Forensic psychiatry : influences of evil

389 Pages·2006·1.478 MB·English

by  Mason, Tom

Forensic Psychiatry
F P
ORENSIC SYCHIATRY
Influences of Evil
Edited by
Tom Mason
School of Health and Social Care, University of Chester
Chester, United Kingdom
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Forensic psychiatry : influences of evil / edited by Tom Mason.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-58829-449-8 (alk. paper)
1. Forensic psychiatry. 2. Good and evil. I. Mason, Tom, 1950- .
[DNLM: 1. Forensic Psychiatry. W 740 F71495 2006]
RA1151.F6585 2006
613'.15--dc22
2005012486
Preface
In the 1990s, while working in a high-security psychiatric hospital in the
United Kingdom, two colleagues, Dave Mercer and Joel Richman, and I
undertook a series of research projects relating to the care and management of
mentally disordered offenders. These projects were approved by both an
academic research committee and an ethics committee. During the course of
one of the projects, the notion of “evil” emerged from the discourse of the
subjects (hospital staff) as a corollary to our investigation. In no way were we
attempting to evoke or elucidate this concept at the time. Simply stated, this
was a research finding. The fact that the subjects were forensic psychiatric
practitioners who claimed a high degree of professionalism is a point of
academic interest. However, what intrigued us was the way in which their
commentary on “evil” impacted their practice.
There are some who may claim that psychiatry is a science (and a few may
even make the claim for forensic psychiatry) and as such is based on empirical
knowledge obtained through the testing of hypotheses with conclusions drawn
froma priori relationships. These relationships may be statistically expressed or
otherwise represented but, nonetheless, the claim is for a science of psychiatry. In
this perspective, it is usually argued that the notion of evil is at best a question for
theologians or moral philosophers and at worst, a concept that is irrelevant to
psychiatric practice. Certainly, some maintain that “evil” does not exist in any
real physical sense, but it most assuredly does as a metaphysical reality within the
spheres of human action and social consciousness. No judgments of right or wrong
are offered here; merely an acceptance of and respect for another’s belief. One
aim of this book, therefore, is to challenge the notion that psychiatry as “science,"
and “evil” as either divine or secular, are mutually exclusive constructions.
Others claim that although psychiatry may not be a science in the true
sense of the word, the concept of evil is not helpful to our understanding of the
aberrations of human thinking and behavior. In this view, there is an implicit
message that those mental health professionals who do not dismiss the idea of
evil as irrelevant in psychiatric practice are somehow engaging in a lesser
v
vi Preface
degree of professionalism, are entertaining a negative judgmentalism, or are
unable to “bracket out” personal feelings in their professional lives. Others
may counterclaim this moral position by asserting it to be sophistry based on
narrow-mindedness and a limitation in thinking capacity. Whatever the
perspective, it may be useful to point out that to dismiss other social construc-
tions, such as marriage, family relations, and religion, in the quest to under-
stand the ravages of the human mind may be somewhat naïve. Therefore,
another aim of this book is to offer a balance to those who have the ability to
reflect on alternative thoughts and who are able to be responsive to the possi-
bilities and potential in the points of view of others.
Thankfully, only a few see psychiatry in such narrow terms and for people
who do, it is highly unlikely that any text in itself will produce any real change
in their thinking. One purpose of this book, therefore, is to offer material for
others to challenge those with such restricted views.
Fortunately, the majority of professionals working in the field of foren-
sic psychiatry appreciate that their craft is inchoate and that they need to
respond to the issues that are raised in a reflective manner. In Forensic
Psychiatry: Influences of Evil, the relationship between forensic psychiatry
and evil has been dealt with from various and diverse disciplinary perspec-
tives. The rationale for this approach is that both forensic psychiatry and the
notion of evil are part of our developing society, and we should not be afraid
of embracing these divergent viewpoints in our quest for understanding. Thus,
another aim of this book is to open up further the debate on forensic psychia-
try and its incorporation of extremes of aberrant behavior in relation to its
social function. Therefore, this book should not only be relevant for all those
working in these varying disciplines, but also be pertinent for many others in
society at large who may well have given some thought to the problems of evil
and its medicalization.
Tom Mason
Contents
Preface....................................................................................................v
Contributors ..........................................................................................ix
Chapter 1: Introduction
