by Jennifer Emmess

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Hervey Cleckley
Not much is known about Dr. Hervey Cleckley famous within psychological and criminal justice realms and throughout popular culture for creating a widely accepted and definitive construct of psychopathy. Some biographical information about Cleckley can be assembled through small biographical snippets available on the internet and press releases. Cleckley published his first book, The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality in 1941. He became a clinical professor of psychiatry and neurology at the Medical College of Georgia in 1955, and two years later published The Three Faces of Eve and The Caricature of Love; A Discussion of Social, Psychiatric, and Literary Manifestations of Pathologic Sexuality. The same year both books were published, Cleckley received the Georgia Writers Association Literary Achievement Award for Non-Fiction.

Robert Hare

Robert Hare, professor emeritus of the University of British Columbia, is widely recognised as the worlds leading authority on psychopathy and psychopaths. Producer of the infamous psychopathy checklist' (See appendix) and providing the first stepping stone to recognising psychopathy in a person, Hares research has made it easier for scientists to identify psychopaths and given a fighting chance to investigate the causes of antisocial personality disorders, both psychologically and neurologically.

Psychopaths around us.

"Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret." (Hare, Without Conscience, 1993/1999)

As comforting as it might be to remove psychopaths to comfortable distances, like correctional institutes and distant prison cells after they have been caught doing their despicable deeds by a plucky police officer, unfortunately it isn't quite that simple. Psychopathy isn't an instantly violent condition, it is a personality disorder and it affects the way you deal with people and solve problems, it doesn't order you to mindlessly slaughter anyone who gets in your way. Many psychopaths are in prison for violent crime, but this is because they have come to the conclusion this is the easiest way to achieve what they want. With

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