Psychoanalysts, Psychologists and Psychiatrists Discuss Psychopathy and Human Evil (Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series)

297 Pages·2019·5.931 MB·English

by  Sheldon Itzkowitz (editor), Elizabeth F. Howell (editor)

“Scholars have studied human destructiveness from a public health perspective.
Others have recorded the devastating dynamics at the individual level.
Dr. Itzkowitz and Dr. Howell bring these perspectives together with insight
and eloquence. From an analysis of psychopathic persons as ‘outsiders to
love,’ contributors speak to the historical, cultural, and even genocidal aspects
of psychopathic behavior, all the while offering the reader an uncommon
glimpse of the internal experience. In this day when psychopathic personality
has the potential to pair with ever greater power, this discerning volume offers
a critically needed understanding.”
—Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., Yale School of Medicine,
Law and Psychiatry Division
“This is a cutting-edge work, an eye-opener. Itzkowitz and Howell, themselves
significant contributors to the psychoanalytic literature on psychopathy, encour-
age us not to limit our definition of psychopathic behavior to the kinds of hein-
ous acts that are reported in the newspapers, but to include evil, noncriminal
activities of any kind. Virtually every scholar and clinician who has had some-
thing original to say about psychopathy is represented here. This book will be
necessary for veterans in its field, and because it so straightforwardly addresses
a notoriously difficult subject, it will be crucial to the beginner. It will be
widely studied by psychoanalysts, but its appeal will extend to clinicians of
every theoretical stripe.”
—Donnel B. Stern, Ph.D., William Alanson White Institute

