Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us

Throughout Without Conscience, Hare suggests contemporary society has unwittingly cultivated an environment where psychopaths can flourish undetected, exacerbating The Challenges of Diagnosing and Managing Psychopathy. He refers to this phenomenon as a “camouflage society.” The author points to a number of factors that have contributed to a camouflage society. He argues that psychopathic characters portrayed in film and literature are sensationalized to the point of becoming role models. Through the case study of “Dave,” he also highlights how amorality and ruthlessness are often viewed as desirable traits within the corporate and financial sectors. Finally, Hare underlines the rise in violent, cold-blooded crime, particularly within gang culture, where the psychopath’s “impulsive, selfish, callous, egocentric, and aggressive tendencies easily blend in with—and may even set the tone for—many of the gang’s activities” (176).

Hare’s book centers around this personality disorder, exploring its manifestations and consequences. Psychopathy is characterized by the following personality traits: glibness and superficiality, egocentricity and grandiosity, deceitfulness and manipulativeness, shallow emotions, and a lack of remorse, guilt, and empathy. These characteristics, in combination with antisocial behaviors, make up the psychopathic profile. Throughout Without Conscience, Hare emphasizes the threat psychopaths pose to society due to their lack of conscience and unregulated behaviors. Their dangerous characteristics are often concealed behind a superficially charming façade. Hare presents psychopathy as a disorder that is distinct from sociopathy and anti-social personality disorder. Highlighting the criminal propensities of psychopaths and their high rate of recidivism, he emphasizes the importance of its correct diagnosis to minimize the disorder’s adverse impact on society. The author characterizes psychopathy as a currently untreatable disorder due to the biological causes of the condition and the intractable nature of psychopathic personality traits. He stresses that further research into the management and treatment of psychopathy is imperative.

Referenced throughout the book, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised or Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist is a diagnostic tool developed by Robert Hare. A revised version of Hervey Cleckley’s Psychopathy Checklist (published in his 1941 book The Mask of Sanity), the PCL-R assesses the presence of psychopathic traits in individuals. It is widely accepted as the most reliable and effective tool to evaluate psychopathy, particularly in clinical and forensic settings. Hare emphasizes that the checklist should only be used by fully trained clinicians.

This term refers to the psychopath’s inability to experience deep emotions. Hare describes their emotional responses as often superficial and short-lived, lacking the depth found in non-psychopathic individuals. Hare provides the example of a psychopathic prisoner who immediately returned to a calm and casual demeanor after viciously assaulting another inmate in the dinner line. The author explains that psychopaths often learn to fake the emotional responses society expects of them in certain situations, but they are effectively play-acting.

Hare explains socialization as the process by which most individuals internalize society’s moral and social codes. During childhood, humans learn accepted concepts of right and wrong. This works to modulate behavior as individuals are taught to fear the consequences of contravening society’s regulations, whether in the form of committing crimes or breaking social taboos. The author argues that it is this process of socialization that forms an individual’s “conscience.” However, as psychopaths do not experience intense fear or consider the consequences of their actions, the socialization process is ineffective. Consequently, they lack a “conscience” to regulate their behavior.