Tom Mason ................................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Organizations As Evil Structures
Dave Holmes and Cary Federman.........................................................15
Chapter 3: The Psychopharmaceutical Complex
Brian Kean...............................................................................................31
Chapter 4: Intention, Excuse, and Insanity
Tamas Pataki ...........................................................................................67
Chapter 5: An Archaeology of the Psychopath:
The Medicalization of Evil
Tom Mason ..............................................................................................89
Chapter 6: The Comforts of Evil: Dangerous Personalities
in High-Security Hospitals and the Horror Film
Mick McKeown and Mark Stowell-Smith ...........................................109
Chapter 7: Madness, Badness, and Evil
Deidre N. Greig......................................................................................135
Chapter 8: Destruction As a Constructive Choice
David A. Winter.....................................................................................153
vii
viii Contents
Chapter 9: Violence As Secular Evil: Forensic Evaluation
and Treatment of Violent Offenders From the Viewpoint
of Existential Depth Psychology
Stephen A. Diamond .............................................................................179
Chapter 10: Scapegoat, Spectacle, and Confessional:
Close Encounters With Sex Offenders
and Other Species of Dangerous Individuals
Dave Mercer and Joel Richman...........................................................207
Chapter 11: The Vilification of Victimized Children
in Historical Perspective
Victoria Van Slyke.................................................................................231
Chapter 12: Evil: A Clinical Perspective
J. David Kinzie.......................................................................................249
Chapter 13: Capacities and Dispositions: What Psychiatry
and Psychology Have to Say About Evil
Gwen Adshead .......................................................................................259
Chapter 14: Should Radical Evil Be Forgiven?
Marguerite La Caze...............................................................................273
Chapter 15: Mad, Bad, and Evil: Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis,
and Evil
Michael Levine ......................................................................................295
Chapter 16: Talking About Evil, Even When It Is Not
Supposed to Exist
C. Fred Alford........................................................................................313
Chapter 17: The Influence of Evil on Forensic Clinical Practice
Tom Mason, Joel Richman, and Dave Mercer...................................327
Chapter 18: Hope in the Face of Evil
Geri Miller and Ron Hood....................................................................355
Index....................................................................................................367
Contributors
GWEN ADSHEAD • Department of Psychotherapy, Broadmoor Hospital,
Berkshire, UK
C. FRED ALFORD • Department of Government, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD
MARGUERITE LA CAZE • Department of Philosophy, School of History,
Philosophy, Religion and Classics, The University of Queensland, St.
Lucia, Australia
STEPHEN A. DIAMOND • Forensic Panel, Superior Court (Criminal Division)
and Bloch Medical Clinic and Department of Psychology, Ryokan
College and Center for Existential Depth Psychology, Los Angeles, CA
CARY FEDERMAN • Department of Political Science, Duquesne University,
Pittsburgh, PA
DEIDRE N. GREIG • Criminology Department, University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia
DAVE HOLMES • School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
RON HOOD • Counseling and Forensic Psychology, Blue Ridge Psychological
Services, Boone, NC
BRIAN KEAN • School of Education, Southern Cross University, Lismore,
Australia
J. DAVID KINZIE • Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Sciences
University, Portland, OR
MICHAEL LEVINE • Department of Philosophy, School of Humanities,
University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
TOM MASON • School of Health and Social Care, University of Chester,
Chester, UK
MICK MCKEOWN • Mental Health Division, Department of Nursing,
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
DAVE MERCER • Division of Nursing, Liverpool University, Liverpool, UK
GERI MILLER • Human Development and Psychological Counseling
Department, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
ix
x Contributors
TAMAS PATAKI • Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia
JOEL RICHMAN • Professor Emeritus in Medical Anthropology, Manchester
Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
MARK STOWELL-SMITH • Psychological Therapy Service, Cheshire and Wirral
Partnership Trust, Merseyside, UK
VICTORIA VAN SLYKE • School of Social Work, University of Minnesota,
Twin Cities, MN
DAVID A. WINTER • School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire,
Hatfield, Herts, and Clinical Psychology Department, Barnet, Enfield
and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, Edgware, Middlesex, UK