By Joyce Alexander, RNP (retired)
The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia wrecked a few days ago and early reports said that it had hit some rocks. Quickly though, reports came out that the captain, Francesco Schettino, had driven the ship closer than normal to those rocks on the way out of port in order to show off the ship to the residents. An article from the New York Times gives more details.
More bodies found on ship, as transcripts reveal rebuke to captain
Interviews from some of the over 4,020 passengers of the liner stated in news reports that it was “like the Titanic.”
Only shortly after the shipwreck it was determined that the captain had left the ship early on, and also that he had been seen drinking on the bridge with a young, attractive woman at the time of the crash, and that he had been drinking at dinner before the crash. This indicates to me that the man may have been drunk at the time he made the decision to go closer than was safe to the reef.
Rescue crews had reportedly told the captain to “go back to the ship” and at that time they were in command with the authority to demand that he return. He didn’t return and was subsequently branded a “coward,” as well as taken into custody by authorities for not doing his duty in the time of the wreck. I have a feeling this man’s professional life as a sailor is over, and that he will become an international pariah.
Videos taken showed the passengers lined up, going down the side of the overturned boat on one rope, like a line of ants going to a food source.
The captain finally came up with a story that he somehow believed would show that he was not at fault for leaving the ship early (excuse me if I laugh). He said he had “accidentally fallen into a lifeboat while trying to help rescue efforts.” This single statement, to me, branded the man a psychopath. Dr. Robert Hare said in his book, Without Conscience, that the psychopath’s brain doesn’t work like other brains when it comes to lies. They will tell a lie when there is evidence to show it is a lie right in front of them, they will tell a lie that is so unbelievable that no one would believe it, but they do not “get it” that their lie is totally unbelievable.
Of course a psychopath would also put his own well-being above those of his responsibility, such as the passengers, and would desert a sinking boat on the first available lifeboat. Capt. Schettino leaving first, by itself, would not brand someone a psychopath, when maybe they would only be a coward, or so terrorized that he became unglued and deserted the sinking ship. But being told to “get back on the ship!” and refusing to do so does seem to indicate that he was either totally unglued or had no concern for the passengers.
The other things that the captain did that were irresponsible, like drinking at dinner, and drinking at the time of the crash with the rocks, and steering the boat close to the rocks so that he could show off, all of those things might have just been a day of poor judgment, and would not necessarily make me brand someone with the term psychopath. But those things, in concert with the unbelievable lie, make me think that this man has not only no conscience, but that his brain is unable to distinguish a believable lie from one that is so unbelievable that only a psychopath would tell it.
I’m not sure that there is a lie that would be believable or that would not damn any captain who deserted his ship like Capt. Schettino did. However, a man who was not a psychopath, who had simply panicked and deserted his ship, who otherwise had a moral compass, would show some remorse for what he had done. He would at least show some shame at having failed in a pivotal moment in his life, in which he should have showed some courage and concern for the more than 4,000 lives in his charge.
I think that anyone can “fail” in a moment of horrible terror, in combat or accident. The overwhelming terror of something like a ship capsizing, the panic of the passengers, and possibly also the man being drunk, could account for him deserting the ship early and refusing to do his duty, or letting go of his responsibility. But the unbelievable lie is the one thing, that taken with all the others, that makes me think this man is truly a psychopath.
Here’s another article about the captain by a former commander of the U.S. Coast Guard on CNN.com:
BBE, the thing is that “wide faces” or different shaped heads or eyes have been pretty much ruled out as showing personality, though there are certain types of genetic disorders that do have distinctive “faces” such as Downs syndrome children, etc.
“The stare” I think is more a* behavior* that shows dominance behavior I think. Researchers have mentioned it but not sure any one has done anything about researching it. I wish they would. There have been some ancedotal mentions of the fact that 25% of reserachers react physically to the presence of a psychopath. I think the stare is the reason they do. I’d like to see this researched.
Anytime someone acts “dominant” or too “grandiose” or over bearing I think that is a symptom, a RED FLAG if you will of something being off. Maybe not fullfledged psychopathy but at leasxt someone in a control mode.
The captain could have run for the life boat–excuse me, fallen over board into a life boat by accident–LOL out of fear or any number of reasons…I think the failure to call the wreck in for over an hour is FEAR reaction, but may not be…just GUESSING here as we can’t READ HIS MIND but a fear reaction, denial, would be a logical conclusion I think..for anyone but especially a Psychopath since he lost his mask and he was trying to figure out some way to keep down panic in himself and passengers so he could “fix” the situation some way….but of course delay/denial made it worse…his life was falling apart, and he was looking into the face of absolute life failure…the loss of everything he had in the world, the girls, the status, etc. he was scared all right. I think I can say that without going too far into “mind reading.”
