Imagine what it would be like to make everyday decisions without
caring how your choices affected others and
to live each day with the only goal being to elevate your
insatiable self-worth.*
When telling lies or engaging in criminal activity you experience no
guilt or remorse and you have such confidence in your ability to
escape punishment that you lie at will; in fact, engaging in illegal
behavior, and the thrill of getting away with it, becomes a driving
force in your life allowing you to express superiority over others:
Welcome to the mind of the primary psychopath.
Fortunately, less than one percent of the population is diagnosed
as a primary psychopath.*
The predominant traits that characterize this psychological disorder
include lack of remorse or guilt, poor behavioral control, need for
emotional stimulation,* irresponsibility, shallow affect, failure to
learn from experience, and involvement in anti-social behavior,
including frequent lying. Primary psychopaths are usually diagnosed
in their twenties, tend to be male and have a higher than average
IQ.** They experience a psychological burn-out by mid-life after
which they are likely to be nonproductive members of society
(incarcerated, drug addicts, recluses).
Statistically, an investigator is much more likely to encounter a
secondary psychopath.*
These are individuals who possess some psychopathic traits in
combination with symptoms from other personality disorders or mental
illness.* About fifty percent of the prison population is diagnosed
as having some psychopathic traits.
Identifying the psychopath
An investigator is generally not concerned with exactly what mental
illness a suspect suffers from, but rather how to recognize
fundamental symptoms of a disorder and how to effectively deal with
the suspect.* A suspect with psychopathic tendencies will exhibit
several of the following behaviors:
1.* Glibness / superficial charm e.g., unconcerned attitude, overly
polite, inappropriate levity
2.* Irresponsibility e.g., failure to meet financial obligations,
failure to keep appointments, not following through on promises
3.* Reckless disregard of other's safety or feelings / lack of
empathy e.g., irrationally shooting a customer during a robbery,
purposefully aiming a car toward an animal trying to cross the road
4.* Pervasive engagement in anti-social behavior, e.g., lying,
cheating, theft, fraud
5.* Impulsive behaviors, e.g., promiscuous sexual behavior,
spontaneous crimes
6.* Feelings of entitlement, e.g., strive for positions of
authority and power, expectation of special treatment (or claims of
unfair treatment)
There are a number of key behaviors that may indicate a suspect has
psychopathic tendencies.* The first is the suspect who, upon meeting
the investigator, exhibits no fear or anxiety.* Rather, the suspect
appears to almost enjoy the challenge of answering questions and
does not present any outward symptoms of anxiety or guilt even when
caught making an inconsistent or false statement.*
The suspect may engage in
testing behavior shortly after meeting the investigator.* This concept comes from con men who would stage certain scenarios
to test the gullibility of a potential victim.* Examples of testing
behavior may include asking the investigator for a business card, to
draw a map showing the best route to the freeway, or simply for the
current time.* By engaging in this preemptive behavior, the suspect
gains a sense of control during the interview.
Finally, it is not uncommon for psychopaths to falsify their
credentials and even impersonate others.* When psychopathy is
suspected, the investigator should question the suspect about his
background, education, professional licenses and certification.* It
may be productive to ask the suspect, "Have you ever pretended to be
someone else, where you posed as another person?"
Interviewing The Psychopath ***********
Because of the psychopath's high level of self confidence, he often
believes that he does not need an attorney.* A psychopath is likely
to waive his Miranda rights and agree to be interviewed.* During the
interview he is easily engaged and appears to be helpful and
cooperative.* In reality this "cooperative facade" allows the
psychopath to manipulate the investigator with the intent to
convince the investigator of his innocence.
The challenge in interviewing a psychopath is that, depending on
the degree of psychopathy, the suspect may exhibit minimal behavior
symptoms of deception when lying.* This includes the lack of
specific nonverbal or paralinguistic behaviors reflecting anxiety,
guilt, fear or low confidence.* Similarly, on the verbal level, the
psychopath may not reduce anxiety by using memory qualifiers e.g.,
"to the best of my knowledge."*
In fact, psychopaths often tell bold lies that invite a challenge,
e.g.,** "I had nothing to do with this whatsoever.* Iill give you my
fingerprints because I know you won't find them at the crime
scene."* Later, the investigator finds the suspect's fingerprints
all over the crime scene.* Needless to say, when a suspect exhibits
psychopathic traits the investigator should not take anything the
suspect says at face value.* Rather, the investigator should
carefully document the suspects alleged credentials or alibi, obtain
exemplars, get blood sample, take fingerprints etc. and check
everything out.
The psychopathis weakness is within his attitudes.* During an
interview he will come across as unconcerned (inappropriate levity,
express leniency toward the guilty party), offer unrealistic
assessments of the crime, and express insincere emotions.* The
predominant feature is the absence of anxiety or concern that is
typically observed from innocent suspects.* Moreover, because
psychopaths engage in spontaneous behavior, often there is clear
evidence that places them at the crime scene or with the victim.* Of
course, when confronted with the evidence, the suspect will have an
explanation for the evidence and protest his innocence with a great
deal of conviction.
Interrogating the Psychopath
Hard-wired within the psychopathis affected personality is a very
high index of suspicion; psychopaths are incapable of fully trusting
another human being and believe that everyone only acts in their own
best interests.* Consequently, if the investigator attempts to come
across as someone who understands the suspects' situation and can
sympathize with the suspectis reasons for committing the crime, the
investigator will lose credibility.*
Rather, the investigator should use a factual approach to the
interrogation.* The investigators' statements should focus on
evidence and attacking the suspect's credibility.* The
investigator's demeanor should be professional, emotionally detached
and confident.* It is rare for a primary psychopath to fully confess
his crime.* More often, he will make incriminating statements and
ultimately accept a plea bargain from the prosecutor n the
psychopath will not fully admit wrong-doing, but may acknowledge
that it is in his best interest to plead guilty.
In conclusion, investigators must guard against labeling every
suspect who commits a despicable crime or who frequently lies as a
psychopath.* While it is true that many people who commit crimes
have psychopathic tendencies, certainly not all criminals are
primary psychopaths.* Psychopathy occurs on a wide continuum.*
Consequently, rather than asking, "Is this suspect a psychopath?"
the investigator may be better off asking, " To what extent does
this suspect exhibit psychopathic tendencies?"*
The more psychopathic tendencies a suspect exhibits, the less
weight should be placed on specific behavior symptoms of truth or
deception during the interview.* In fact, the focus of the interview
should be to obtain detailed information, about the suspects' alibi,
relationship with the victim, financial situation etc., and that
information should be verified (or refuted).* The psychopath's guilt
is usually revealed by detecting not one big lie, but several little
ones.* Also, the interrogation approach should appeal less to the
suspectis emotions and more to logic and intellectual arguments.
Credit and Permission Statement: This
Investigator Tip was developed by John E. Reid and Associates Inc.
Permission is hereby granted to those who wish to share or copy the
article. For additional 'tips' visit
www.reid.com;
select 'Educational Information' and 'Investigator Tip'. Inquiries
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For more information regarding Reid seminars and training products,
contact John E. Reid and Associates, Inc. at 800-255-5747 or
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