force and fraud can be spotted...

if you look for them.  They are often unable to relate to reasonable facts and ideas as well as emotions.   Everything is always provisional and hypothetical.  Quick judgements are probably psychopathic as well.

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 550 comments) on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:00:16 PM
 


Bob Trowbridge is a former Presbyterian minister with 40 years experience as a spiritual counselor. He has also been a counselor and assistant manager in residential facilities for mentally ill adults. Bob is a spiritual teacher with dozens of articles mostly on spiritual topics. His first book is "The Hidden Meaning of Illness" from the A.R.E. Press.
BobBob Trowbridge is a former Presbyterian minister with 40 years experience as a spiritual counselor. He has also been a counselor and assistant manager in residential facilities for mentally ill adults. Bob is a spiritual teacher with dozens of articles mostly on spiritual topics. His first book is "The Hidden Meaning of Illness" from the A.R.E. Press.

Sociopathy/Psychopathy

Thank you Mr. Callahan.



I have known for years that Bush, Cheney, and their friends are psychopaths. Of the books you have mentioned, I have only read Martha Stout's book. It is frightening enough if her numbers (4% sociopaths) are correct. My knowledge of sociopaths comes from knowing several personally. The reality is that most of us, using the 1 in 25 numbers, know at least one sociopath. If we don't know any psychopaths, perhaps we're the one.



It never occurred to me that civilizations have been founded by psychopaths. I had only a small piece of the picture. What I am aware of is that people who feel personal power do not seek positions of power. Conversely, psychopaths, while using their "talents" to manipulate others and get their way, actually do not feel powerful.



This is the reason that, with 300 million people in this country, we cannot get wonderful human beings to run for public office. Wonderful human beings do not feel a need to be in positions of power.



This is why, as you have said, the scum rises to the top rather than the cream. This is why the leaders of civilization have been abusers of power. The problem for someone like Bush is that he never feels powerful regardless of the position of power he holds. Because of that, he must continually up the anti by taking actioins that express his power. But it will never work and it never works for any individuals who do not feel powerful.



I agree that this is one of the most important things that need to be addressed at this time. I keep hoping that a bunch of professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists) will get together and do some kind of petition or make a statement. We make our president take a physical once a year, but any psychotic can become president (apparently) and no one seems to notice.



Thank you again for bringing up this desperately important issue.

by Bob (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 33 comments) on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 10:50:55 PM
 

 

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