Summary Of Without Conscience By Robert Hare On Psychopaths

I chose the book Without Conscience by Robert Hare, PhD, because I have always found psychopathy fascinating. How can they do what they do? Dr. Robert Hare not only brought valuable information and research about psychopaths, but also made the book gripping and easy to read. He provided a firsthand account and insight regarding his research on psychopaths. The goal of this book was to help the general public understand what a psychopath is. How to spot and avoid psychopaths.
The introduction of the book introduces Dr. Robert Hare’s research on psychopaths. He and two graduate students wrote a paper detailing an experiment they preformed on a group of random adult males. They recorded the brain waves of the group doing a simple language activity.

There were some results that were very perplexing. The group of adult males varied, but had one thing in common, they were psychopaths. Dr. Hare described them as, “often charming- but always deadly”, (page.1). Psychopaths are missing an essential part of what allows us to live together in relative harmony. They are missing a conscience. When we think of psychopaths, we think of the notorious serial killers like, John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy. However, Dr. Hare explain that they are actually all around us. They are not always killers or even commit violent crimes. “Many spend time in prison, but many do not.” (page. 2). They can be business men, lawyers, or even salesmen. They can be manipulative or corrupt at work, but not all turn to a life of crime.
Chapter one details Dr. Robert Hare’s first in field job. He worked as a psychologist in the British Columbia Penitentiary in the 1960s. He and the rest of the staff were skeptical about a psychologist in a prison. They did not think he good do any good. He was also nervous considering it was his first job. When he was told upon arriving that, “the button was for an emergency, but that if I ever need to press it, I should not expect help to arrive immediately.” (page 10). He still worked, despite his skepticism. His first patient was Ray, who had spent most of his life in prison for violent crimes. When Ray walked into his office, he pulled a knife out. This was a test to see what kind of staff member he would be. If he reported Ray, he would not be trusted and if he did not report him he would be violating the prison’s rules. Dr. Hare’s first patient showed how manipulative a true psychopath could be. He continued to see Ray for eight months and in that time he had manipulated him several more times. Ray persuaded Dr. Hare to let him work in the kitchen were he ended up making illegal alcohol. Ray once again persuaded Dr. Hare to put in for a transfer to work in the auto shop. Ray was a classic psychopath and had an incredible ability to con everyone and smooth talk his way in or out of a situation. Ray even tried to persuade him to let him have a job with his father once he got out. When Dr. Hare refused to help Ray became very mean and nasty and took revenge by damaging his car. Ray showed the classic symptoms such as lying, manipulation, and grandiose. Even though Ray was in prison for violent crimes and would probably never be released, he still had big plans for when he got out. It did not phase him, that he was probably in there for good.
Ray was just one example. His next example was Dan, a man who won the heart of a lonely woman, only to use her and then vanish. Elsa had just gone through a long divorce and was feeling lonely and sad. She met Dan and she had never been happier. They would go on dates and Dan would “accidently” forget his wallet. He quickly moved in with her, even though she did not directly invite him. Elsa still had reservation, but pushed them out of her mind because he was having the time of her life with him. He would disappear or bring suspicious things into her house. He would tell her to not worry about it or it was not her business. Elsa was dependent on him for her happiness. When he disappear for three days and returned he smelled of, “rancid perfume and stale beer”, (page 16). When she asked where he had been, he snapped at her. He seemed different than the person she had come to love. On another occasion Elsa asked if he could get her ice cream. Once again he snapped at her, walked out and never returned. Dan was a clear example of how psychopaths can use people for their own benefit and then leave them high and dry.
His next example were Twins, Ariel and Alice. The twins were identical, yet so different. They had a normal childhood, but Alice never seem quite right. Ariel was a senior partner at her firm and Alice lived in a halfway house. Psychopaths learn at a young age to mimic normal human emotions. At an early age she knew how to use her cute little girl looks to get her way. When the twins were little their kitten was found dead. Ariel was visibly upset, but Alice looked as if she was forcing her tears. “Ariel was always on the defensive; Alice was always the aggressor”, (page 18). So Alice’s family was relieved when she moved out at 17 years old. They could finally live in peace. When Alice was on her own she found drugs. She would steal and prostitute herself out to pay for her habit. Her parents continued to bail her out and pay for her treatment programs because they felt that they somehow raised her wrong. Alice exhibited impulsive behavior, lack of empathy, manipulation, and a lack of responsibility.
Chapter two starts by focusing on the question everyone want the answer too.

