As written in his book, “Without Conscience” by Robert D. Hare, PhD, “Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets.  Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret”. 

Doctor Hare has spent over a quarter century researching psychopathy.  He developed the Psychopathy Checklist that is used worldwide by clinicians and researchers to distinguish with reasonable certainty true psychopaths.  While the checklist is a clinical tool for professionals, following are the Key Symptoms of Psychopathy on The Psychopathy Checklist:  glib and superficial; egocentric and grandiose; lack of remorse or guilt; lack of empathy; deceitful and manipulative; shallow emotions; impulsive; poor behavior controls; need for excitement; lack of responsibility; early behaviour problems and adult antisocial behaviour.

While the Psychopathy Checklist is best used by professionals, one thing that has been well documented regarding Casey Anthony is her penchant for lying.  Although she was found not guilty on the prime counts, she was found guilty of 4 counts of lying to law enforcement.  One researcher in Dr. Hare’s book writes that when when asking a psychopath in an interview, “Ever tell lies?”, the psychopath answered, “Are you kidding?  I lie like I breathe, one as much as the other”. 

The true verdict on Casey Anthony may reveal over time.  If she is a psychopath, research would indicate that her prognosis for significant improvement in her attitudes and behavior is poor.  The general scholarly concensus regarding treatment for psychopathy is that “No effective treatment has been found,” or, “Nothing works.” 

As with OJ Simpson, time may render the true verdict on The Casey Anthony case.

Joan is the host of the new talk radio show, “The Joan Jerkovich Show”, Saturday’s at 9:00 am on KINA.  The show is innovative and entertaining and sometimes even educational!  Listen in to the show on Saturdays or go to joanjerkovich.com to listen to the podcasts or watch the show video’s with behind the scenes footage. 

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