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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2013)
Street roots, Jan. 18, 2013 Connecting the dots between super smart and super scary BY THOMAS VINCENT with that of scores of his contemporaries to C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R examine the question raised in the book’s n modern English vernacular perhaps no rather over-the-top subtitle: “What Saints, term is more overused and yet less Spies and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About understood than the word “psychopath.” Success.” Crack open any murder mystery and images From the outset, Dutton presents a immediately spring to mind of serial killers compelling case. Once you accept the notion with cellars full of body parts. Horror that not all psychopaths are cold-blooded movies delight in portraying psychopaths as killers, the rest of his arguments seem cold-blooded, emotionless automatons, able totally logical: “Sure, behind closed doors to carve you up and sup on your spleen I’ve encountered my fair share of Hannibal without batting an eye. Lecters and Ted Bundys: Remorseless, But is this extreme description really unconscionable A-listers who could dine at accurate? Does one have to have a fondness any psychopath table you care to mention for human sweetmeats and Chianti to be without even picking up the phone — just by classified as a psychopath? To Dr. Kevin showing up. But I’ve also met psychopaths Dutton, author of “The Wisdom of who, far from devouring society from within, Psychopaths,” the answer is a resounding serve, through hard-as-nails decision “no.” “Just as there’s no official dividing line making, to protect and enrich it instead: between someone who plays recreational surgeons, soldiers, spies, entrepreneurs — golf on the weekends and, say, Tiger Woods, dare I say, even lawyers.” so the boundary between a world-class, So what are the traits that Dutton finds ‘hole-in-one’ superpsychopath and one who so fascinating? The best example the author merely ‘psychopathizes’ is similarly comes up with is from a book entitled “The blurred.” Mask of Sanity,” written in 1941 by In Dutton’s view, far from being a American physician Hervey Cleckley: “The question of absolutes — “you’re either a psychopath he (Cleckley) observes, is an psychopath or you’re not” — there exists intelligent person, characterized by a instead “a spectrum of psychopathy along poverty of emotions, the absence of shame, which each of us has our place.” Perhaps egocentricity, superficial charm, lack of the best analogy Dutton comes up with is guilt, lack of anxiety, immunity to that of an audio mixing board: “Think of punishment, unpredictability, psychopathic traits as the dials and sliders irresponsibility, manipulativeness, and a on a studio mixing desk. If you push all of transient interpersonal lifestyle.” them to the max, you’ll have a sound track While this collection of attributes may not that’s no good to anyone. But if the sound seem like it describes someone who is track is graded and some controls are worthy of emulation, it is important to turned up higher than others — such as recognize that Dutton is not arguing that all fearlessness, focus, lack of empathy and of these traits are good for all people, or mental toughness, for example — you may that the personality sliders should be have a surgeon who’s a cut above the rest.” cranked up to 11 all the time. What he Dutton is no slouch when it comes to the means is that in some fields of endeavor, field of psychology. A fellow of the Royal specifically ones that require a cool steady Society of Medicine and the Society for the hand and the ability to focus without interference from emotion and anxiety, Scientific Study of Psychopathy, Dutton’s those whose personalities sit on the bona fides also include work as a research psychopathic end of the teeter-totter tend to psychologist at Magdalen College, out-perform the rest of us. To put it another University of Oxford. In addition, his writing way, if you’re looking to select a commando has appeared in New Scientist, The team to take out Osama Bin Laden, Guardian, and Psychology Today. In “The personality traits like anxiety, guilt and self Wisdom of Psychopaths,” the author combines his own considerable research doubt will probably not top your list. I 7HÍ W ISD O M OF | SYC H O ’kins KEVIN DUTTON The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us about Success by Kevin Dutton Perhaps the most intriguing chapter in the book is the comparison between psychopaths and Buddhist monks. Both populations exhibit a remarkable ability to eliminate all thoughts of the past and the future and to live totally in the moment. And while the uses to which they put their abilities are diametrically opposed, Dutton nevertheless observes that “anchoring your thoughts unswervingly "Inst as there's ho official in the present, focusing exclusively in dividing line between the here and now, is a someone who plays cognitive discipline recreational golf on the that psychopathy and weekends and, say, Tiper spiritual enlightenment have in Woods, so the boundary common.” between a world-class, 'hole- Dutton is an able In-one' superpsychopatk and scientist and debater. one who merely But it is his writing 'psychopathizes' Is sim ilarly ability that truly sets this book apart. Where M u rre l/' a lesser author could have beaten the reader senseless with scientific data and obscure case studies, the author seems to know intuitively when to switch from pure science to narrative. Dutton’s prose exhibits a playfulness that is quite entertaining and his fascination for his subject is... well, infectious. Dutton’s chief observation is that it is not one’s character traits that cause problems for most psychopaths. Instead, it’s the inability to “dial back” those traits which seem to always be maxed out. “As Jamie (a psychopath Dutton interviewed) had articulated when I first arrived in Broadmoor, the problem with psychopaths isn’t that they’re chock-full of evil. Ironically it’s precisely the opposite: They have too much of a good thing.” As Dutton sympathetically concludes, when it comes to psychopaths, “The car is to die for. It’s just too fast for the road.” Reprinted from Real Change Newspaper, Seattle, Wash. T heT aft H o m e Where senior and disabled adults receive the care and respect they deserve. Call us for more information (503)223-2144 1337 S.W. Washington, Portland, OR 97205 www.tafthome.org D ignity P overty The new Rose City Resource is in! Call us at 503-228-5657 for your set of guides today!