Psychoanalysts, Psychologists
and Psychiatrists Discuss
Psychopathy and Human Evil
Edited by Sheldon Itzkowitz and
Elizabeth F. Howell
First published 2020
by Routledge
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Itzkowitz, Sheldon, editor. | Howell, Elizabeth F., 1946-
editor.
Title: Psychoanalysts, psychologistsand psychiatrists discuss
psychopathy and human evil / [edited by] SheldonItzkowitz and
ElizabethF. Howell.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ;NewYork, NY : Routledge,
2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019036875 |ISBN 9780367205829
(hardback)| ISBN 9780367205850 (paperback) |ISBN
9780429262425 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Good and evil–Psychological aspects. |
Psychopaths.
Classification: LCC BF789.E94 P795 2019 | DDC 155.2/32–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036875
ISBN: 978-0-367-20582-9(hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-20585-0(pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-26242-5(ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis, Exeter, Devon, UK
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Briefdescriptionsofchapters xii
Preface xvi
Listofcontributors xviii
Introduction 1
SHELDONITZKOWITZANDELIZABETHF.HOWELL
1 Psychopathyandhumanevil:anoverview 13
SHELDONITZKOWITZ
2 Outsiderstolove:thepsychopathiccharacteranddilemma 38
ELIZABETHF.HOWELL
3 Sexualdesire,violentdeath,andthetruebeliever 61
J.REIDMELOY
4 Theplaceofpsychopathyalongthespectrumofnegative
personalitytypes 82
MICHAELH.STONE
5 Theperpetrators:thereceiversandtransmittersofevil 106
VALERIESINASON
6 TheOtherwithin:whiteshame,NativeAmericangenocide 119
SUEGRAND
7 Americanhierarchy:White,“good”;Black,“evil” 138
CLEONIEWHITE
viii Contents
8 Sympathyforthedevil:evil,socialprocess,andintelligibility 153
ROBERTPRINCE
9 DieHitlerinuns(TheHitlerinus):evilandthe
psychoanalyticsituation 171
EMILYA.KURILOFF
10 Dissociationandcounterdissociation:nuancedandbinary
perceptionsofgoodandevil 184
RICHARDB.GARTNER
11 DancingwiththeDevil:apersonalessayonmyencounters
withsexualabuseintheCatholicChurch 201
MARYGAILFRAWLEY-O’DEA
12 Thedevelopmentalrootsofpsychopathy:anattachment
perspective 219
ADRIANOSCHIMMENTI
13 ThemurderofLaius 235
NEVILLESYMINGTON
14 Psychopathsandtheneurobiologyofevil 244
NATHALIEY.GAUTHIER,TABITHAMETHOT-JONES,ANGELABOOK
ANDJ.REIDMELOY
Index 262
Acknowledgments
We invited selected authors we believed would provide our readers
with a broad overview of human behavior that falls under the overall
title of this volume. Readers might find some chapters more difficult to
take in than others. Our goal was to bring us all face to face with the
dark side of the human condition, to grapple with and try to understand
what often seems to be beyond comprehension. It is too easy for us to
dissociate or otherwise avoid confronting and addressing the unthink-
able. When that happens on a large societal scale, it allows psycho-
paths, whether serial killers or corporate executives, to get away with
unconscionable behavior.
We want to thank our authors for their excellent contributions. In
addition to our own chapters (Sheldon Itzkowitz and Elizabeth
F. Howell) we thank J. Reid Meloy for his contribution in under-
standing the mind of terrorists; Michael H. Stone for his chapter dis-
cussing characteristics and dynamics of psychopaths among other
negative personality types; Valerie Sinason for her consideration that
evil actions are part of the human condition and not the sole domin-
ion of psychopaths; Sue Grand for addressing genocidal actions
against Indigenous people and the cruelty of American slavery in her
chapter; Cleonie White for her chapter addressing the current polit-
ical, racial and economic rifts within present-day America; Robert
Prince for his contribution to understanding psychopathy and evil as
both an individual and social process that can sometimes interlock
with each other; Emily Kuriloff for her chapter addressing the con-
cept of evil in psychoanalysis during the reign of National Socialism,
and challenging contemporary psychoanalysts to confront evil within
the analytic dyad and in culture and society in general; the impact
x Acknowledgments
of traumatic dissociation emerges in Richard B. Gartner’s chapter as
a function of childhood sexual abuse and the potential overpowering
effect it can have on the analyst; Mary Gail Frawley-O’Dea for her
captivating chapter discussing working with survivors of childhood
sexual abuse her experience engaging evil in the form of members
of the clergy and disciples, both unwilling to believe in the fallibility
of ungodly, and all too human, priest-pedophiles; Adriano Schim-
menti for reviewing empirical studies exploring the relationship
between attachment styles and psychopathy, and discussing how
attachment trauma increases the risk of development of maladaptive
behavior such as psychopathy; Neville Symington for re-examining
the Oedipus myth, suggesting that the real evil was not the killing of
Laius, but Oedipus’ succumbing to the role imposed upon him by
the Oracle of Delphi and failing to create his own independent life;
and Nathalie Y. Gauthier, Tabitha Methot-Jones, Angela Book and
J. Reid Meloy for our final chapter, a joint effort that reviews the
literature addressing neurobiological correlates of behavioral charac-
teristics of psychopaths and also looks at more current research on
individuals whose behavior falls in the category of psychopathy, but
who manage to avoid incarceration.
The editors would also like to express their thanks to Kate Hawes
and Charles Bath, our editors at Taylor & Francis, for their invaluable
assistance in shepherding this project throughout the publication pro-
cess. And a special thanks to Dr. Donnel Stern, series editor of Psycho-
analysis in a New Key, for his wisdom, mentorship and his guidance
during the editorial process.
Working on a project such as ours required countless hours actively
engaging material that discusses the worst in humankind. The actions
of psychopaths and people whose behavior includes unconscionable
acts of violence, destruction, greed, etc., can leave one feeling sickened,
and enraged. But it also brings into relief the importance of loving and
trustworthy relationships, family, friends and colleagues. It is these rela-
tionships that provide soothing support, encouragement and the ability
to believe in the best aspects of humankind.
Sheldon Itzkowitz would like to express his gratitude and love to his
wife Laurie Fredrickson for her love, endless support and encourage-
ment, which helped make this book a reality. Her faith in good
Acknowledgments xi
conquering evil was an essential counterbalance to the unconscionable
cruelty that runs through these chapters.
Elizabeth F. Howell is grateful to her husband, Patrick Flanagan, for
his unflagging patience, support and love—showing the kind of con-
nectedness that makes goodness apparent and capable of being mutually
created.