Obama Will Triumph...So Will America (by Frank Schaeffer)

Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times best selling author. Obama Will Triumph -- So Will America By Frank Schaeffer Before he'd  served even one year President  Obama lost the support  of the easily distracted left and engendered the  white hot rage of  the hate-filled right. But some of us, from all walks of  life and  ideological backgrounds -- including this white, straight,  57-year- old, former religious right wing agitator, now progressive writer   and (given my background as the son of a famous evangelical leader)  this  unlikely Obama supporter -- are sticking with our President. Why?--  because he is succeeding. We faithful Obama supporters still trust  our initial impression of  him as a great, good and uniquely qualified man  to lead us. Obama's steady supporters will be proved right.  Obama's critics  will be remembered as easily panicked and prematurely  discouraged at best and shriveled hate mongers at worst. The Context of the Obama  Presidency Not since the days of the rise of fascism in  Europe , the Second World War and the Depression has any president faced  more adversity. Not since the Civil War has any president led a more bitterly divided country. Not since the introduction of racial integration  has any president faced a more consistently short-sighted and willfully  ignorant opposition - from both  the right and left. As the President's poll numbers have fallen so  h as his support from some on the left that were hailing him as a Messiah  not long ago;  all those lefty websites and commentators that were falling  all  over themselves on behalf of our first black president during the  2008  election. The left's lack of faith has become a self-fulfilling  "prophecy"--  snipe at the President and then watch the poll numbers fall  and  then pretend you didn't have  anything to do with it! Here is  what Obama faced when he took office-- none of which was  his  fault: # An ideologically divided country to the point that  America was  really two countries # Two wars; one that was  mishandled from the start, the other that  was unnecessary and  immoral # The worst economic crisis since the depression #  America 's standing in the world at the lowest point in history # A  country that had been misled into accepting the use of torture  of  prisoners of war # A health care system in free fall # An  educational system in free fall # A global environmental crisis of  history-altering proportions (about which the Bush administration and the  Republicans had done nothing) # An impasse between culture warriors  from the right and left # A huge financial deficit inherited from  the terminally irresponsible Bush administration. And those were  only some of the problems sitting  on the President's desk! "Help"  from the Right? What did the Republicans and the religious  right, libertarians and  half-baked conspiracy theorists -- that is what  the Republicans  were reduced to by th e time Obama took office -- do to  "help" our  new president (and our country) succeed? They claimed that he wasn't a real American, didn't have an American birth certificate,  wasn't  born here, was secretly a Muslim, was white-hating "racist",  was secretly  a communist, was actually the Anti-Christ, (!) and was  a reincarnation of  Hitler and wanted "death panels" to kill the elderly! They  not-so-subtly called for his assassination through the not-so- subtle use  of vile signs held at their rallies and even a bumper  sticker quoting  Psalm 109:8. They organized "tea parties" to sound  off against imagined  insults and all government in general and  gathered to howl at the moon.  They were led by insurance industry  lobbyists and deranged (but well  financed) "commentators" from Glenn Beck to Rush Limbaugh. The  utterly discredited Roman Catholic bishops teamed up with the  utterly  discredited evangelical leaders to denounce a president who was trying to  actually do something about the poor, the environment, to diminish the  number of abortions through compassionate programs to help women and to  care for the sick! And in Congress the Republican leadership only knew one  word: "No!" (Sounding, always like the defiant two-year olds!) In other words the reactionary white, rube, uneducated, crazy American far right, combined with the educated but obtuse neoconservative war mongers, religious right shills for big business,  libertarian Fed Reserve-hating gold bug, gun-loving crazies,  child-molesting acquiescent "bishops", frontier loons and evangelical  gay-hating flakes found one thing to briefly unite them: their desire to stop an uppity black man from  succeeding at all costs! "Help" from the Left? What did the  left do to help their newly elected president? Some of  them excoriated the  President because they disagreed with the bad choices he was being forced  to make regarding a war in Afghanistan  that he'd inherited from the worst president in  modern history! Others stood up and bravely proclaimed that  the President's economic policies had "failed" before the President even instituted  them! Others said that since all gay rights battles had not been fully won  within virtually minutes of the President taking office,  they'd been  "betrayed"! (Never mind that Obama's vocal support to the gay community is stronger than any other president's has been.  