Psycho

Excerpts from “The psycho - a chameleon in today’s society” (ed. Paulinas, 2005), by the Spanish writer Vicente Garrido, translated to portuguese by Juliana Teixeira.

“Individuals with psychopath traces are people who act only in their own benefit. They don’t care about the means they use in order to get what they want. Besides, they lack the feeling of guilt and they aren’t usually emotionally attached to anyone — when they are, it’s because they are interested in something.” (from the prologue written by psychologist Ivone Rodrigues Lisboa Patrão)

“Psychopaths tend to speak a lot, they are charming, witty and tell stories - improbable but convincing ones - which make them look good to other people. Nonetheless, the good observer notices they are too shallow and insincere, like they were mechanically reading a script.

They talk about attractive matters they are not prepared to talk about, like poetry, literature, sociology or philosophy. It doesn’t matter to them when it becomes evident their stories are totally fake — this doesn't happen too often, though, considering the imagination and easiness used to create their stories.” (p.37)

“The psychopath self-esteem is very high, they are very narcissistic, egocentric and they have a omnipresent feeling everything is allowed to them. They feel they are ‘the center of the universe’, and believe they are superior beings ruled by their own laws. It's understandable that, believing themselves to be like this, they look arrogant, dominant and extremely confident to other people. It’s clear they want to control other people and that they seem unable to understand that there are people whose opinions are different from theirs.

Immerse in this world of superiority, the psychopath almost never care about financial, legal or personal problems he might have, because he believes they are ‘transitory difficulties’, brought either by bad luck or other people.

Someone like this doesn’t have to commit to realistic, long-term goals and, when he sets an objective, he soon realizes he lacks the necessary attributes to get it; actually, he doesn’t even know he has to do something in order to get it. He truly believes his skills will make him able to get anything.” (p. 38)

“Lying, deceiving and conning are natural talents to the psychopath. When his charade is brought to light, he doesn’t feel embarrassed; he simply changes his story or rearrange the facts so they fit again.” (p. 41)

“The psychopath assertiveness when he tells a story comes with the belief that the world is divided in two groups: winners and losers. This way, it seems a nonsense to him not to take advantage of other people's weaknesses.” (p. 41)

“Psychopaths seem to totally lack the deep understanding of human emotions. Sometimes, with their cold, distant looks, they show dramatic episodes of affection, and they are nothing but small exhibitions of fake emotion.” (p. 42)

“Why, then, — we may ask — someone like this get married, why does they decide to have a family? There are different reasons, of course, but the general answer is that, when they decided to get married or have children, this choice was useful to help them get what they wanted at that moment and they do not feel any responsibility towards them.” (p. 47)

“Actually, psychopaths use metaphors because in their deceitful and manipulative behavior, beautiful and figurative words play an important role.” (p. 71)

“The conclusion (...) is a population that houses an increasing number of young people turn into adults without a clear value code, who incarnates the cynic, suspicious eye of a society in which material success may be the only tangible, safe good.” (p. 83)

“Human beings are more isolated and alone, even though they can communicate almost instantaneously with anywhere in the world. If they learn how to live without other people, they will learn not to care about other people, a fundamental trace in the psycho personality.” (p. 85)

“Actually, psychopaths are free from the hallucinations and delusions which are the most spectacular symptoms of schizophrenia. Their apparent normality, their ‘sanity mask’ make them difficult to be recognized and, logically, more dangerous.” (p. 99)

“It’s unquestionable psychopaths have the ability to be always around people who have no scruples, people who make it easy for them to achieve their ambitions.” (p.102)

“The characteristic of a psychopath is the total lack of remorse or shame when he builds a situation that would terrify other mortals.” (p.117)