Right—Wrong and Authority
Feb 19th, 2012 by Randy Toman
Martha Stout’s book “The Sociopath Next Door” was published February 2005 What prompted my attention to the book was Glenn Beck’s article/posting on Denzel Washington movie “Safe House” and Washington using Stout’s book as some kind authoritative book http://www.theblaze.com/stories/did-actor-denzel-washington-really-call-atheists-sociopaths/
What is a “Sociopath”? Do they walk among us? With these my two starting question, I quickly found in Book Browse review of the book. Plus Google gave me other sources of research.
Book Browse:
“I hope that this book (Stout’s) gets the very wide audience it deserves because what it has to say is of relevance to virtually all of us as individuals, and takes on even great significance when one adds in the fact that (according to well-documented and much repeated research, first performed by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s) about two-thirds of the general population will follow the orders of somebody in authority, even if it is to inflict significant harm on others. You only have to look at the harm inflicted by the followers of such renowned sociopaths as Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot.”
(see link for Milgram experiment) http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanley-milgram-experiment.html
In the same book review we have this:
”We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in “The Sociopath Next Door”, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4% of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath.”
In Robert Matthews Sunday Telegraph review, May 4th 1997 we find this: (see link below Higgins is quoted near the end of the article) http://www.cix.co.uk/~klockstone/spath.htm
“You can’t negotiate or bargain with psychopaths”. Agreements, like truth, are another commodity to be used to win. They will be broken on a whim and the blame turned on the other party.
In the same link (above) we have “Biblical Resources”
“If we look at the book of Proverbs, chapter 6 in particular rails against ‘froward’ people (King James Bible). A ‘froward’ is translated from the Hebrew tahpukah (tah-poo-kaw) meaning perversity or fraud. Verses 12-19 describe some of the main qualities of a psychopath.”
If you look a “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible the word Froward is mentioned 25 times in the Bible (Froward—Frowardly and finally Frowardness).
The following information will give additional information regarding the condition of a “Sociopath” it is important that you review the subject at some point because if not you will not grasp the seriousness of the situation nor understand what I am asking in my closing questions.
The following words are taken from ‘Book Browse’—-the review of The Sociopath Next Door.
“—a person who can do anything at all without the slightest twinge of guilt.”
“ Four percent of Americans are sociopaths, meaning they have no conscience, and this statistic probably gets larger as one goes up the ladder of success. At the top echelons of success in big business, sociopaths are probably even more plentiful. Most sociopaths in business are not physically violent, and they don’t look like Charles Manson. They look like we do.”
This next comment is critical to understanding that in a political arena you may not be able to get you point across and/or change the persons mind no matter what you do or say—he/she will not compromise their position (having no conscience and wanting to win is all important) a serious problem in moving anything forward politically and in particularly on a righteous path of compromise—-if in fact there can be a compromising path. (One should not compromise principles)
“Respect should be reserved for the kind and the morally courageous. Pity is another socially valuable response, and should be reserved for innocent people who are in genuine pain or who have fallen on misfortune. If, instead, you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy, the chances are close to hundred percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.”
“Related to this—I recommend that you severely challenge your need to be polite in absolutely all situations. For normal adults in our culture, being what we think of as “civilized” is like a reflex, and often we find ourselves being automatically decorous even when someone has enraged us, repeatedly lied to us, or figuratively stabbed us in the back. Sociopaths take huge advantages of this automatic courtesy in exploitive situation.” Sound familiar—never leave a crisis go by and/or create a crisis and take advantage of it.
“Do not be afraid to be unsmiling and calmly to the point.”
“If you do not desire control, but instead want to help people, then help only those who truly want to be helped. I think you will find this does not include the person who has no conscience.”
“The resolve to keep respect separate from fear is even more crucial for groups and nations. The politician, small or lofty, who menaces the people with frequent reminders of the possibility of crime, violence, or terrorism, (How about racism or the rich against the poor) and who then uses their magnified fear to gain allegiance is more likely to be successful con artist than a legitimate leader. This too has been true throughout human history.”
Last and in closing I came across a bank of questions. “The following questionnaire is based on research and experience of socialized psychopaths. For each trait, decide if it applies to the person you suspect may be a socialized psychopaths.”
I have pulled out some of the questions—therefore they will not be in numerical sequence,
their was a total of 18 questions.
3/Are they cavalier about truth and capable of telling lies to your face?
4/ Do they have an air of self importance,—–?
6/ Is their charm superficial, and capable of being switched on to suit immediate ends?
8/ Are their displays of human emotion unconvincing?
10/ Are they quick to blame others for their mistakes?
12/ Do they have no qualms about sponging off others?
13/ Are they quick to lose their temper?
16/ Are they unrealistic about their long-term aims?
17/ Do they lack any ability to empathize with others?
18/ Would you regard them as essentially irresponsible?
I have pointed out these sick traits, so much so, that I have been, often times, considered, the socio and/or at minimum Mr. Negative. I would most humbly ask you to look at these questions carefully and do your own research into this emotion phenomenon. (Sociopath behavior) and draw your own conclusions as to who you and I might be dealing with.
The Bible tells us——all have sinned in Adam, corruption is coming from a corrupt mind/body not from an error made by some mistake capable of correction. We are not, by nature something good. We need Jesus Christ to save us from ourselves. The churches have failed to explain sin, along with its depth of despair. We have slid into a life style of pleasure, covering this despair——-with Biblical morals, ethic and God’s law taking last place on any humanist list of priorities. We know nothing of what the Bible teaches regarding the forward man and ourselves.
The Questions:
Do you think those Sociopaths are going to listen to the Republicans, who might, themselves be in the same boat? Don’t you want to guess again as to possible solutions? I say this solution is not in politics but in God, Christ and the Bible.
We Shall See—don’t you think????
Great article!
Looking at the last 6 presidents, we can clearly see who the Sociopaths are. To do that, we must have a conscience, to have a conscience, we must know right from wrong. These things are taught by parents, the entertainment industry, the news media, our schools and everyone we are in contact with. How can we know who is right without faith in God and biblical teachings!
Hitler and Stalin should have taught us something but that is up to our educational system to teach. Apparently, they have failed and the religious institutions have failed us also. These things don’t become apparent until the passing of two or three generations and then it will hit fast and hard, without warning as it is now! This is what allows sociopaths to take control with no regard for our constitutional freedoms or the vision put forth by our forefathers!
“…takes on even great significance when one adds in the fact that (according to well-documented and much repeated research, first performed by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s) about two-thirds of the general population will follow the orders of somebody in authority, even if it is to inflict significant harm on others.”
That must be the clinical definition of “All we like sheep have gone astray”.
There are so few that have pastors, human shepherds that point us to the Great Shepherd. And so few of them who are not self-promoters willing to tickle the ears of their audience. Fertile ground for the sociopath.
“Looking at the last 6 presidents, we can clearly see who the Sociopaths are.”
Yes, all 6..with the possible exception of Ronald Reagan.
These characteristics describe the exact personality that is typically drawn to politics, for obvious reasons.
They will work within whichever party best suits their needs.
The public generally prefers this sort of man for office, unfortunately, and argue with one another over which party of sociopaths is worse.
When someone who is not a sociopath runs for office, they generally reject him as “a good guy, but he doesn’t have a chance”. They prefer a “winner”.
And, yes, our “religious institutions” have failed, most miserably.
Sad, isn’t it?
Hey Randy, great article.
Don’t forget: “My sociopath is better than your sociopath.”