Never mind that he signed a  new hate crimes law!) Those that had stood in transfixed legions  weeping with beatific  emotion on election night turned into an angry mob  saying how  "disappointed" they were that they'd not all immediately been  translated to heaven the moment Obama stepped into the White House!  Where  was the "change"? Contrary to their expectations they were  still mere  mortals! And the legion of young new supporters was too busy  texting to pay  attention for longer than a nanosecond. "Governing"?! What  the hell  does that word, uh, like mean?" The President's critics  left and right all had one thing in common:  impatience laced with  little-to-no sense of history (let alone reality) thrown in for good  measure. Then of course there were the  white, snide know-it-all  commentators/talking heads who just couldn't imagine that maybe, just maybe they weren't as smart as they  thought they were and certainly not as smart as their  president. He hadn't consulted them, had he? So he must be wrong! The Obama critics'  ideological ideas defined their idea of reality rather than reality  defining their ideas-say, about what is  possible in one year in office after the hand that the  President  had been dealt by fate, or to be exact by the American idiot  nation that voted Bush into offic twice! Meanwhile back in the reality-based community -  in just 12 short  months -- President Obama: #Continued to  draw down the misbegotten war in Iraq (But that wasn't good enough for  his critics) #Thoughtfully and decisively picked the best of  several bad choices  regarding the war in Afghanistan (But that wasn't  good enough for his critics) #Gave a major precedent-setting speech  supporting gay rights (But that wasn't good enough for his  critics) #Restored America 's image around the globe (But that  wasn't good enough for his critics) #Banned torture of American  prisoners (But that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Stopped the free fall of the American economy (But that wasn't  good enough for his critics) #Put the USA squarely back in the  bilateral international community (But that wasn't good enough for his  critics) #Put the USA squarely into the middle of the  international effort  to halt global warming (But that wasn't good  enough for his critics) #Stood up for educational reform (But  that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Won a Nobel peace  prize (But that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Moved the  trial of terrorists back into the American judicial system of checks and  balances (But that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Did  what had to be done to start the slow, torturous and almost  impossible  process of health care reform that 7 presidents had  failed to even  begin (because the wealthy abhor taking care of anyone than themselves....it's always all about them!) (But that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Responded  to hatred from the right and left with measured good  humor and  patience (But that wasn't good enough for his critics) #Stopped  the free fall of job losses (But that wasn't good enough for his  critics) #Showed immense personal courage in the face of an armed  and  dangerous far right opposition that included th e sort of disgusting   people that show up at public meetings carrying loaded weapons and  carrying Timothy McVeigh-inspired signs about the "blood of  tyrants"  needing to "water the tree of liberty". (But that wasn't good enough  for his critics) #Showed that he could not only make the tough  military choices but  explain and defend them brilliantly (But that  wasn't good enough for his critics) Other than those  "disappointing" accomplishments -- IN ONE YEAR --  President Obama  "failed"! Other than that he didn't "live up to  expectations"! Who actually has  failed... ...are the Americans that can't see the beginning  of a miracle of  national rebirth right under their jaded noses. Who failed  are the  smart ass ideologues of the left and right who began rooting for this President to fail so that they could  be proved right in their  dire and morbid predictions. Who failed  are the movers and shakers  behind our obscenely dumb news cycles that have  turned "news" into  just more stupid entertainment for an  entertainment-besotted  infantile country. Here's the good news:  President Obama is succeeding without the  help of his lefty "supporters"  or hate-filled Republican  detractors! The Future Looks  Good! After Obama has served two full terms, (and he will),  after his wisdom in moving deliberately and cautiously with great subtlety  on  all fronts -- with a canny and calculating eye to the possible   succeeds, (it will), after the economy is booming and new industries  are  burgeoning, (they will be), after the doom sayers are all proved  not just  wrong but silly: let the record show that not all  Americans were panicked  into thinking the sky was falling. Just because we didn't get  everything we wanted in the first short  and fraught year Obama was in  office not all of us gave up. Some of  us stayed the course. And we will be proved right.

