Reprinted with permission from the author’s book, Hostage/Crisis Negotiations: Lessons
Learned from the Bad, the Mad, and the Sad, and with credit to the
publisher, Charles C. Thomas.
The Antisocial Personality Disorder (It’s all about me!) Hostage-taker*
The Antisocial Personality Disorder (It’s all about me!) Hostage-taker*
By Thomas Strentz, Ph.D., FBI (retired)
*
* *
A few years ago, police in New England cornered a young man,
who, after a long hot pursuit from an aborted bank robbery in Vermont entered a
residence in Massachusetts, and took a deputy sheriff and his children hostage
in their home. This individual, who said he had to rob the bank because his
parole agent was demanding he repay the car loan that he lost gambling, met his
father for the first time when they were in the same state prison. During protracted negotiations, he
rationalized his situation and blamed others for his troubles. The siege ended
when the deputy assaulted the subject and escaped out the window as the police
entered the home. Typically, and due to
his large ego, this hostage-taker acted as his own attorney. He was found guilty on all counts and
sentenced to 40 years in state prison. (Special Agent Liane McCarthy 2000)
It is easy to recognize an Antisocial Personality Disorder
(asp**) hostage-taker by his glibness, his narcissism, his seemingly
stress-free voice and attitude, his high verbal skills, and his constant use of
rationalization and projection to justify his situation. His demands will be for money, escape, and
other self-serving needs. Remember, “It’s
all about me!” His demeanor will remind you of criminal informants with whom
you have been involved. When one
compares his chronological to his emotional age, he appears to many to be an Adult
Adolescent. During the siege he will
challenge the negotiator as if the life and death hostage siege is a game.
Over the years, the person now labeled as the Antisocial
Personality by the American Psychiatric Association has had several other
labels and has wreaked havoc on humanity for centuries. In colonial times, he was called Morally
Insane, then the Constitutional Psychopathic Inferior, the Psychopath, the Sociopath,
and most recently the Antisocial Personality.
There may be other professional or more generic names, but these five
come to mind and will pass the censors.
The changing labels reflect a professional attempt to more accurately
describe the typical behavioral pattern and perhaps explain this social pariah.
This disorder has been around for a long time. If you are familiar with the New Testament
you will recall that Judas Iscariot, in addition to being an informant, was
stealing money the disciples had collected for the poor. (John 12:6)
The best description of this disorder is in the excellent
and well-titled text Without Conscience, by Dr. Robert D. Hare: “The
Antisocial Personality, Psychopath, is a social predator who charms,
manipulates, and ruthlessly plows his way through life, leaving a broad trail
of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and feeling
for others, he selfishly takes what he wants and does as he pleases, violating
social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret.”
(Hare 1993)
*Hostage-takers, and people
with the Antisocial Personality Disorder, come in both sexes. Since most hostage-takers are males the
pronoun he will be used in this article.
**The acronym asp, a snake,
rather than APD will be used because asp more accurately describes the behavior
of the person with an Antisocial Personality Disorder. He is a snake.
1
It’s all about me
If one were to create a continuum and move from normal to
greedy, to self-centered, to self- indulgent, to a sense of entitlement, to
dangerously narcissistic, then well beyond this beginning, one would find the Antisocial
person who, according to Dr. Joyceln Roland, the lead psychologist for the Los
Angeles Sheriff’s Office, views life as “It’s all about me! They are your friend as long as there is something in it for
them. They are takers, not givers. All they ever give their associates and
family are heartaches and hard times.” (Roland 2003)
Civilized society is based on trust. It is this trust that the asp manipulates,
ignores, and violates to suit his immediate wants. When he sees something he
wants, he takes it. In a word, he is
impulsive. His attitude is that rules,
regulations, tenants, commandments, and laws apply to others. Be it speeding in a car or boat or serial
killing, he does not believe the laws apply to him. He is not crazy, but he knows that by some
civil or criminal code, certainly not his, what he is doing is wrong; he just
does not care. He does what suits him
when it suits him, because “it’s all about me.” By any name, he is a social
predator on the society that law enforcement and corrections officers are sworn
to serve and protect. (Ochberg,
2003) The only good thing one can say
about the asp is that for law enforcement and corrections personnel, he
represents job security.
The Antisocial Personality Disorder
By way of introduction, the official label Antisocial
Personality Disorder, though very descriptive, is on the surface quite
misleading because, most typically, the asp can be very socially adept, quite
engaging, and a very pleasant and charming individual. However, this thin veneer covers the monster
that dwells within. An example is the
handsome, charming, and gregarious serial killer, Ted Bundy, who killed dozens
of young women from Tacoma to Tallahassee during the 1970's and 1980's.
The cause of this disorder remains a mystery. There is ample and yet inconclusive evidence
of genetic influences as well as environmental factors. Perhaps it is an
interplay of these two diverse influences that is the root cause. (Deitz, 2001) Some have suggested demonic possession.
