Second Blog Assignment: Chapter 4 Summary "The Psychopath Test"

         In this particular chapter, Jon Ronson continues to gain as much information as he can about psychopaths in hopes of determining if Tony is a psychopath, or if indeed he really is falsely accused. Jon meets with many experts on the subject. The main one from this chapter is Bob Hare, the creator of the PCL-R checklist and influence man in the research done on psychopaths. Bob's research is more on detection of psychopathy, not how to cure it. First, he performed the electric shock test on volunteers, both psychopaths and non-psychopaths. He found that the psychopaths never feared what was coming, while the non-psychopaths were scared shown by much perspiration. His next experiment consisted of the Startle Reflex Test. After being shown gruesome images, the psychopath would remain calm and show little to  no emotion. Then in 1975 Bob organized with many researchers and psychiatrists to observe the behaviors of a psychopath using the PCL-R checklist. By the end of the chapter, Jon came to understand Bob and Martha's theory about a malfunctioning relationship between the amygdala ant the central nervous system of a psychopath, and now has a strong desire to discover and research psychopaths that hold high positions of power in society and the negative effects this may be causing.
         In my opinion, it is quite scary to think that psychopaths could be the politicians and CEOs in our current society. It also unreal that a person has difficulty feeling any emotion and will stop at nothing to gain the maximum amount of power. In these two chapters it was also alto easier to read  about gruesome images, especially the bloodbaths of Constant's reign, because they are expected to be included and I mentally prepared myself for them. I also find it interesting that Jon Ronson is researching a mental disorder when he has a type of mental disorder himself. This idea occurs again at the end of chapter 4 when he describes that his "desire to unearth it outweighed any anxieties that were bubbling up inside". I thought the fake crying scene in chapter 5 was extremely odd, but it was a good example of what Bob said about psychopaths often faking emotion.

First Blog Assignment: Chapter 3 Summary "Psychopaths Dream in Black and White"

           In this chapter, Jon Ronson becomes interested in the idea of a cure for psychopaths. He comes across a man a man named Elliott Barker, a psychiatrist who believed he had the answer. After traveling to many therapeutic communities, Elliott got a job at Oak Hospital for the criminally insane. With a group of psychopaths and some LSD, he decided to take a risk and try out the first nude psychotherapy session for criminal psychopaths. The patients were challenged to tap into their deepest emotions without any distractions. Soon after, Gary Maier, a man that looked like a long-haired hippie, took Elliott's place and continued on with the research. One concept discovered was that schizophrenics dreamed a lot and often in color, while psychopaths were lucky if they dreamed at all. At first, this new therapy seemed to work wonders and be a great success. Once research was actually done, it turned out that 80% of the patients that went through Elliott's program re-offended once they were released to the outside world. In the past, only 60% of patients re-offended. This program had made the psychopaths worse and taught them how to better manipulate.
           In my opinion, this chapter was very uncomfortable. The descriptions and stories of the patients are very well written and almost seemed real. I could smell the shit and got shivers after reading about rape. Also, at points throughout the chapter I thought I would have trouble falling asleep later that night due to repulsing images dancing around in my head. All in all, I think this chapter is needed for the overall tone of the book. It shows how everything in life isn't always pleasant and wonderful. Problems do exist and there are people in the world that dedicate their lives to solving these problems for the better good of humans.

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