"Radical Forgiveness" and Colin Tipping

If you have never heard of "Radical Forgiveness", it is wonderful to visit the site of Colin Tipping.  He provides a number of free tools to work with the process.  The process is "Forgiveness" as you may have never known it, and Tipping's tools bring us to a deeper level of understanding ourselves and others.

Tipping provides these caveats:

All the tools provided in the Radical Forgiveness technology take us through the following five stages.  It is essential that none are skipped, especially number two.  A lot of people try to avoid the feeling stage and go straight to spiritual interpretation.   That is what we would call doing a ‘spiritual bypass,’ and is counter productive.  We begin with our victim story, recognize and accept our judgments, feel the feelings and only then proceed to the spiritual perspective. 

1. TELL THE STORY 

Having your story heard, witnessed and validated, is the first step 

to letting it go. Likewise, the first step in releasing victimhood is to 

own it fully. So, in this step, someone willingly and compassionately 

listens to you tell your story, and it is honored as your truth in the 

moment.  [With a worksheet there is no active listener - except your- 

self]. 

2. FEEL THE FEELINGS 

Your feelings represent your authentic power.  Your strength lies in 

your vulnerability and your willingness to show up as fully human.  You 

cannot heal what you don’t feel.  When people access their pain, this 

is the beginning of their healing. 

3. COLLAPSE THE STORY 

This is where we make a conscious choice to withdraw the energy 

we have given to the story and begin to realize that the story is mostly 

our interpretation of events based on our limited perception of reality, 

and that since there is more to it than meets the eye it is largely an 

illusion. 

4. REFRAME THE STORY 

Here we specifically replace the ‘illusionary’ story with another story - 

the Radical Forgiveness ‘story.’   This one expresses our willingness 

to see that what appeared to have happened, far from being a trag- 

edy, was in fact exactly what we wanted to experience for our soul 

growth and was in that sense, absolutely perfect 

5. INTEGRATE 

It is necessary to integrate that change at the cellular level.  That 

means integrating it into the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual 

bodies so it becomes a part of who you are.  Breathwork, walking, 

physical work, doing worksheets etc.

TWO checklists: Antisocial Personality, Sociopathy, and Psychopathy

    Hare's PCL-R 20-item checklist is based on Cleckley's 16-item checklist, and the following is a discussion of the concepts in the PCL-R.

But first of all, here is Cleckley's original list of symptoms of a psychopath:

1. Considerable superficial charm and average or above average intelligence.

2. Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking

3. Absence of anxiety or other "neurotic" symptoms considerable poise, calmness, and verbal facility.

4. Unreliability, disregard for obligations no sense of responsibility, in matters of little and great import.

5.Untruthfulness and insincerity

7. Antisocial behavior which is inadequately motivated and poorly planned, seeming to stem from an inexplicable impulsiveness.

7.Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior

8.Poor judgment and failure to learn from experience

9. Pathological egocentricity. Total self-centeredness incapacity for real love and attachment.

10. General poverty ot deep and lasting emotions.

11. Lack of any true insight, inability to see oneself as others do.

12. Ingratitude for any special considerations, kindness, and trust.

13. Fantastic and objectionable behavior, after drinking and sometimes even when not drinking--vulgarity, rudeness, quick mood shifts, pranks.

14. No history of genuine suicide attempts.

15. An impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated seX life.

16. Failure to have a life plan and to live in any ordered way, unless it be one promoting self-defeat.

"...More often than not, the typical psychopath will seem particularly agreeable and make a distinctly positive impression when he is first encountered. Alert and friendly in his attitude, he is easy to talk with and seems to have a good many genuine interests. There is nothing at all odd or queer about him, and in every respect he tends to embody the concept of a well-adjusted, happy person. Nor does he, on the other hand, seem to be artificially exerting himself like one who is covering up or who wants to sell you a bill of goods. He would seldom be confused with the professional backslapper or someone who is trying to ingratiate himself for a concealed purpose. Signs of affectation or excessive affability are not characteristic. He looks like the real thing.

"Very often indications of good sense and sound reasoning will emerge, and one is likely to feel soon after meeting him that this normal and pleasant person is also one with -high abilities. Psychometric tests also very frequently show him of superior intelligence. More than the average person, he is likely to seem free from social or emotional impediments, from the minor distortions, peculiarities, and awkwardnesses so common even among the successful. Such superficial characteristics are not universal in this group but they are very common..."

"...It must be granted of course that the psychopath has some affect. Affect is, perhaps, a component in the sum of life reactions even in the unicellular protoplasmic entity. Certainly in all mammals it is obvious. The relatively petty states of pleasure, vexation, and animosity experienced by the psychopath have been mentioned. The opinion here maintained is that he fails to know all those more serious and deeply moving affective states which make up the tragedy and triumph of ordinary life, of life at the level of important human experience..."

