When Ronson wraps up his work in The Psychopath Test, a novel, he creates a theme of paranoia as he ventured into an industry of madness. He establishes his work’s meaning that any individual may appear normal, abnormal, or be a psychopath within. In other words, his theme follows the idea that life can be full of deceiving people. In order to convey his theme, he used four significant characters. They include himself as the narrator, David Shayler with Rachel North, and Robert Hare. These characters not only emphasize Ronson’s theme, but also help establish the purpose of his theme, which is to showcase that madness can be anywhere.
As the narrator, Ronson shows his paranoia through exposing many of his inner thoughts about each of his encounters,
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whether it is a person or a general idea about psychopaths. Using this technique allows his readers to understand how he perceives someone as a psychopath. A large factor that helps establish his theme was his frequent moments of questioning the sanity of himself or each person he discusses, which shows his paranoia. In one account, Ronson describes his early experience in being introduced to psychopaths, “I thought about my own overanxious brain, my own sort of madness. Was it a more powerful engine in my life than my rationality? I remembered those psychologists who said psychopaths made the world go around... Suddenly, madness was everywhere, and I was determined to learn about the impact it had on the way society evolves” (31). In this moment, he mentions that psychopaths are actually everywhere, and this makes him skeptical about each person he knows that might be insane. In addition, he questions his own insanity by considering his own traits, such as his claim of having an “overanxious brain” that might be an element of a psychopath (31). In addition, Ronson stated, “I’ve always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn’t it? What if it is built on insanity?” (32). As readers interpret Ronson’s reflection of how society may be full of psychopaths, it is also good to note that he appears uneasy about this situation. Ronson’s states his belief that society is filled with normal people, and yet he feels conflicted when he mentioned “what if it isn’t it?”, which lets his readers see his suspicion about anyone (32). Besides considering Ronson’s thoughts, it also critical to consider his perspective on specific individuals he meets. One of his most significant cases of paranoia considers his thoughts on Tony, a person that Ronson could not confirm sufficiently as a psychopath. Tony has faked being a patient with a mental illness in order to be admitted into a psychiatric facility as a means to avoid prison. With this information in mind, Ronson was convinced that Tony appeared sane by his well-dressed manner, healthy figure, and polite behavior in his initial visit. However, this view changed as Ronson investigated Tony more. In trying to understand Tony’s full background, Ronson sought the help of a psychiatrist that was well informed of Tony. The psychiatrist already understood that Tony faked his way into the psychiatric facility, but he also mentioned that Tony is a psychopath. The psychiatrist stated to Ronson, “Faking mental illness to get out of a prison sentence, he explained, is exactly the kind of deceitful and manipulative act you’d expect of a psychopath.” (58). In obtaining two contrasting accounts of Tony, Ronson could not decide if Tony was normal or not. He even became more skeptical about Tony in discovering the Hare Checklist, or The PCL-R, which gave items that relate to psychopathic behavior. One that matched with Tony included “Glibness/Superficial Charm” because Ronson noted Tony’s sharp suit that he wore to show his charm (97). These details became factors that built Ronson’s paranoia as he defines his theme. While Ronson represents his theme of paranoia through his thoughts, David Shayler shows paranoia by his actions. David Shayler significantly showed a case of paranoia by bullying a girl named Rachel North through his manipulation of the media.
It is best to describe Rachel’s perspective on Shayler to gradually explain how Shayler showcases his paranoia. As a survivor of a terrorist attack on a train, Rachel became well known by sharing her experience through writing a tumultuous amount of blog posts to not only release her pain of the experience, but also to share it to others for their relief. Rachel discussed her concerns about how she was wrongly described to the public to Ronson, “They became very suspicious of me [when they investigated my blog posts]. They formed this theory that I was some kind of counterintelligence professional or security services covert operative. Some of them thought I didn’t even exist,” (185). With these details in mind, it appears that the people describing Rachel are irrational because they concocted ideas that lacked any reason behind them. When they claim that Rachel might be a “covert operative”, they believe that she is someone that everyone should be cautious of because of her blog posts. However, they are relying on only her writings instead of investigating other factors, such as if she had any background of being a counterintelligence professional. Such ideas are significant elements of paranoia because they are unreasonable claims that try to convince others to be suspicious of Rachel. Rachel had also told Ronson that she directly called these …show more content…
people fantasists and confronted them that she was uncomfortable in being involved in their “paranoid fantasy” (186). When she tried to uncover the mastermind in charge of cyber bullying her, it turns out to be directed by David Shayler. Rachel used to admire Shayler because he was known for heroically taking his own freedom to fight against illegal secret government activities, but he was now a paranoid person in Rachel’s eyes. Since Shayler created these fake ideas about Rachel, he showed how skeptical he is, which made Rachel not only upset but also disappointed in him. He claimed that “7/7 never happened. It was a lie… The world had been fooled by a brilliant lie,” (188). Shayler generated ideas that are illogical because Rachel did exist and experienced the terrorist attack by posting her experience online. He had also met her in person according to Ronson. Rather than Rachel being an insane person, it was Shayler that was quite crazy and deceptive. In this case, Shayler’s ridiculous ideas show his paranoia. While Shayler is a paranoid individual, Robert Hare defines paranoia with his own checklist. Robert Hare’s PCL-R checklist not only helped him determine psychopathic individuals, but he also allowed other individuals to gain this ability too. Sometimes, however, this list is misused and can cause users to be suspicious about everyone they know. This, he believed, makes them think that everyone is a psychopath of some sort. For example, Hare tried to teach some psychiatrists on how to properly use his checklist in diagnosing individuals. However, one of his unfortunate cases occurred in a mental hospital called Coalinga. In this case, “A Coalinga psychiatrist, Michael Freer, told the Los Angeles Times in 2007 that more than a third of Coalinga ‘individuals’ (as the inmates there are called) had been misdiagnosed as violent predators and would in fact pose no threat to the public if released” (215). This shows how Hare’s checklist can make individuals unsure who is really sane or not, which is a key note to consider because it lets readers understand that people can be deceived about each person they know. In other words, one person may appear normal, but may be a completely different character within. Since these Coalinga individuals are just harmless people misdiagnosed as psychopaths, paranoia can arise. This indicates that anyone could appear to be psychopath. Besides considering his followers, Hare shows his own paranoia. Hare’s paranoia shows when he pointed out one individual as a psychopath, but it did not seem to agree with what Ronson believed.