In many cases, the asp begins to exhibit this disorder at a
very early age, usually by age six or seven.
There is anecdotal evidence of this disorder evidencing itself in
children who are just learning to speak, when according to their parents, they engage
in constant lying about everything. The
term “psychopathic liar” is also used to describe the asp. A youthful triad of
behaviors has been seen in male subjects since the Spanish Inquisition. These three behaviors -- enuresis, arson, and
cruelty to animals -- are discussed in some detail under the classification of
Conduct Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, IV-2000, of the
American Psychiatric Association. (DSM IV 2000, pp. 85-91)
Many young boys wet the bed.
Although most respond to therapy, the budding asp does not. As a group, normal children play with matches
more than normal adults. However, the
child who starts a fire under his parents’ bed or sprays lighter fluid onto
another and then ignites his victim is another matter. Children, as a group, are not as kind to
animals as are adults. However, the
youthful asp is more than unkind to pets; he tortures and often kills
them. Some say he really wants to
torture and kill people, but he is not yet big enough, so he is taking his wrath
out on pets that most children love and cherish.
By way of example, this personality type has been the
subject of many movies. He was well-
portrayed by Robert Mitchum in the 1940's, and more recently by Robert DeNiro,
as the charming and chilling killer in “Cape Fear” (MCA Universal, 1991). The serial killer and seductive character
portrayed by Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct” (LE Studio, 1992), the seductive
and manipulative character portrayed by Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat” (Warner
Brothers, 1981) were entertaining, as was the lethal con artist portrayed by
Matt Damon in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (Paramount, 1999). More recently, there was the less-than-lethal
con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can” (Dream Works,
2002). A more humorous example, was the
character portrayed by Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (Republic
Pictures, 1975).
Each of these characters portrayed a person who engaged in a
variety of crimes. Perhaps the best
example of this criminal behavior is seen in the quote from an interview
conducted by Supervisory Special Agent,
Robert K. Ressler, of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit. During a prison interview he asked one asp,
Mr. G. Daniel Walker:
Ressler: “How long is your rap sheet?
Walker: I would think the current one would probably
be about twenty-nine or thirty
pages.
Ressler: Twenty-nine or thirty pages! Charlie Manson’s is only five.
Walker: But, he was only a killer.” (Hare 1993)
What Walker meant was that while Manson may have specialized
in murder, he, Walker, was a criminal of enormous versatility, a fact of which
he was quite proud. He boasted of having
committed more than three hundred crimes, for which he had not been caught.
(Hare 1993)
Infamous examples, like those of serial killers Ted Bundy,
Angelo Bono, and Kenneth Bianchi, may be extreme, yet they depict people whom
every law enforcement and corrections officer has dealt with time and time
again. Each of us has been conned by
this person who can and has turned many a professional into a very cynical
person.
American Psychiatric Association (APA)
The APA publishes a reference book entitled The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual that is now in its fourth edition. This text lists and describes the many mental
diseases and disorders the APA recognizes, much like state Penal Codes list and
describe violations of the law. It lists
about 100 disorders. Among them are 11 specific Personality Disorders that are
generally described as enduring patterns of behavior that deviate markedly from
the expectations of one’s culture, are pervasive and inflexible, have onset in
adolescence, are stable over time, and lead to distress or impairment. Of the 11, this was the first one identified
by the APA. (Ochberg, et.al. 2003)
Briefly, it is a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights
of others. (DSM- IV 2000 pp. 649)
The specific diagnostic criteria for the asp listed in DSM
IV 2000, pages 649-650: (The bold emphasis is that of the author and not to be
found in DSM IV.)
A. There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for
and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15, as
indicated by three (or more) of the following:
(1)
failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as
indicated by repeatedly
performing acts that are grounds for arrest
(2)
deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or
conning others for personal
profit or pleasure
(3)
impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
(4)
irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated
physical fights or assaults
(5) reckless disregard for
the safety of self or others
(6) consistent
irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor
financial obligations
(7)
lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing
having hurt, mistreated or
stolen from another
B. The individual is at least 18 years old.
C.
There is evidence of Conduct Disorder with onset before age 15 years.
(This includes, but is not limited
to arson, cruelty to animals/adults, the use of a deadly weapon, and sexual assault.)
D.
The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the
course of
Schizophrenia or a Manic Episode.
Note the use of the adjectives “repeated, reckless, and
consistent.” Many normal people engage
in some of this behavior from time to time.