Hare's Checklist

1. GLIB and SUPERFICIAL CHARM -- the tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything. A psychopath never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social conventions about taking turns in talking, for example. >

2. GRANDIOSE SELF-WORTH -- a grossly inflated view of one's abilities and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart. Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human beings.

3. NEED FOR STIMULATION or PRONENESS TO BOREDOM -- an excessive need for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have a low self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or routine. 

4. PATHOLOGICAL LYING -- can be moderate or high; in moderate form, they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest.

5. CONNING AND MANIPULATIVENESS- the use of deceit and deception to cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and suffering of one's victims.

6. LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT -- a lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, coldhearted, and unempathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one's victims.

7. SHALLOW AFFECT -- emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open gregariousness. 

8. CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY -- a lack of feelings toward people in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless.

9. PARASITIC LIFESTYLE -- an intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities.

10. POOR BEHAVIORAL CONTROLS -- expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily.

11. PROMISCUOUS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR -- a variety of brief, superficial relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests.

12. EARLY BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS -- a variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home.

13. LACK OF REALISTIC, LONG-TERM GOALS -- an inability or persistent failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic existence, aimless, lacking direction in life.

14. IMPULSIVITY -- the occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless.

15. IRRESPONSIBILITY -- repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements.

16. FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS -- a failure to accept responsibility for one's actions reflected in low conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate others through this denial.

17. MANY SHORT-TERM MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS -- a lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital.

18. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY -- behavior problems between the ages of 13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous, ruthless tough-mindedness.

19. REVOCATION OF CONDITION RELEASE -- a revocation of probation or other conditional release due to technical violations, such as carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear.

20. CRIMINAL VERSATILITY -- a diversity of types of criminal offenses, regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them; taking great pride at getting away with crimes.        

Personality Disorders in the Paranoid-Narcissistic Spectrum

by Dr. T. O'Connor, Dept of Justice Studies, NC Wesleyan College 

---

There are ten different personality disorders, and in this lecture, the spectrum approach is followed which allows for mixed types, and it should be noted the spectrum approach is controversial and not the way most clinical psychologists are trained. The spectrum approach to classification transcends the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) method, and is essentially a heuristic approach designed for theory development, not validation. No single set of symptoms are required for inclusion in a spectrum. Rather, the sameness or similarity of comorbidity characteristics and the underlying causal processes are looked at. Spectra can be constructed that link Axis I and Axis II disorders, psychotic disorders and personality disorders, affective disorders and sexual disorders, and so on. In most cases, the subject's personality has not disintegrated to the point where there is any one identifiable clinical syndrome. A spectrum disorder may exist in muted form or as a mirror-image of a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. We are concerned in this lecture with personality types that primarily exhibit the common characteristic of aggression.

Paranoia occurs in two forms: (1) the "bad me" paranoid; and (2) the "poor me" paranoid. Paranoia affects .5 to 2.5% of the population. The "bad me" type tends to be more rageful and sadistic than the other type. Paranoia in all its forms tends to be organized around aggression, from sadomasochistic violence to lingering hostile mood. Paranoia is an insidious disease which develops slowly as a secondary personality characteristic, fuses into a more or less dysfunctional coping style, and may or may not become the dominant pattern. Psychologists suspect that the cause of paranoia is found in the mothering experience, in particular, the breast-feeding experience. Successfully breast-fed infants develop the capacity to feel supported and a tolerance for frustration. Unsuccessfully breast-fed infants (those who viewed the experience as "bad" in some way) develop a distinct inability to experience self-satisfaction, tolerance, and positive relationships. Internalization of the bad experience leads to the initiation of provocative and confirmatory interactions with others, mostly through splitting (seeing things as black-white, good-bad, weak-strong) and projection (accusing others of having the disowned aspects of your self). A full-blown "bad me" paranoid perceives threats in everything other people do, often exploding in manic, counterphobic episodes. A full-blown "poor me" type views the world as basically unfair and persecutory, countering their anticipation of discomfort with either antisocial behavior or grandiosity.

