By now everyone knows about the astounding case of incest, etc. in Austria. No doubt some are going to excuse Josef Fritzl by suggesting that he must be a mad man. Others (for instance here) will find fault with society.
These rationalisations are because for regular people the immensity of the crimes are blinding. But there are enough clues already that what Fritzl is is a psychopath and as such is responsible for his actions.
Take one small detail – the alleged role of drugs in the case.
Franz Polzer, the Austrian police chief leading the investigation, said Fritzl had given the impression, during protracted interrogations, that after 24 years he now actually believed the web of lies he had constructed to keep his incest a secret from his own family, the police and the public.
“Fritzl insisted that he chose Elisabeth as his favourite daughter, built the bunker just for her and felt that he had to lock her up because he was frightened that she was about to become involved with drugs.”
The reality was quite different. When his daughter was 18, Fritzl lured her into the elaborate cellar which he had built under his home during the Cold War in the late 1970s with the help of a government grant available for constructing domestic shelters against nuclear fall-out.
Police said he drugged his daughter with ether and handcuffed her to a wall in the cellar. During the first years he is alleged to have “kept her like an animal”.
Isn’t this classic? The kernel of truth is something to do with drugs, but see the evil inversion of the lie: he was trying to save her from drugs when in fact he used drugs against her.
(I wonder what thoughts readers have about Fritzl’s wife, Rosemarie, who police say was wholly ignorant of the matter. Asked why Mrs F was not being investigated, Colonel Polzer replied: “Let me ask you a counter question: would any wife accept such a thing if she knew about it?”)
FALLENANGEL. He is a Psychopath. Therefore when he says something he actually means this:
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(#1 and #2 and #3 and #4) – I never thought of releasing her. I wanted to keep her in the dungeon and rape anytime I want. I built my own world, where I had an absolute power. I could do anything I want with her and her children.
I am to decide when they eat, what they eat, when they sleep, what they do. I am not worried what will happen to Elizabeth and 3 kids if I suddenly die from heart attack. I simply do not care. I never had any timers and I did not take any other precautions in case I suddenly die.
Unfortunately I got caught, I am in the deep trouble, I want to get out. I will try my old method “pity play”. I will tell them that I wanted to release her but I was afraid of consequences. I would pretend like I was having hard time, I had mental struggle between the evil and good sides in me, that I was suffering….hopefully I would be able to fool THEM that I have “good side” in me, that I am no monster. Hopefully they will pity me and wont be as harsh.
Lets tell THEM that I could not resist. I did not want to do what I did, but I had this addiction I could not resist. Addiction is to blame for what happened not ME.
What else? Lets show them that I was good farther – lets tell them that I cared about them, I brought them books, crismas tree etc…Hopefully that will work to get me out of prison so that I could rape somebody else….I know that, in fact, I gave all those things to them because I wanted to feel my power over them, I am to decide when they joy and when they get chastised and raped.
I did take my granddaughter to the hospital, because I wanted to, because that would be a good argument for the future to keep manipulating my daughter. “I saved your daughter’s life” remember that. I wanted to enjoy that Pride of saving my daughter’s life. I wanted Elizabeth and 2 other kids admire me and remember what I did for them. I was not afraid to get caught by police when I went to the hospital. Because I am the GOD, I am the ONE, I could fool everyone for 24 years unnoticed. No one could catch me, no one could punish me. I have absolute power.
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well thats about what is happening in his head.
CellStemCell,
BINGO… well put and dead on. Nothing written here is more accurate.
This is what is “by the book” for a Sociopath/Psychopath.
Furthermore, crayons and paper do not a good Grandpa (Father) make.
when I read something like this, I can do nothing but pray. I go from shock to rage, to compassion- devastation in a matter of seconds. I don’t know if she knew facts, I don’t know — if she did … I pray for her soul.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this case and the only person with whom I can talk about it and share newspaper links is another person who was victimized by a sociopath. It seems that this type of case interests more the ones who have already been affected by perverse people and who know how callous and manipulative they can be.
I’m sure the sociopath who almost destroyed my life is also very interested in this case. He used to read every book about cannibalism and I could only understand his interest when I found out about his double life. No, he was not a cannibal as long as I know! I think there are several levels of perversion, but he surely identified himself with it.
Now it seems perfectly plausible that his wife didn’t know about anything. I have been through emocional abuse and I know what it is to feel forbidden to talk about some issues. I know what it is to feel that I’m the one to blame for everything and be induced to believe that the S is perfect, a man of virtue and honor, whose weird ways hide only preciousness.