According to Ronson, “’I was using his phone to try and call you, and when he saw me, he grabbed it out of my hand and slammed it down,’ I said… ‘Well, he’s one,’ said Bob….‘A psychopath?’ I said. I narrowed my eyes and glanced over at the concierge. He was helping someone into the elevator with her bags” (213). In this situation, Hare indicated that many psychopaths are gatekeepers, but he did not show any proof as he discussed his claim with Ronson. One should also notice that Ronson questioned if the person was actually a psychopath, meaning that he was unsure by Hare’s claim. Ronson implied that the concierge was just following his job orders and barely gave evidence of psychopathic behaviors. Hare assumed one action would determine if a person is a psychopath, but this is too extreme. This hinted that Hare seems to be consumed by his own checklist and that every individual must be a psychopath at some level. In this context, Hare was paranoid. According to Ronson, most of Hare’s life was devoted to studying psychopaths, and he probably caused his own paranoia due to his devotion of this topic. Since he studied specific behaviors of psychopaths and listed them as items on his list, it would make sense that he would judge every person as a potential
one. As audiences read Ronson’s novel, his theme of paranoia is apparent throughout his work. In interpreting his novel, it is best to recall one idea relating to his theme that he represents significantly: some people can be deceiving in one’s life. He showed how suspicious, or paranoid, he is as he narrates his novel. He allowed other characters to represent his theme as well. By presenting this concept of paranoia, he lets his readers become skeptical about the sanity of anyone around them as they venture into meeting new faces.
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.
...ny requirements for a psychopath, even though a formal test like the PCL-R cannot be completed because he took away his own life before investigation was final. However, he is similar to a few psychopaths that this course studied over the past nine weeks making it possible to compare him. Some aspects are still questionable of Keyes’s, like his childhood, but otherwise he does represent much of what has been learned of the psychopath in this class.
Another mark on the checklist is the violations of social norms and an aimless life (Hare, 1993). The psychopath is highly impulsive and has a constant need for excitement (Hare, 1993). The Psychopathy Checklist is filled with the basic characteristic of a person with a psychopathy
These laborious endeavors confirm the narrator’s suspected mental state leaving the audience perplexed and curious as to what to expect next as the reader has now confirmed the narrator is unstable and therefore
Psychoanalysis is the method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts (“Psychoanalysis”). This transfers to analyzing writing in order to obtain a meaning behind the text. There are two types of people who read stories and articles. The first type attempts to understand the plot or topic while the second type reads to understand the meaning behind the text. Baldick is the second type who analyzes everything. Since his article, “Allure, Authority and Psychoanalysis” discusses the meaning behind everything that happens in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” we can also examine “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” in the same manner.
The disturbing description of the serial killer is recited without any waver whatsoever away from the intent only to divulge information. The narrator makes no personal comment and expresses no opinion about Howard. After the narrator has given the information to the listener, the narrator leads the train of thought right back to the work environment. The idea of a horrible mass murderer is interrupted by his typing ability. This continued contrast now goes past unstable and borders on psychotic.
“Without Conscience" by Robert D. Hare is one aimed towards making the general public aware of the many psychopaths that inhabit the world we live in. Throughout the book Hare exposes the reader to a number of short stories; all with an emphasis on a characteristic of psychopaths. Hare makes the claim that close monitoring of psychopathy are vital if we ever hope to gain a hold over Psychopathy- A disorder that affects not only the individual but also society itself. He also indicates one of the reasons for this book is order to correctly treat these individuals we have to be able to correctly identify who meets the criteria. His ultimate goal with the text is to alleviate some of the confusion in the increase in criminal activity by determining how my of this is a result of Psychopathy.