Delusions: One the cardinal symptoms of paranoia and other disorders, most notably schizophrenia. Delusions are faulty interpretation of reality that cannot be shaken despite clear evidence to the contrary. Delusions can be classified as:

* Bizarre -- belief that others can hear your thoughts, others are inserting thoughts, or your thoughts, feelings, and impulses are controlled by an external force
* Referential -- belief that certain gestures, comments, song lyrics, or passages in printed material are specifically intended for you or reference you in some way
* Grandiose -- belief that you are an extremely important person, an invaluable member of society, and possess or make some special unrecognized talent or contribution
* Persecution -- belief that others are out to get you, are plotting against you, foiling your every move, or making you feel guilty or ashamed
* Bodily -- belief in some kind of undiagnosed deteriorative medical condition such as dissolving of spinal cord, rotting or deterioration of skin, organs, or brain
* Religious -- belief that you are an important religious figure, in contact with deities, or serving some special theological purpose in the world.

Narcissism is a somewhat less severe form of psychopathy.

It manifests aggressive, paranoid, and borderline characteristics, but more commonly appears in the form of envy, greed, power lust, an extensively rationalized sense of entitlement, and a pathological grandiose self. Unlike psychopaths, narcissists can experience loyalty and guilt; but like psychopaths, narcissists lack empathy or caring for others, viewing people as "playthings" to be used. Female narcissists tend to be the kind that "sleep" their way to the top; male narcissists tend to get ahead by becoming involved in massive power struggles. Psychologists suspect that the cause of narcissism is severe mental or physical pain in childhood at the hands of a powerful, idealized mother-father figure. Inconsistent parental attitudes on aggression and self-assertion as well as childhood experiences of being valued for specific, precocious talents seem to be the prime determinants. They never learned who to identify with -- the aggressor or victim, and they developed a pragmatic philosophy of siding with winners, regardless of who was in the right or wrong. In fact, they believe that the "good" is usually changeable and fickle while "bad" is stable and predictable. They live life by idealizing those who satisfy their narcissistic needs and systematically devaluing and denigrating those who do not. Underneath their superficial charm, they feel they have a right to control, manipulate, exploit, and be cruel to others.

Narcissism is a relative newcomer to the list of mental disorders. It was not fully defined until the late 80s. There's not much research proving narcissists are more prone to violence than any other group, and no one has a clue as to how widespread this particular personality disorder is - estimates range between 3 and 15% of the population, with 5-7% being a fair estimate. Being a narcissist is close to being an alcoholic but MUCH more so. Alcoholism is impulsive behavior. Narcissists have this plus hundreds of other problems. Narcissists frequently have uncontrollable behaviors, like rage which is an outcome of their grandiosity. Narcissists can rarely be cured, but side effects, associated disorders (such as OCD), pathological lying, and the paranoiac dimensions CAN be modified.

ANGER, WORRY, RAGE

Most Personality Disordered people are prone to anger. Their bottled-up anger is always sudden, raging, frightening and without apparent provocation by an outside agent. It would seem that people suffering from personality disorders are in a CONSTANT state of anger, which is effectively suppressed most of the time. It manifests itself only when the person's defenses are down, incapacitated, or adversely affected by circumstances, inner or external. In a nutshell, such people were usually unable to express anger at "forbidden" targets in their early, formative years (parents, in most cases). The anger, however, was a justified reaction to very real abuse or mistreatment. The patient was, therefore, left to nurture a sense of profound injustice and frustrated rage. Healthy people experience anger, but as a transitory state. Personality disordered anger is always acute and permanently present. Healthy anger has an external inducing agent (a reason), and is directed at another (coherence). Pathological anger is neither coherent, nor externally induced. It emanates from the inside and is diffuse, directed at the "world" or "injustice" in general.

The Personality Disordered are afraid to show that they are angry to meaningful others because they are afraid to lose them. The Borderline Personality Disordered is terrified of being abandoned, the Narcissist needs his Narcissistic supply sources, the Paranoid ? his persecutors and so on. These people prefer to direct their anger at people who are meaningless to them, people whose withdrawal will not constitute a threat to their precariously balanced personality. They will yell at a waitress, shout at a taxi driver, or explode at an underling. Alternatively, they will sulk, feel bored, drink or do drugs ? all forms of self-directed aggression. From time to time, no longer able to pretend and to suppress, they will have it out with the real source of their anger. They will rage and, generally, behave like lunatics. They will shout incoherently, make absurd accusations, distort facts, pronounceallegations and suspicions. These episodes will be followed by periods of sentimental sweetness and excessive flattering and submissiveness towards the victim of the latest rage attack. Motivated by the mortal fear of being abandoned or ignored, the Personality Disordered will debase and demean himself to the point of provoking repulsion in the beholder. These pendulum-like emotional swings are common. Anger is the reaction to injustice (perceived injustice, it does not have to be real), to disagreements, to inconvenience.