It is the consistent pattern that generally triggers this
diagnosis. In addition, most adult asps
with whom I have dealt had a Conduct Disorder or, more commonly, were juvenile
delinquents in their younger days. (DSM IV 2000, pp 85-91)
Their involvement in criminal activity is well documented
and discussed by Dr. Marvin Wolfgang, in his famous “Philadelphia Cohort
Studies”, that showed a small percentage of the criminal population was
responsible for most of the crime. In
other words, some people commit one or two crimes. The asp commits dozens. Briefly, Wolfgang followed 9,945 boys born in
the same year for twenty years. He found
that 6.3% of these boys, about 596 of them, committed well over half of
the crimes for which this age group was arrested. (Wolfgang, et.al. 1972)
Like most mental disorders, the asp is found in every race,
color, creed, and civilization.
According to Hare (1993) they represent about 2 to 3 percent of our
population. Thus, in the United States,
with a current population of over 350 million, their numbers are around six to
eight million. Certainly enough to keep
law enforcement busy and our correctional institutions full for decades to
come.
Typically the asp is impulsive. Immediate gratification is his norm. When he sees something or someone he wants,
he takes it or them. He makes excessive
use of two common Psychological Defense Mechanisms: Projection and
Rationalization. An example of
Projection is that of blaming others for his situation. I interviewed a person, diagnosed as being an
asp, who had stabbed his victim three dozen times. But, it was not his fault, “the knife went
out of control”. An arsonist may claim
that he did not burn down the building, “the fire did”. The rapist may claim that he did not sexually
assault his victim, “she wanted rough sex”.
A killer may say that the victim “should have done what he was told” or
should not have looked at him that way.
Another common Projection is that “if he did not want to be assaulted
and robbed, why did he carry that much money in this neighborhood?” The key here is that he really believes what
he is saying. In his mind, it really isn’t
his fault. He is always O.K. “It’s
always about me!”
Rationalization is a defense mechanism many people use on a
daily basis. However, the asp
rationalizes almost hourly in order to excuse criminal behavior. A drug dealer will excuse his crime by
saying, “If I don’t sell them drugs, someone else will.” I interviewed one serial killer who said, “People
are born to die; all I did was speed up the process.”
In 1965, as a Master’s Degree in Social Work student, I did
an internship at Atascadero State Hospital for the Sexual Psychopath, located
on the Central Coastal of California, where I met and attempted therapy with
many young men who had a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. One
young man had been incarcerated for shooting and killing his grandparents
because he said, “I always wondered what it would feel like to kill a person.”
(Remember, its all about me.) He
provides an example of the truly dangerous asp.
He was a member of an adolescent group that met with me on
Tuesdays and Fridays. In an attempt to
ingratiate himself with me, he placed himself in the role of “junior therapist”
and gathered the group on Monday and Thursday.
Each morning, as I entered the hospital, he would meet me at the front
door and walk with me to my office.
During this stroll, he would tell me of the progress he was making with
the group and with himself, “thanks to your brilliant insight, Dr. Strentz.” Each time I corrected him on my title, he
would respond with a statement to the effect that I should be a “doctor,
because I was so insightful and effective with the patients.”
During this time he was exhibiting or, more accurately, “faking”,
some “success” in his treatment. He had
stopped fighting, was making his bed, began to take responsibility for his
crime, and worked well in various assignments around the hospital. Eventually he had his own office with a
coffee pot, a perk and certainly a real status symbol within the hospital,
especially for a patient. As an intern, I shared my office with three other
interns. We had no coffee pot.
Just before the end of my internship, he stopped meeting me
at the door and ceased playing junior therapist. I made some inquiries and determined he
learned I would be leaving in February, months before his annual status hearing. Since I would not be at his hearing and thus
could not do him any good, he dropped me like a bad habit. Since I could not
help him, he moved on to someone he thought could and would. Again, “it’s all about me!”
As an epilog, after about 10 years, he was released from the
California Department of Mental Health and remanded to the custody of the
California Department of Corrections.
Contrary to the recommendation of the staff at Atascadero, they decided
to place him on parole in the care and custody of his mother. He is now back in prison. Within a year of his release, he began
killing and sexually assaulting young girls he picked up along the
highway. He eventually killed his mother
and her friend. In his mind, according
to one of the videos he made, these homicides were not his fault; his victims
were the cause of the crimes. The young
girls should not have been hitchhiking and his mother should not have tormented
and harassed him. As for her friend,
well, “that was too bad”. He killed her
because she was the one person most likely to miss his mother and he needed
time to get away. “It’s all about me!”
Hostage-takers
In my opinion the two most difficult types of hostage-takers
encountered by law enforcement are the Antisocial Personality Disorder and
suicidal subjects. The suicidal person
is dangerous because he wants to die. He
may want the police to kill him, he may try to force their hand, and may not
care how many people he takes with him.
Similarly, the asp may take chances, make threats, and issue
demands that sound suicidal. He may
challenge the police. It may appear that
he wants to die but, unlike the suicidal person, he does not. Typically he is convinced that he is smarter,
stronger, and has other virtues that will allow him to escape from the scene,
regardless of how unrealistic his plan may be.
