Psychopathology Anyone?

By Emil van der Poorten –May 1, 2015

Emil van der Poorten

While there has been no dearth of analysis of one description or another of Sri Lanka’s progress towards an out-and-out dictatorship and of the hopeful signs since the 8th of January 2015 of at least a partial retreat from that headlong journey to perdition, at no point has the state of affairs from which I hope we escaped (at least temporarily) been subjected to a psychiatric/psychological examination. Neither has there has there been, to my knowledge, any attempt to put those dictating the direction in which this country has been taken on some kind of psychological/psychiatric examination table. In fact, leave alone microscopic examination, there hasn’t even been cursory attention paid to what made those who governed us “tick.”

While there has been no shortage, particularly since the white van menace has been in (temporary?) abeyance, of those who are now brave enough to classify the crimes of the recently dethroned, those critiques have generally been of the narrower “political” kind, listing the financial excesses and outright thefts committed in the name of governance in the “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.” Overall, there has been measurement of the miscreants on a scale of “badness.” However, the matter of “madness,” clinical or otherwise and serious examination for signs of mental illness driving particular behaviours has been conspicuous by its absence.

What got me thinking about this subject which is of particular relevance in our current context, was a piece by Prof. Raveen Hanwella in the MEDiScene supplement to the Sunday Times of April 26th, in which he deals quite comprehensively with the topic of the psychopath, given the length of the article.

The simple yardstick of measurement he adopts is extracted from a test devised by psychologist Dr. Robert D. Hare: Psychopathy Check List – Revised (PCL-R). To quote Prof. Hanwella: “The following are some of the traits listed: glib and superficial, egocentric and grandiose, lack of remorse or guilt, lack of empathy, deceitful and manipulative, shallow emotions, impulsive, poor behavior controls, need for excitement, lack of responsibility, early behavior problems and adult.(sic).”

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