Hostile expressions by the Personality Disordered are not constructive ? they are destructive because they are diffuse, excessive, and unclear. They do not lash out at people in order to restore self-esteem, prestige, or a sense of power and control, but because they cannot help it and are in a self destructive and self-loathing mode. Their angry episodes contain few signals or warning signs. Their anger is primitive, maladaptive, and pent up.

The Personality Disordered also suffer from a cognitive deficit. They are unable to conceptualize, to design effective strategies and to execute them. They dedicate all their attention to the immediate and ignore the future consequences of their actions. In other words, their attention and information processing faculties are distorted, skewed in favor of the here and now, biased on both the intake and the output. Time is dilated for them ? the present feels more protracted, "longer" than any future. Immediate facts and actions are judged more relevant and weighted more heavily than any remote aversive conditions. Anger impairs cognition. The angry person is a worried person.

The Personality Disordered is also excessively preoccupied with himself (solipsism). Worry and anger are the cornerstones of anxiety. The striking similarity between anger and personality disorders is the deterioration of the faculty of empathy. Angry people cannot empathize. Actually, "counter-empathy" develops. Recent provocative acts by others are judged to be more serious ? just by "virtue" of their chronological position. This is what distinguishes rage from anger. Rage attacks in personality disorders are always incommensurate with the magnitude of the source. Anger is usually a reaction to an ACCUMULATION of aversive experiences, all enhancing each other in vicious feedback loops, many of them not directly related to the cause of the specific anger. The angry person may be reacting to stress, agitation, disturbance, drugs, violence or aggression witnessed by him, to social or to national conflict, to elation and even to sexual excitation.

EVIL, DESTRUCTIVENESS, ADDICTION

The psychopathic argument with reality that is present in all personality disorders is a narcissistic pleasure of lying and deception. They don't lie to everybody, only those people (good-bad, strong-weak, females, strangers, authority figures) that they have differentiated as worthwhile or not. Each dichotomous split and pattern of lying is indicative of a different personality disorder, but the most common pattern is a desire to dupe or deceive those perceived as "good" people, to rob them of their "goodness", as it were, and to further deprive them of any moral right to feel victimized. Identification is always with the aggressor or with evil -- as powerful, bad, and ideal. In many cases, there are fantasies or interests about animal predators or archetypal evil demigods.

An inverted conscience means that the superego idealizes evil. Things that would normally produce guilt, insecurity, and anticipation of punishment in ordinary people produce feelings of self-esteem, security, and self-cohesion in the personality disordered. They only experience a sense of being true to their real self when they are persecuting others, inducing pain and suffering, and further experiencing feedback about how much malicious destruction they have done. Full-blown psychopaths have the highest degree of inverted conscience, and sadists have the highest degree of need for feedback.

However, it's extremely rare to find a perfectly intact inverted conscience. Most of the personality disordered live with fragments of a normal superego. These guilt fragments are expressed in occasional self-defeating behaviors. Their self-destructiveness will probably never take the form of suicide or any devaluing of the importance of winning through aggression, but they may change their split between strong-weak attributions, present themselves for therapy, or seek out religious mysticism. More frequently, however, when confronted with a self-crisis, they will adopt new names (aliases) for themselves, thus making themselves their own parents.

Drugs and alcohol are used to repair their personalities especially when there is a problematic representation of self to others. The personality disordered are commonly addicted persons because the "cycle of addiction" perpetuates the extreme self-state needed to shore up their self-cohesion while at the same time undermining any adaptive integration of self with experience. All addicted persons experience cycles of self-state extremes. One of the extreme self-states will be the dominant organizer of experience. An alcohol-induced self-state, for example, will assist in lowering inhibitions and facilitating aggressive tendencies. A psychoactive drug-induced self-state may assist in fostering paranoid delusions. The most serious and sadistic crimes committed by such individuals will be when they are at the peak of their dominant extreme self-state. This means that they commit crime while intoxicated or shortly thereafter. Since they only "need" to drink or drug when there is a need for personality repair, it's unclear if they have a substance addition, a violence addiction, or a state of mind addiction.