Negotiating guidelines and their rationale
This person is most likely to be encountered as a
hostage-taker in a robbery that has gone bad, a workplace incident, or as a
perpetrator in a domestic dispute who is holding his “significant other(s)”
hostage. To the asp, the snake, they are
“insignificant others”.
The following are recommended guidelines for negotiating
with the asp:
1.
Do not share sensitive or personal information. While this tactic can be effective with the
person who is considering suicide, the asp will try to learn about you so he
can use this information against you.
The negotiation process is a game to him. He does not believe he will ever die.
2.
Keep him busy. He needs
psychological stimulation and challenges.
They have a powerful need to be in control. Further, when occupied with decisions and
discussions, they are less likely to injure hostages.
3.
Keep him involved in the negotiation process. Use expressions like; “Certainly a person as
intelligent as you understands that”...
Or “I know you are smart enough to realize that...”
4. He
must be convinced that the safe return/release of the hostages, as well as
anything else he does, is to his
personal advantage. While doing this, be
careful not to place social or
personal value on the hostages. He
certainly enjoys the suffering of his victims.
Do not let him know you are concerned about them. He will use this against you.
5. Do
not attempt to put the asp on a guilt trip: the snake has no conscience. An attempt at a guilt trip strategy will tell
him what you value. That is information
about you that he can, and certainly will, use against you in his game of
manipulation and intimidation.
6.
Negotiations must be “reality-oriented”.
Remember, the asp enjoys taking risks and is stimulated, not frightened, by the
danger of this situation. He is not suicidal.
He is very egocentric and wants to survive. Typically, he loves himself too much to
die.
7. It
is unlikely that good rapport will develop between the asp and the negotiator
or any of the hostages. They do not
experience the Stockholm Syndrome.
However, because of the
asps’ charm and manipulative nature, their hostages may experience identification with aggressor. They trust and may adore him. The asp does not reciprocate these feelings.
8. Like
other Personality Disorders, the asp is impulsive.
9. His stress level is very low. What frightens others delights him.
10.
He makes excessive use of projection and rationalization.
11.
He probably has a criminal record.
Do not lie to him about the criminal justice system or process. He knows the system and the process. He may try to trick you into telling him
something that is not true so he can mock you and play his game of “Gotcha”.
12.
Non-police negotiators will be of marginal value because they are more
easily conned by this person or have experience on a personal level with him
that prevent them from being objective.
13.
Play the rationalization game with him.
Taking hostages is no big deal, it is not even listed in the penal code.
Others have done it. What choice did he
have?
14.
Understand and play into his use of projection. Remember, in his mind he is O.K.; others are
the cause of his troubles. He just
intended to rob the store. The police
responded too quickly and forced him to take hostages as an act of self
defense. Similarly, any shooting he did
was also in self defense.
15.
Minimize what has happened. As
Robin Williams says in the movie “Cadillac Man”, “You did not shoot a police
officer, you shot a foot.”
Psychologically, there is no known cure for this
malady. The aging process tends to slow
them down physically. But, until we
learn the cause, the cure will continue to elude us. In the mean- time, they remain a menace to
the society we are sworn to serve and protect.
Perhaps the best single explanation for this disorder was given to us by
a University of California Psychologist, Margaret Singer Ph.D. who said, “They
may simply be evil.” (Singer, 1999)
Remember, for the Antisocial Personality Disorder, “It’s
all about me!”
Bibliography
American Psychiatric Association: (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, IV 4th ed. American Psychiatric
Association, Washington, D.C.
Deitz, P., M.D. AMad or Bad, presentation to the California
Association of Hostage Negotiators, Annual Training Conference, June 1, 2001,
Hyatt Hotel, San Diego, CA.
Hare, R.D., Ph.D. (1993) Without Conscience: The
disturbing world of the Psychopaths among us. The Gilford Press,
London.
McCarthy, L. FBI Special Agent, ASalem, MA Corrections
Officer Hostage Incident, presentation to the California Association of Hostage
Negotiators, Annual Training Conference, June 2, 2000, Hyatt Hotel, Monterey,
CA.
Ochberg, F.M., Brantley, A.C., Hare, R.D., Houk, P.D.,
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3. Summer, 2003.
Roland, Joyceln, Ph.D.,
Assessing the Hostage Taker from A Mental Health Professional=s
Perspective, presentation to the California Association of Hostage Negotiators,
Annual Training Conference, May 28, 2003, Hyatt Hotel, Long Beach, CA.
Singer, M. Ph.D. AThe Antisocial Personality, Presentation
at the CAHN Northern Regional Training, in Alameda, April 22, 1999.
Woflgang, M.E., Figlio, R., & Sellin, T. (1972) Delinquency in a Birth Cohort,
University of Chicago Press, Chicago.