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Book: Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Robert D. Hare, Paul Babiak
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Authors: Robert D. Hare, Paul Babiak
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Psychopaths have a great sense of superiority and entitlement, and think nothing of helping themselves to property that belongs to others. Their grandiose sense of self-importance leads them to believe that other people exist just to take care of them. Because they see most people as weak, inferior, and easy to deceive, psychopathic con artists will often tell you that their victims deserved what they got.
Sometimes their sense of superiority is so great that they will say that they are conferring a gift by letting their victims support them. This is obvious in the many cases of cult leaders who are charlatans or outright psychopaths, but can be seen in more subtle cases as well.
This condescending air toward others comes across as cocky and egotistical to many observers, but, as we will discuss below, some may find this behavior somewhat charming, even charismatic.
MANIPULATION PHASE
Following identification of individuals who may be useful to them, psychopaths begin to create a shroud of charm and deceit that we have labeled the psychopathic fiction. This is the beginning of the manipulation phase.
The first goal here is to gain the trust of the individual through ingratiation and various impression-management techniques. Perhaps one of the most effective skills psychopaths use to get the trust of people is their ability to charm them. They often have an engaging manner and make great first impressions on people. Upon this first impression, What You See May Not Be What You See 49
they may build an elaborate fictitious character, persona, or mask. A psychopath can appear strong, naive, dominant, honest, submissive, trustworthy, worldly, or whatever he or she believes will get others to respond positively to manipulative overtures. Some rely on social stereotypes to help them create a useful façade. For example, they might foster impressions of a suffering artist, a misunderstood spouse, a successful businessperson, a celebrity, a member of a respected profession, or a person with connections to the rich, famous, or infamous.
The French Branch of the Rockefellers A few years ago, French-born Fabian Ortuno was arrested in the United States after cutting a swath through Long Island’s high society by pretending to be a Rockefeller. Although many of his victims wondered about his French accent, they succumbed to his charming ways, and were bilked of large sums of money after investing in a variety of his get-rich schemes.
Once arrested, Ortuno posted bail and promptly disappeared, only to reappear in Vancouver as Christopher Rocancourt, a Formula One racing driver. He was a big hit on the local celebrity ski circuit before he was accused of defrauding a West Vancouver businessman of $200,000. He was arrested but still managed to appear on 60 Minutes, claiming that he never stole, only borrowed. In Vancouver, he was sentenced to time in custody and extradited to the United States.
Facing a possible twenty-year sentence, he plea bargained and was sentenced to five years in prison. Authorities in several countries wish to question him about a variety of unsolved crimes, including fraud, smuggling, bribery, and perjury.
His wife said, “He only steals with his mind.”
Recently released from prison, he has become an author, wealthy, and a celebrity in France, where his ability to con “stupid people” out of their money is much admired. C’est la vie!
50
S N A K E S I N S U I T S
Some psychopaths lay the charm on too thick, coming across as glib, superficial, and unconvincing. However, the truly talented ones have raised their ability to charm people to that of an art, priding themselves on their ability to present a fictional self to others that is convincing, taken at face value, and difficult to penetrate. Psychopaths do naturally what some politicians, salesmen, and promoters have to work hard to achieve: impress listeners with how they say something.
In criminal cases, it is sometimes only after
Psychopaths have a great sense of superiority and entitlement, and think nothing of helping themselves to property that belongs to others. Their grandiose sense of self-importance leads them to believe that other people exist just to take care of them. Because they see most people as weak, inferior, and easy to deceive, psychopathic con artists will often tell you that their victims deserved what they got.
Sometimes their sense of superiority is so great that they will say that they are conferring a gift by letting their victims support them. This is obvious in the many cases of cult leaders who are charlatans or outright psychopaths, but can be seen in more subtle cases as well.
This condescending air toward others comes across as cocky and egotistical to many observers, but, as we will discuss below, some may find this behavior somewhat charming, even charismatic.
MANIPULATION PHASE
Following identification of individuals who may be useful to them, psychopaths begin to create a shroud of charm and deceit that we have labeled the psychopathic fiction. This is the beginning of the manipulation phase.
The first goal here is to gain the trust of the individual through ingratiation and various impression-management techniques. Perhaps one of the most effective skills psychopaths use to get the trust of people is their ability to charm them. They often have an engaging manner and make great first impressions on people. Upon this first impression, What You See May Not Be What You See 49
they may build an elaborate fictitious character, persona, or mask. A psychopath can appear strong, naive, dominant, honest, submissive, trustworthy, worldly, or whatever he or she believes will get others to respond positively to manipulative overtures. Some rely on social stereotypes to help them create a useful façade. For example, they might foster impressions of a suffering artist, a misunderstood spouse, a successful businessperson, a celebrity, a member of a respected profession, or a person with connections to the rich, famous, or infamous.
The French Branch of the Rockefellers A few years ago, French-born Fabian Ortuno was arrested in the United States after cutting a swath through Long Island’s high society by pretending to be a Rockefeller. Although many of his victims wondered about his French accent, they succumbed to his charming ways, and were bilked of large sums of money after investing in a variety of his get-rich schemes.
Once arrested, Ortuno posted bail and promptly disappeared, only to reappear in Vancouver as Christopher Rocancourt, a Formula One racing driver. He was a big hit on the local celebrity ski circuit before he was accused of defrauding a West Vancouver businessman of $200,000. He was arrested but still managed to appear on 60 Minutes, claiming that he never stole, only borrowed. In Vancouver, he was sentenced to time in custody and extradited to the United States.
Facing a possible twenty-year sentence, he plea bargained and was sentenced to five years in prison. Authorities in several countries wish to question him about a variety of unsolved crimes, including fraud, smuggling, bribery, and perjury.
His wife said, “He only steals with his mind.”
Recently released from prison, he has become an author, wealthy, and a celebrity in France, where his ability to con “stupid people” out of their money is much admired. C’est la vie!
50
S N A K E S I N S U I T S
Some psychopaths lay the charm on too thick, coming across as glib, superficial, and unconvincing. However, the truly talented ones have raised their ability to charm people to that of an art, priding themselves on their ability to present a fictional self to others that is convincing, taken at face value, and difficult to penetrate. Psychopaths do naturally what some politicians, salesmen, and promoters have to work hard to achieve: impress listeners with how they say something.
In criminal cases, it is sometimes only after
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