PERSONALITY DISORDERS IN THIS SPECTRUM
Aggressive Style:
PARANOID: Provocative, pre-emptive attack
Superego Development: Defective
Conscience: Retributive, vindicates self
Destructiveness: Vengeful
NARCISSISTIC: Denigrating, demeaning to others
Superego: Immature
Conscience: Normal with Delusions
Destructiveness: Interpersonal Exploitation
ANTISOCIAL: Rebellious, contemptible
Superego: Deviant
Conscience: Distorted
Destructiveness: Interpersonal and Expressive crime
PSYCHOPATHIC: Malicious, Predatory
Superego: Perverse
Conscience: Inverted
Destructiveness: Strategic Conquest and Domination
SADISTIC: Sadism
Superego: Defective and Perverse
Conscience: Inverted
Superego Development: Defective and Perverse
Destructiveness: Proloinged Anguish and Suffering

THE LEARNING THEORY OF SERIAL MURDER

As an alternative to the idea that serial killers are driven by "fantasy", at least one criminologist (Hale) has proposed that they are driven by humiliation or embarrassment. They perceive the world as full of "attacks" or "challenges" that cannot go unanswered. This acute need to reassert power is drawn from early childhood experiences where the offender felt powerless to control events. This need, combined with an arrested social development which includes problems at demonstrating mastery and at social comparison, results in the use of a victim as an audience to "set things right." In this view, serial killers are seeking approval from their victims.

Like all people, even the personality disordered are motivated to seek the approval of others. For various reasons, however, they experience feelings of frustration at finding ways to conceptualize how they would go about obtaining this approval from others. They actually anticipate failure without even trying. This is because they perceive the original person who humiliated them as superior or more "powerful" than they are. They then seek out vulnerable and less threatening persons as victims, who become scapegoats for the person who initially thwarted their needs for approval.

The diagnosis of "malignant narcissism" may be more apt for serial killers than "antisocial personality disorder" because it better exemplifies the connotation of evil that hangs over this domain of personality. A malignant narcissist is someone who exhibits antisocial personality traits combined with unrestrained aggression, a more pathological than deviant conscience, a strong need for power and recognition, distrust of others, and certain elements of sadism. Kernberg says that malignant narcissism develops as a defense against feeling of inferiority and rejection.

All criminals tend to have problems understanding social norms. They are more self pre-occupied than concerned with obeying the law. Serial killers, like many criminals, are driven more by the expression of their internal needs than a rejection of external forces. To maintain this schedule of "conditioning one's conscience", two things are necessary: alienation and isolation. Fromm said that alienation can be handled by ritualized behavior. Isolation simply limits exposure to societal sources of social control. Serial killers often engage in ritualistic behavior as a substitute for socialization. They are socializing themselves, and providing their own sense of security, predictability, and order. In this sense, they are acting volitionally and learning to attend to their own needs in the only way they know how.

PRINTED RESOURCES:

Aronson, T. (1989) "Paranoia and Narcissism" Psychiatric Review 76(3):329-51.
Brown, N. (1998) The Destructive Narcissistic Pattern. Westport, Ct: Praeger.
Ferreira, C. (2000) "Serial Killers - Victims of Compulsion or Masters of Control?" Ch. 15 in D. Fishbein (Ed.) The Science, Treatment, and Prevention of Antisocial Behaviors. Kingston: Civic Res. Inst.
Fromm, E. (1973) The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Hale, R. (1993) "The Application of Learning Theory to Serial Murder: Or You Too Can Become a Serial Killer" American J. of Criminal Justice 17:37-45.
Hale, R. (1994) "The Role of Humiliation and Embarrassment in Serial Murder" Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior 31:17-23. Horowitz, M. (1994) "Cyclical Patterns of States of Mind" Amer. J. Psychiatry 151(12):1767-70.
Kernberg, O. (1992) Severe Personality Disorders. New Haven: Yale U. Pres.
Kernberg, O. (1993) Aggression in Personality Disorders and Perversions. New Haven: Yale U. Press.
Kirmayer, L. (1983) "Paranoia and Pronoia" Social Problems 32(2):170-79.
Lowen, A. (1997) Narcissism: Denial of the True Self. NY: Touchstone Books.
Millon, T. & R. Davis (1995) Disorders of Personality: DSM-IV and Beyond. NY: Wiley & Sons.
Richards, H. (1998) "Evil Intent: Violence and Disorders of the Will" Pp. 69-94 in T. Millon et al. (Eds.) Psychopathy: Antisocial, Criminal, and Violent Behavior. NY: Guilford Press.
Ronningstam, E. (1998) Disorders of Narcissism. Washington DC: Amer. Psychiatric Press.