If she didn’t really know anything, she might have gone through the biggest shock of her life (I read somewhere that she has a heart problem now) and all her values and understanding of life might be lost as she would never think of such horrible things happening to her. Maybe that’s the shock all of us go through after the encounter with a sociopath (only if we find out about who they really are) and life is different after we find out how shallow and cold people who say they love us can be.
Then, if she really didn’t know anything and is going through this shock caused by the recognition of the evil, I think it would be of great help if Rosemarie Fritzl received an invitation to read this blog. Many of us here know about the unbelievable ability to manipulate that perverse people have and that is something that only victims and specialists (very often not even them) understand.
My prays with the girl who is in coma and with the ones who suffer with injustice in this world. I believe in justice from up above.
hi all you lovely folks…..what is so terribly frightening to me is that we are in the minority……most feel like fallen angel, until they have been at the mercy of one of these creatures……not long ago, i too felt sorry, that those poor people must be so ill to perform such unthinkable cruel deeds…..WHOA…..now i could kick myself for EVER having felt that way……yuck…..it is magical thinking to believe they dont know right from wrong…..it wouldnt be hidden and secretive if they didnt think it was wrong!!!!!!!!!!!unfortunately, too many in the justice system are sympathizers like fallen angel….they dont know what they dont know…..i think police officers see these creatures more often as the nature of their work increases the odds….that is why some of them are tough……..anyway, what a SCARY place…the general pub;ic and those in authority need to be educated big time….unfortunately also, talking about it is not the same as FEELING it….so not sure if lectures and slide shows would do the trick?????!!!!!
Newworldview,
I think judges (which are all lawyers) while they may know the “laws” do not as a general rule know “human nature” and they sure as heck are not psychologists. Many judges are political appointees or elected by a populace that really knows nothing about their qualifications except their name and degrees.
Mandatory education for all judges, and especially judges who deal with “family” situations, like the judge that ruled that Amy had to let her P see her children without supervision, and then the SOB killed them to “punish her”—sheesh!
Of course defense attorneys grasp at straws to find something to “blame” for Monster’s crimes—he was spanked as a child, he ate too many Twinkies (YES! that was used as a defense for murder!) etc etc. Plus, you can find someone with a PhD in psychology that will testify that the “moon is made out of green cheese” it seems if that would help the defense. If you have enough money to go through eenough evaluations you can usually find some “professional” to testify in your behalf that none of it is your fault, or that you are harmless even if you have threatened to kill your children already.
It is frustrating for sure….and then you have the women or men who make unfounded “sexual molestation” charges against innocent X’s just to “get even” with them.
It is frustrating to me that the CHILDREN in these cases seem to have no rights. So many divorces are like two dogs scrapping over a bone, and tearing it apart…only it is a child. I think King Solomon made the last good judgment in a child custody case where two people were scrapping over the same child. And I think that the woman who was lying was a P if ever there was one, Proven by her willingness to have the child “divided.” LOL
Just reading about Amy’s children’s death threw me into depression and anger for a couple of days! What horror! Add the Josef/Elizabeth story to it, and talk about depressing!
I’m like you, I’m not sure if lectures and slide shows would do the trick! Dr. Anna Salter, who has worked with sexually abused children for many years feels our same frustration in one of her recent books..whew—she has more guts to stay with such a frustrating profession than I can imagine. I would burn out and become homicidal in the first week! I admire her for hanging in there for 30 years!
i am troubled as you say in a horrible way about all the amy;s and elisabeth’s and their children…actually sickened….i have been in deep thought about who/how to bring massive attn to these issues….in order to stop being an observer…i wish we all could team up and effect some change…i need to find a litmus test or some gene that will uncover these creatures, so that this could be prevented. because either side can pay an “expert witness” to give their :unbiased: opinion.or closer to reality a way to begin to bring these creatures out into the light so the world is aware of their prevalence…very frustrating
“There is no fanatic like a convert” is an old and pretty true “saying”–and I think that because WE have been “converted” to know what the potenital and actual danger of the Ps is, this kind of story hits us more deeply than it might a member of the general public who had not actually had the P-experience. It may go back to our brain’s reactions or triggers to a perceived threat–even though it isn’t a direct threat to us, it pushes our triggers more than those of people who have not dealt with threats of violence (or actual violence).
Fritzl absolutely is a psychopath. Does anyone have any earlier images of him (other than the formal school portrait)?
Reflections on Josef Fritzl and incest:
http://pathwhisperer.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/reflections-on-josef-fritzl/