Consumerism

Prisons, Psychopaths and Prevention
E.T. Barker

"When, for a time, we created a program at Oak Ridge which had only psychopathic patients in it, there was constant intense interaction. But it was all heat and no light. It's tough for people with a well developed conscience -- trusting, empathic, affectionate people to survive emotionally in such a setting even with powerful protections built into the system. Entropy seems to lie in the direction of the emotionally hardened, suspicious, and uncaring."

...I don't know what proportion of the population of a prison is psychopathic -- partial or complete, mild or severe. Obviously the percentage depends on the diagnostic criteria used and the degree of severity you want to include or feel you can measure. To me the more important questions are "What proportion of the general population is psychopathic? What are the consequences for society if there are too many psychopaths? Is there a critical point beyond which a social system cannot function -- a critcal mass for psychopathy?"

"It is possible, however, for individuals with some of the features of the disorder to achieve political and economic success."

"Psychopathy presents a sociologic and psychiatric problem second to none."