Stuart Hameroff, M.D on the Origin of Consciousness ...NYC Mon 7/26/2010#2

Teaching Your Children to Pray: One View

One of my readers sent me this article from 
AllAboutFamilies.org.  
She asked me to re-post it, and I assured her I would.  There are many ways to teach children to honor Creator, but I think this article has definite merit.  It shows no author, but rather is presented directly from the website.


Prayers for Children – Instruction
Many parents feel uncomfortable when constructing prayers for children or instructing their children about prayer. As parents we want to impart our depth of faith as we help our children discover their spiritual selves. We all have that picture-perfect image of a praying child -- closed eyes, folded hands, peaceful expression. But usually times of prayer find our children fidgeting while we shush them, telling them to bow their heads. Is there a formula that defines prayer in a natural, simple manner to our children?

Even the youngest child understands that prayer means “talking to God.” As a child shares their concerns, parents can write down simple phrases to help them recall. By creating specific prayers, parents can address the child’s individual needs and concerns. Prayer is “stimulated” by many things -- walking in the park/woods (giving thanks), seeing the handicapped/elderly (asking for healing), planning a vacation (requesting protection). Music creates an awareness of God’s nearness, helping children to focus on their feelings (Colossians 3:16). In time, children learn that prayer is a special time of thanksgiving with a Friend.

Praying out loud is important -- God spoke His Word out loud. There is power in prayer, especially when incorporating God’s spoken Word. It is very helpful for children to memorize Bible verses. This gives parents the opportunity to see how the Holy Spirit helps their children to recall God’s truths (John 14:26). A few examples of scriptural-based prayers for children might include:

• Thank you God, for taking away my sins and helping me to live right (1 Peter 2:24).
• Help me to know Jesus’ love and to feel Your power in me (Ephesians 3:19).
• I trust God to always protect me (Psalm 91:11, 14).
• Teach me God to be honest about my sins so I can confess them and be forgiven (1 John 1:9).
• I want to sing and tell everyone how wonderful You are (Psalm 150).

Prayers for Children – Investment
Prayers for children can be an investment in your children’s lives. Technology provides parents with a continuous electronic connection with their children (monitors, cell phones). Only prayer reinforces a life-long spiritual connection between the Heavenly Father, parents, and children. Parents often pray for their children’s healing or physical protection, yet spiritual security must take a higher priority. Pray that your children have the courage to follow Jesus (salvation), a teachable spirit (obedience), and wisdom to use the talents God gives them for His glory (commitment).

From birth, parents are investing in their children’s spiritual security. Even newborns are involved in prayer as you hold them, praying and introducing them to God’s love (Matthew 19:14–15). No one will pray as fervently for your children as you. No one will invest as much time in shaping their children’s values. The father’s relationship often models a child’s basis for a relationship with their Heavenly Father (Luke 11:11–13). Mothers who seek God for patience find wisdom when disciplining (Hebrews 12:6). By praying with your child after discipline, both parents and children experience God’s forgiveness and abundant mercy. The time invested in seeking God through prayer with our children will net a great return (Psalm 103:17–18).


Prayers for Children – Involved
Do your children ever see you praying as you go throughout your day? As Christ was our example, parents are called to be Spirit-led models for their children (2 Timothy 3:15–17). When our son and daughter were young, we said prayers for them, while they listened. Soon they were praying for us, while we listened. As our children learned more about God’s character, He was shaping their character as well. Their conversations with God became the “voice of their heart” -- sometimes detailed, sometimes unpretentious, always earnest.

Prayer is not about a formula. It is the anticipation of God’s response as we speak to Him. It represents a genuine expression of child-like devotion and faith. Prayers for children and with children give parents an opportunity to pass the legacy of their commitment and faith on to the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:5–7).