Sociopathy and the Anthony Case

1. They’re fluent talkers (liars). Even when caught in a lie, they change their stories without skipping a beat.  
2. They’re totally comfortable in social situations and cool under pressure.  
3. They use family or business connections to make themselves appear legitimate.  
4. They often become, or pretend to be, clergy, lawyers, physicians, teachers, counselors and artists. Most of us generally assume people in these positions are trustworthy.
5. They’re happy to exaggerate—or fabricate—credentials. Few of us check their references.  
6. They will say absolutely anything—”I love you,” “You can trust me,” “I’ll never do it again.” The words, to them, mean absolutely nothing.

According to Dr. Robert Hare, many sociopaths (he prefers the term “psychopaths”) behave in a way that is technically not illegal, but violates conventional ethical standards. Dr. Hare calls these cases “subcriminal.”
In his book, Without Conscience, he states:

“They appear to function reasonably well—as lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, academics, mercenaries, police officers, cult leaders, military personnel, businesspeople, writers, artists, entertainers and so forth—without breaking the law, or at least without being caught and convicted. These individuals are every bit as egocentric, callous and manipulative as the average criminal psychopath; however, their intelligence, family background, social skills and circumstances permit them to construct a façade of normalcy and to get what they want with relative impunity.”* (click on * for link to Lovefraud website)

These subcriminal sociopaths rarely go to prison, but what does happen is that they repeat their behavior and are caught, repeat, caught, until they crash and burn. OJ Simpson will be in prison for 33 years, Bernie Madoff received 150 years, and Ms. Anthony (unless she asks for intense counseling) will join them after a couple of ‘repeat and caught,’ sessions. 


We hope that innocents aren’t in their pathway when they do so.