In the film, American Psycho, Patrick Bateman was a wealthy investment banker who also happened to be a serial killer. He was highly intelligent and was charming which attracted many of the women who came his way. Unlike most people in the world, he lived in constant pain. He was rarely happy with himself, and also hated everyone around him. He felt that he needed to inflict his pain on others in violent ways. He always had something disgusting to say such as, “I like to dissect girls; I am utterly insane.” It is outside of the norm to speak in this way, therefore he would be considered deviant. He displayed feelings of distress as he became frustrated very easily with himself and others. Everything
Fifty years ago, a person breaking the law would either be called crazy or a criminal. Today, the mental health community has much more specific diagnoses. However, the explanation of certain behaviors may be difficult because there is much overlap among mental conditions. In Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, the protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is apparently simply a psychopath. However, Bateman can be diagnosed with other mental illnesses such as Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, narcissism, and antisocial personality disorder. In both the book and film adaptation, Bateman’s actions can be understood more accurately when analyzed in light of modern psychology.
A psychopath easily demonstrates several discernible quirks. Iago, one of Shakespeare 's most notable characters from Othello, regularly displays unholy habits. Iago is a man who is determined to achieve his goals by manipulating and scheming plans to get what he wants. His shallow heart shows no mercy for those who oppose. A psychopath Iago undoubtedly fits the role of a psychopath because of his manipulative, emotionless and devious behavior throughout the entire play.
What is a psychopath? What type of person can be characterized by this and how do they come to be? But first before we can answer these questions we must first know what a psychopath is. Psychopaths are people suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviors; clinically it is a person who has a lack of what we would consider a conscience. Psychopaths are seen to suffer from a lack of empathy because of psychological, genetic and environmental factors. Scientists have many theories concerning psychopaths. Scientist do not have a definite clear cut answer on what is the cause for psychopathy but they have many ideas; nature and the nurture of the person. Nature is the genes that the person carries. The nurture of the person when they were a child is simply means how they were treated when they were growing up and/or how they were raised. Some scientists even consider it a possibility that it could be a mixture of the two.
The study of mental disorders and psychology was well demonstrated throughout the text. As a psychologist, Dr. Seward also helped show references that supported the idea of mental disorders. As the mood of the story begins normally, it slowly advances into an insane story line filled with vampires, and tainted animals. As the mood progresses throughout the story, the characters also start displaying further extensive behaviors to help support the behavioral disorders. The idea of reality, and paranoia is well stated in this article when Jodar states, “Thus, the boundaries between reality, dream, fantasy and paranoia are blurred in a world in which the four of them combine to create a collective, delusive monster embodied in the figure of Dracula, the vampire” (Jodar 37).
The main character of Mr. Brooks is nothing short of a self-made man with a loving family and a productive business. However, not everything is what it seems. Mr. Brooks has a constant urge to kill. Like most real life serial killers, Mr. Brooks has a charming personality on the outside but a twisted brain on the inside. Every single action he took was thoughtfully played out, as if he were acting in a stage play with no chances of failure. Many psychopaths portray a high IQ and intelligence just like Mr. Brooks had. However, Mr. Brooks was not a psychopath. Deep down inside, he still harvested a strong familial love for his wife and daughter, and understood the mental and physical consequences of his actions. Instead, Mr. Brooks is the type of character that cannot be explained with just one theoretic analysis. The story illustrates that Mr. Brooks was a psychotic suffering from schizophrenia and that somehow his urge to kill could be passed down by generations. With this outline the
Psychopathy; the trait that truly distinguishes humans from ¨machines¨, emotionful to emotionless. Within the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, one may logically assume that the protagonist, Patrick Bateman is indeed implied to be a psycho as the title suggests. However upon further analyzation, Bateman is revealed to be an unreliable narrator, he does not captivate the reader with all of his emotions verbally, for they are revealed through his actions. Bateman certainly does murder people, however, clinically murder doesn´t rule somebody to be a psychopath. Bateman feels no visible remorse for the victims he kills, because Bateman lives in an artificial hyperbole of a yuppie world where no love is shown, all relationships superficial.
The media most often showcases psychopaths as individuals who are inherently evil and dangerous towards themselves and others. Yet, this concept of psychopathy goes far beyond this idea of pure evil and instead necessitates a needed psychological understanding. These individuals, psychopaths, are generally characterized by a lack of empathy and conscience. Indeed, psychopath’s indifference to the repercussions of their actions combined with other characteristics such as hostility and aggression make for a potentially dangerous personality (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In order to identify a psychopath’s recidivism, it is important to differentiate them from sociopaths who, instead of having a psychological impairment that makes it difficult for them to socialize, have been systematically under socialized (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In accordance. psychologists have developed the methods such as the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) to help identify those with psychopathic tendencies (Walters, 2012, p.409). That is why predictions of recidivism among psychopaths is most efficient when done