I worked at the corporate office of a company that hired a lot of psychopath’s and these were the people routinely promoted. Herman Cain was one of the extravagantly paid board of directors and this agricultural company donated many thousands to the Republican party. I noticed a picture of Newt in front of one of the tractors this company produces. Hmmm…Cain is out so let’s stand behind Newt. Anyway, I quit over 3 years ago because of not only the ex spath, but also because my boss, bosses boss, and so on all the way up were sick, stupid lunatics. I see now that that company was breeding psychopathy. Every one that was good and decent quit or was fired, but the psychopath’s will be forever permanent fixtures. They also did many unethical and illegal acts. I should know, I worked in accounting. Oh, they would get audited and investigated constantly, so much so that they would have to hire extra workers to deal with the mess of having to assist the auditor’s, etc., but few charges ever came out of it. I do recall a $20 million penalty they had to pay and numerous ex employees were discovered stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company, but they kept sweeping it all under the rug instead of reporting the crimes.
In this day it is hard for most companies to stay afloat, but this agricultural farming equipment manufacturer has grown leaps and bounds since the economic meltdown. They’ve acquired many businesses overseas and line their pockets (the psychopath’s who control the company) with ridiculous salaries, pensions, bonuses, and perks.
It all comes up very stinky, very fishy-smelling when they contribute so much to politicians and never fail to expand and grow at an abnormal rate from what the rest of the nation and planet have had to face.
I’m apolitical and I believe politicians on all sides have more than 4% of the psychopath population. They are driven to this sort of position. It’s the corporations and politicians together with their high psychopath rate that is ruining this world in a grander scheme then all the other murdering, theiving, manipulative, bigtime, smalltime, perverted, addict, cheating psychopaths put together. I say that because our very freedoms, our economy and way of life, our future is in the hands of these powerful psychopayhs.
We can do much to avoid them in our daily lives, but when they reach that position of power, everyone feels the pain.
Woundlicker you and I are on the same page about politicians, I think they are ALL Crooks (politicians) and by the time they get to the office in the higher levels they have sold their sold to the devil to get there.
The people who support them for “favors” are just like them, unfortunately. The Bernie Madoffs of this world.
I reacted physically to my spath but then I over rode that and went out with him anyway.
A few years ago, I caught a glimpse of a man from the corner of my eye who made me feel terrified. I didn’t see him because I averted my face so as not to look at him. There was no reason, but I just had the overwhelming sensation that he wanted me dead. When I left the store, he followed me out and said, “do you know anyone who wants a puppy?” It wasn’t until he spoke to me that I saw his face. He looked perfectly nice, but my gut told me that he was a predator.
Later, I told the spath about it. He agreed, “yep that’s what pedophiles ask their victims, “do you want to see my puppy?” ” He should know.
So anyway, I don’t think it’s the eyes or the stare, I think it’s some kind of 6th sense. Just like zebras get when a lion is hiding in the grass.
woundlicker – I have been in contact with CNH recently in relation to my work. They seem pretty dysfunctional. Don’t want to know who you worked with, but i was quite surprised by how the oddness of some of the interactions, practices, etc. at CNH.
It wasn’t CNH, nor John Deere. The parts are manufactured in Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, and Turkey. This is supposed to be an All-American ag company? Their hands are firmly planted down our politicians pants and these are the psychopath’s we vote in office. It is a never ending cycle of deception.
behind_blue_eyes,
I agree with you about Newt Gringrich. I’ve read articles about him and he is (in my mind) a spath – in one article, he told wife #2 (after she knew their marriage was over) that basically (regarding his position on family values) that he tells the public what they want to hear. He reminds me of another spath that I know.
Wound licker,
“Big giant head, creepy intense stare”
Chortle! Thanks for that definition of the spath. I have to say my ex had a MASSIVE head. 😆
I think we need to be careful with the ‘big head’ thing. Sounds like pseudoscience to me. Agree with Oxy that it’s the behaviours, not the physical features, that are important.
As for Skylar’s point about the 6th sense – for some reason for the longest time I didn’t have one at all. You would think after growing up with my mother (who is a sadist) I would have a completely overdeveloped one. But I recently came across some tv shows and web articles that stated that the only way to survive sadism is total submission. To do that you must shut off your perceptions of reality. Which helps explain, or at least I think it does, why I just didn’t have that 6th sense at all for the longest time. I’ve started to teach myself how to read body language, and that’s helped immensely. It’s helping me to develop that sixth sense. Reading about ‘victim selection’ by predators really started me off on a better foot. That, combined with Kathleen Hawk’s LF post about the strategy of the dolphin really convinced me that I needed to learn how to recognize them, and helped me to understand what they were reading in me. Odd thing is that, before that, I felt safe on the outside (stupidly safe, but you all know that!), but unsafe on the inside (meaning my own thoughts and emotions). Now that I’ve developed some detection skills (and see warning signs everywhere!) I’m feeling much more unsafe on the outside, but safer on the inside.
But man, I was stupidly unaware of them before, and made myself unnecessarily vulnerable so many times. Considering that they detest and must destroy weakness, no wonder I was a target.
Came across a wonderful quote recently (on a primal-eating blog) that I think is amazing, and kind of captures what Donna is doing here: “You can’t child-proof the world. Better to world-proof your child.”
Wish that Captain’s crew had had a bit more ‘world-proofing’.
One final thought: in 2002 UK citizens voted Winston Churchill the greatest Briton of all time. Big head. R-e-e-a-a-l-l-y big head. Just sayin. 😉
Hi Annie I’d really like to read the post on the strategy of dolphins. Don’t suppose you could post the link?
Ps. I’ve got a big head too. Small woman but my head is huge!!! 🙄