Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Psychopath Test - Chapters 4 & 5

In chapter five of The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson reflects on his experience with Toto Constant, a man from Haiti who was accused of many acts of violence in his home country and was banished to Queens, NY.  Ronson begins by describing his first interview with Toto in Queens back in the 90’s where he recalled Toto “fake crying”.  Years later, after having attended a three-day conference in which Bob Hare explained the PCL-R Checklist, a list of 20 qualities that help identify psychopaths, Ronson again interviewed Toto in Coxsackie Correctional Facility in order to test his newfound psychopath-detecting skills.  Though Toto had initially said that his main purpose for observing people was to figure out how to make them “like” him, Jon was able to uncover that his real motives involved a plan to win their affection in order to manipulate them.  Finally, at the end of chapter five, Jon discusses Bob Hare’s book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work and his theory about corporate psychopaths. This book discusses the conspiracy theory of “executive snakes” ruling the world and makes Jon wonder if there might be some way of proving it.

I found these two chapters to be the most interesting chapters of the entire book; however, as a result they have also made me become much more neurotic.  I find myself wondering how many people I pass on a daily basis walking to class are psychopaths, or wondering if anyone on my floor has any characteristics of one! I, too, feel like I have become a psychopath detective and it is quite entertaining.  Also, I realized that I am more like Jon Ronson than I thought. When he mentioned Toto living in Queens, I was instantly overcome with a flash of anxiety as I wondered how many people like Toto could be residing in Madison.

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