The Psychopathic Character Strategy

As we pass through the stages of early life development, from pre-birth to five, we meet changing conditions and a continuum of changing needs of our environment. According to the depth and power of the trauma experienced in each stage, we will adopt a system of reaction and behavior based on our response to the trauma. This will become our character strategy.

The psychopathic character strategy belongs to ages one to two years. The themes which govern this strategy are mother, power, respect, emotions, and manipulation. In the context of our dawning emotional, energetic life, we make forays out into the world now and enter into relational encounters involving will, feeling, and control. We explore interpersonal boundaries and in particular the line between power and submission. The psychopathic defense aims at manipulation and control to get needs met. The questions that express this strategy are, “Can I trust you with my real, vulnerable self?” “Will I be taken advantage of or treated as weak and insignificant?” and “Will my vulnerability be used against me?”

The person whose character is based on the psychopathic trauma manipulates in one of two ways. Traditionally these ways are known as psychopath types one and two. The first type is the tough and generous psychopath. He acts tough and self-important. This is how he assumes control. He deceives and charms to gain power. His role is supportive. He wants to be taken seriously and treated with respect and admiration. He is reluctant to share openly or equally, since his is the superior position and his inward, concealed, deep fears are expressed in these life statements, “They are trying to use me,” “Don’t let them get the upper hand.”

Psychopath type one, the tough and generous type, is running from his orality, all the themes of the oral stage. As a therapist, you encourage him to experience his weakness, as well as his anger (both presiding themes of the oral strategy). Let him know that it is safe for him to tell the truth. He has deceived for so long that this is a revelation and, as before with imparting trust and attention to the oral individual, you must be authentic. He must be allowed and encouraged to collapse — something that is extremely hard for the tough and generous psychopath to do — and acknowledge his weakness and fake toughness. Finally, he must experience your containment. As a therapist you must firmly, gently, sensitively, and strongly hold and contain the therapy process, so that he is sure that the therapeutic relationship is safe enough for him, his feelings, and confusion, and ultimately for his murderous rage.

For at the depths of every psychopath’s psyche is a murderer, a product of deeply repressed anger and resentment, supported by fear and distrust and the experience of having been taken advantage of and humiliated. Paradoxically perhaps, it is said that if there is a riot, send in a hundred psychopaths and it will all calm down in half an hour. This is a quaint way of referring to the seductive, smooth-talking, charming aspect of the psychopathic mentality, and particularly of psychopath type two.

Psychopath type two is the charming seducer. This is how he gets his needs met and it is merely another form of control and manipulation, like psychopath type one. But unlike the tough and generous psychopath, the seductive psychopath draws on admiration and affection with overtones of sexuality and sweetness, rather than using strength and power. His deception is entirely indirect because he has learnt that he cannot get his needs met straightforwardly. He asks inwardly and unconsciously, “Will my needs and my vulnerability be used against me?” and he is deeply afraid and stressed about being found out and exposed.

Usually attractive in appearance, psychopath type two is typically “oily” and seductive in his slow measured movements. He is drawn toward comfort and sensuality and may unconsciously suffer from some gender confusion.

The difference between psychopaths one and two — the tough and generous, and the seductive, charming type — is merely a disparity in style and appearance; underneath both are experts in deception and control.

Richard Harvey is a psycho-spiritual psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, and author. He is the founder of The Center for Human Awakening and has developed a form of depth-psychotherapy called Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) that proposes a 3-stage model of human awakening. Richard can be reached at info@centerforhumanawakening.com .