Are psychopaths like Alice, “mad or bad?” (page 21). The question whether psychopaths are mentally ill or just a bad seed has caused much debate. Dr. Hare explains that the problem is not only labeling them mad or bad, but who deals with them. “Does the treatment or control of the psychopath rightly fall to mental health professionals or to the correctional system?” (page 21). Not only are professionals confused on how to classify psychopaths, but the media also creates confusion. Psychopath means mental illness and the media uses the word to classify someone as, “insane or crazy”, (page 22). Dr. Hare explains that even though psychopaths, “cannot be understood in terms of traditional views of mental illness”, they, “are not disoriented or out of touch with reality, nor do they experience the delusions, hallucinations, or intense subjective distress that characterize most other mental disorders…psychopaths are rational and aware of what they are doing and why.” (page 22). Most professionals use the term psychopath and sociopath as one in the same. Since DSM-III, antisocial personality disorder has been used in place of psychopath and sociopath. Philippe Pinel was the first psychiatrist describe a psychopath and Harvey Cleckley was one of the first successful publish a book describing a psychopath to the general public . Pinel used the term, “insanity without delirium”, (page 25). Cleckley wrote The Mask of Sanity, which influenced researchers in North America. Dr. Robert Hare explained that WWII was the first time clinicians felt a need to diagnosis people with psychopathy. Due to the draft, there was a need to weed out the people could disrupt or harm the military structure. Dr. Robert Hare realized how hard it was to identify a true psychopaths from rule breakers and developed the Psychopathy Checklist. This checklist is used world wide to help clinicians identify true

psychopaths.
Chapter three and for gives a mental and behavioral profile of a psychopath. In chapter three Dr. Robert Hare gives the key mental and emotional symptoms of a psychopath. The first is glib and superficial, they are, “entertaining conversationalists”, (page 34). They can tell outrage stories, but can lie and speak with such confidence that people believe the tale. The second symptom is egocentric and grandiose. Psychopaths can be arrogant, shameless, and self-assured. Like Ray from the first chapter, who had a sense of entitlement about himself, so do many other psychopaths. The third symptom is a lack of remorse or guilt. They are, “completely forthright…calmly stating that they have no sense of guilt, are not sorry for the pain and destruction they have caused”, (page 40 – 41). The forth symptom is a lack of empathy. They are unable to understand how their action effect people. They cannot “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”. The fifth symptoms are deceitful and manipulative behavior. These types of behaviors come smooth and easily to psychopaths. Even when they are caught in a lie, it rarely phases them. They easily change the story or alter the facts so it fits their lie. The fifth symptom is shallow emotions. “Psychopaths seem to suffer a kind of emotional poverty that limits the range and depth of their feelings.” (page 52). Like Dan from the first chapter, he could never truly love Elsa. Even though she loved him and would have done anything for him. He liked being able to use her.
Dr. Hare explains the key behavioral symptoms in chapter four. The first symptom is impulsive behavior. They do not put much planning or thought into their actions. Dr. Hare quotes a murderer Gary Gilmore, “I wasn’t thinkin’, I wasn’t planning’, I was just doin’.” (page 58). The second symptom is poor behavior control. They are a spur of the moment kind of people. They get offended easily and are like a boiling kettle waiting to blow. The third behavioral symptom is a need for excitement. Psychopaths need that rush of adrenaline, that high. Many psychopaths commit crimes for the rush and excitement. The fourth symptom is a lack of responsibility. Promises, obligations, contacts, or deadlines mean absolutely nothing to psychopaths. They talk a good game, like “I learned my lesson” or “it won’t happen again”, but these words have no weight to them. The fifth symptom is early behavior problems. Usually children show the signs of the Macdonald triad. They also early symptoms can also include lying, stealing, and disruptive behavior. The sixth symptom is adult antisocial behavior. “Psychopaths consider the rules and expectations of society inconvenient and unreasonable, impediments to the behavioral expression of their inclinations and wishes.” (page 67).