The Anatomy of Evil »

Michael H. Stone, MD (New York, NY) is professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is the author of ten books, most recently Personality Disorders: Treatable and Untreatable, and over two hundred professional articles and book chapters. He is also the host of Discovery Channel's former series Most Evil and has been featured in the New York Times, Psychology Today, the Christian Science Monitor, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, the London Times, the BBAC, and Newsday, among many other media outlets.

The crimes of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, and other high-profile killers are so breathtakingly awful that most people would not hesitate to label them "evil." In this groundbreaking book, renowned psychiatrist Michael H. Stone-host of Discovery Channel's former series Most Evil-uses this common emotional reaction to horrifying acts as his starting point to explore the concept and reality of evil from a new perspective. In an in-depth discussion of the personality traits and behavior that constitute evil across a wide spectrum, Dr. Stone takes a clarifying scientific approach to a topic that for centuries has been inadequately explained by religious doctrines.

Basing his analysis on the detailed biographies of more than 600 violent criminals, Stone has created a 22-level hierarchy of evil behavior, which loosely reflects the structure of Dante's Inferno. He traces two salient personality traits that run the gamut from those who commit crimes of passion to perpetrators of the worst crimes-sadistic torture and murder. One trait is narcissism, as exhibited in people who are so self-centered that they have little or no ability to care about their victims. The other is aggression, the use of power over another person to inflict humiliation, suffering, and death.

Stone then turns to the various factors that, singly or intertwined, contribute to pushing certain people over the edge into committing heinous crimes. They include heredity, adverse environments, violence-prone cultures, mental illness or brain injury, and abuse of mind-altering drugs. All are considered in the search for the root causes of evil behavior.

Whatdo psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience tell us about the minds of those whose actions could be described as evil? And what will that mean for the rest of us? Stone discusses how an increased understanding of the causes of evil will affect the justice system. He predicts a day when certain persons can safely be declared salvageable and restored to society and when early signs of violence in children may be corrected before potentially dangerous patterns become entrenched.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

"In this fascinating and compelling work, The Anatomy of Evil, Dr. Michael Stone leads the way on a dark and irresistible journey. Down each path and around every corner the Face of Evil is ever changing-everything from the fresh 'innocent' faces of the seemingly benign Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo... To the malicious and haunting faces of Charles Manson and Richard 'The Night Stalker' Rameriz...Powerful and riveting!"
—Carol Rothgeb-Stokes, author of Hometown Killer and No One Can Hurt Him Anymore

"The present volume, I believe, is destined to become a classic in psychiatry, and a landmark in our understanding of severe antisocial behavior and criminality."
—Otto F. Kernberg, MD, Professor of Psychiatry in the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College/Cornell University; Director, Personality Disorder Institute, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weschester Division; Past President of the International Psychoanalytic Association

"The fluid, articulate style of this studious yet accessible volume attests to the impressive breadth and depth of Dr. Stone's knowledge about the people who've committed the world's most evil acts. Using psychology, religion, philosophy and neuroscience, he dissects this complex concept in the form of case study and presents a concise and profound analysis. A great read for scholars and lay people alike. You won't forget these stories! It's everything you ever wanted to know about evil but were too afraid to ask."
—Dr. Katherine Ramsland, professor of forensic psychology and chair of social sciences at DeSales University; author of Inside the Minds of Serial Killers and The Human Predator

Introduction 9

Ch. 1 Evil in Peacetime 27

Ch. 2 Crimes of Impulse: Murders of Jealousy and Rage 53

Ch. 3 Other Crimes of Impulse: Emphasis on Antisocial Persons 85

Ch. 4 Murder on Purpose: The Psychopathic Schemers 115

Ch. 5 Spree and Mass Murder: Evil by the Numbers 141

Ch. 6 The Psychopath Hard at Work 165

Ch. 7 Serial Killers and Torturers 195

Ch. 8 The Family at Its Worst 243

Ch. 9 Science Looks at Evil 285

Final Thoughts 331

Afterword Otto F. Kernberg Kernberg, Otto F. 357

Acknowledgments 361

Notes 363

Index 405