Covid-19, the "new normal" and the old pathologies

It is said that no one is above the law, which is not always true. Experience shows that those who have money or power often find it easy to put themselves out of the reach of justice.

On the other hand, no one is above pathology. With or without money and power, no one escapes it. The universe of psychopathology, for example, is a flow of turbid but no less navigable waters. 

There is a lot of talk about a post-pandemic “new normal”, which will obviously include the possibility of new disorders. All of this, of course, also applies to the "present normal".

The world we live in is difficult, dangerous and full of patent and latent pathologies. T. S. Eliot, in his poem Burnt Norton, wrote a famous and much-quoted verse: "Human kind cannot bear very much reality". If so (and there seems to be no doubt about it), it is worth asking why humans insist on making reality even more inhospitable and unpleasant.

We know that the structure of our personality includes, to varying degrees, conditions such as magical thinking, self-deception, cognitive dissonance and depressive tendencies. History shows that major crises such as the current pandemic usually generate several other disorders, which may be due to the activation of latent disturbances or the exacerbation of psychopathic behaviors.

The latter case has been neglected, despite its relevance. It is crucial to understand that perception does not occur in the sense organs, but in the mind. Our reality is the reality that we perceive. In Edgar Morin's metaphor, “it is not the eyes that see, but our mind, through our eyes”. Hence the extreme relevance of understanding mental disorders: those who hardly think, hardly see. 

As if that were not enough, there are cognitive distortions that make it difficult for us to understand all of this. One of them is the "backfire effect", characterized by the fact that certain people (and there are many), when faced with evidence contrary to their convictions use them to reinforce these convictions.

In fact, we know that external arguments and evidence, however clear and convincing they are, do not usually change ingrained views. Hence the attempts to manipulate difficult situations, problems and crises through fantasies that seek to build new realities. This phenomenon is often associated with paranoid ideas, varying degrees of fanaticism, megalomania, authoritarianism and ambitions for power.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is another type of cognitive distortion, in which people believe they are smarter and more capable than they really are. Such individuals are not able to recognize their deficiencies, and this cognitive limitation leads them to overestimate their abilities. Experience shows that it is very difficult or even impossible to correct them.

Another problematic condition is denialism. Denying science, for example, is one of the ways to escape reality, which is frequent in political and ideological contexts. Denialism is closely related to the relativization of truth, which is a by-product of the so-called postmodernity. The same goes for attempts to conceal true facts. For example, hiding epidemics or trying to minimize their effects, in order to “not cause panic” or “public hysteria”, is a practice historically adopted by governments around the world, especially the authoritarian ones.

History has recorded abundant examples of how psychopaths take pleasure in imposing suffering on others. In 1347, for example, Genghis Khan, Mongolian emperor and egregious psychopath, catapulted the corpses of his soldiers victims of the bubonic plague over the walls of Caffa, Crimea, so that they would infect the Genoese colonists and these, in turn, could spread the disease. He achieved his intent. Today people talk of “silver bullets”; yesterday, bullets of flesh and bone were fired. Things of human nature.

All of this suggests that the general public still does not seem to have realized the scourge of psychopathy and the harm that psychopaths have caused throughout history, including during epidemics and other crises. That is why we need to learn as much as possible about them.

There are those who differentiate psychopathy and sociopathy and propose that the first is innate and the second is acquired through education and social relations. Like many others, I do not make that distinction. Psychopathy is a disorder whose sufferers ignore social norms, are obsessed with rising up the social ladder, do not admit criticism or frustration, are incapable of remorse, have a deep contempt for human and animal life, tend to blame others for their mistakes, and even when punished they are hardly corrected.

Another point that needs to be further studied is the relationship between leadership and psychopathy. In fact, experience shows that the much appreciated charisma and the much praised empathy of certain leaders (political or not) are often psychopathic manifestations. Some leaders are prone to being theatrical and obsessive-compulsive, and to manifest signs of the so-called "dark triad" (narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism). Victor Lipman, among others, notes that the incidence of psychopathy in leaders is about 3%, that is, higher than in the general population (1%) and less than in the prison universe (15%), which by definition is more focused.

Let us look at Robert Hare's classic definition: “Psychopaths are individuals without conscience; they live in a complex world in which social rules are violated at will. They are social predators who ruthlessly seduce, manipulate and make their way through life, leave behind a trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations and empty wallets, and do what they want without the slightest sense of guilt or remorse". 

That said, it is worth asking whether there are some traces of psychopathy in each of us. This issue can be a little scary, but we have to face it. After all, as the philosopher Gilles Deleuze said, “we all are a little demented”.

That is why the diagnosis of psychopathy should not be made in binary terms, according to which someone is or is not a psychopath. This is not how things work in the real world. No one is a hundred percent psychopath or a hundred percent non-psychopath. There is a spectrum in which several levels can be identified. That is, the manifestations of this disorder are distributed in the general population in varying degrees of severity.

The Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) is widely used in psychiatry and social psychology. The features included in it also allow the identification of nuances, subclinical cases and intermediate levels, among which are the so-called "quasi-psychopaths".

Here are some of the traits: loquacity and superficial charm; grandiose feeling of self worth; lying pathologically; cunning and manipulative behavior; absence of remorse or guilt; superficiality in experiences and expression of emotions; insensitivity and lack of empathy; poor control of one's behavior; past behavioral problems; impulsivity; non-acceptance of responsibility for their own actions.

Studies show that there is an increased incidence of psychopaths and quasi-psychopaths in the world of politics and business, as compared to the general population. In a way it is understandable that this may be the case, because, as James Silver points out, the search for power and prestige is intense in these segments.

Silver goes so far as to mention a study according to which one out of ten people at Wall Street financial companies is psychopathic, but soon points out that this is an injustice. After all, he argues, if one of every 100 people is a psychopath, and if of every 100 individuals 15 are almost psychopaths, it is obvious that this phenomenon is not limited to the financial area. That is why close observation is so important, as it values experience lived and discussed with the greatest possible number of interlocutors.

Yes, there are good people. Nowadays a good example are those who risk their lives caring for the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. They are precious people, and this preciousness resides exactly in their small number. Things of human nature.

Finally, as we speak of epidemics it may be useful to remember that smallpox was eradicated, but not before the virus caused the death of around 500 million people over its 12,000 years of existence. However, it seems that eradicating psychopathy is beyond our capacities.

This is what the great Viktor Frankl seems to have suggested, after what he suffered in Nazi concentration camps: "Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake".

Tips for further reading

Concília Ortona, "Pandemias: muito além da Covid-19" (Ser Médico, Jan/Fev/Mar 2020).

James Silver, "Is Wall Street full of psychopaths? (The Atlantic, March 24, 2012). 

James Silver, “The startling accuracy of referring to politicians as psychopaths” (The Atlantic July 31, 2012).

Robert Hare, Without conscience: the disturbing world of psychopaths around us. New York: Guilford Press, 1993).

Viktor Frankl, Man's search for meaning (London: Random House, 2008).

Victor Lipman, "The disturbing link between psychopathy and leadership"(Forbes, April 25, 2013).