Geraldo Rivera provided his analysis of the ”¦ Natalee Holloway disappearance case. Prime suspect Joran Van Der Sloot has given a series of interviews proclaiming his total innocence. “The lie that he has fastened on,” Rivera pronounced, “is that he took her on the beach but didn’t have sex because he didn’t have a condom, then left her on the there. It’s at odds with the story he told earlier, but as he tells this story he becomes more confident and more glib. I believe there is a pathological aspect to this man.” The Factor concurred that Van Der Sloot seems psychologically unbalanced. “I can’t figure out why he wants do these interviews because he comes off as a sociopath. If he makes one slip-up he’s done. It looks to me like he’s a danger junkie – he likes this cat-and-mouse game, it’s exciting to him” (source)
Does it matter whether or not Joran van der Sloot is a sociopath/psychopath? Why not just be satisfied that he is a “criminal” and an evil person?
Yes, it does matter, because when dealing with a sociopath the usual rules of human interaction do not apply. Anyone who treats a sociopath as they would a non-disordered person is likely to get burned and to be implicated in the evil that sociopath does. Joran van der Sloot’s story illustrates this principle.
Joran’s father, Paulus, was an attorney many believed knew the truth about what happened to Natalie Halloway, the first young woman Joran was accused of murdering. Paulus strongly supported his son after the murder accusations first arose, and was even charged himself as an accessory after the fact, though the charges were dropped.
Paulus van der Sloot died of a sudden cardiac death last February and so did not live to see the result of his enabling of his son. Joran’s mother, Anita, is now alone to deal with the repercussions of the family’s enabling.
The lesson to be learned is that if you have a family member who has been charged with a serious crime, and that family member has psychopathic personality traits, or is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, DO NOT HELP THAT PERSON IN ANY WAY.
Over and over again, we have said on this website that sociopaths are able to do evil in a large part because they are enabled by family members and various governmental agencies- including the judicial system and law enforcement. Well, law enforcement does it again.
It turns out that the FBI wired Joran $25,000 as part of a “sting” operation, as they were trying to arrest him for shaking down Natalie Halloway’s parents. According to former agent Paul Lindsay, “the FBI formula for extortion stings is, “set ’em up, pay ’em off, get ’em to talk, never let them leave the room without handcuffs on.” Because the FBI did not understand the psychology of their suspect, they let him leave the room and were out smarted by a sociopath.
The lesson to be learned here is that next time the FBI wants to sting a sociopath they should contact Lovefraud so that Donna and I can tell them not to give a sociopath any money”¦ that is unless they want the sociopath to use the money to kill someone.
One more lesson to be learned from the van der Sloot case is that media psychiatrists should stop confusing people with their false categorical statements. I came across this analysis of van der Sloot by psychiatrist Keith Ablow (who I have criticized before):
“Serial killers whether organized or disorganized are always made, never born. Having interviewed dozens of killers myself, I can tell you that it turns out that evil never appears ”˜out of the womb’.”
Well, I knew Rodney Alcala, and I can tell you that he was born with a disposition to become a serial killer that was present in his early childhood. Serial killers are both born and made. Evil is in the genes of some people but like many other traits it needs the right soil to take root and blossom.
Wini,
I saw that interview with Dr. Bethany Marshall on Nancy Grace that you mentioned, discussing Joran VDS and the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. I googled the transcript to check what I thought I heard. Dr. Marshall was introduced as a psychoanalyst so I looked up her background (PhD, PsyD, MFT), but she isn’t a psychiatrist as she doesn’t hold a medical degree (MD or DO). Dr. Leedom’s article warns of the confusion media psychiatrists create, but here is another one. The non-media professionals don’t agree on this issue either, so I included the transcript.
“BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF “DEALBREAKERS”: Well, it makes me think of the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. There is a big difference and I see it in this bloody crime scene.
For the sociopath, the MO is to con people out of sex and money. You can see this with Joran. His parasitic lifestyle, nomadic, hanging out at casinos, probably gravitating towards people who had money and could offer him sex.
But for the psychopath, the MO is the infliction of cruelty for the purpose of sexual excitement. It is the psychopath who tortures animals in their youth. It is the psychopath who has inner emptiness and because of that the only way they can manage that is to inflict severe cruelty. It is the psychopath who becomes the serial killer and I — I didn`t want to believe it until just now, as I was watching this bloody crime scene, but I`m really beginning to believe he`s a psychopath, not a sociopath. “
Benzthere
Dear Benzthere,
Hey, good to see you! Yea, they don’t agree, even the PhD researchers etc. but the new DSM V which is on the internet now is much better than the old Anti-social Personality Disorder tag it has now. That sounds to me like a HERMIT, someone who is ANTI-social. LOL
You know the definition of an expert don’t you, that’s a DRIP UNDER PRESSURE or on Television! LOL Or just an ordinary drip more than 50 miles from home.
I figure if Robert Hare calls them a psychopath, I’ll call them a psychopath and that’s good enough for me!
I saw the 20/20 interview with the girl friend from 2003 (she was 15 at the time) and he was her first “love” and she described his lying andn cheating and “trust me” crap even 7 years ago, so he was an EARLY BLOOMER as a psychopath and graduated to murder with Natalie in 2005. At least he is off the street now.
He probably wasn’t crazy, there may have BEEN someone following him, like the FBI or Natalie’s family’s private investigator. He very well may have been followed!
OxDrover;
“The problem with the ones who are ALSO personality disordered is that they LIKE THAT MANIC FEELING, so are usually not compliant with the medication.”
I could not agree more. Too bad they cannot comprehend tier outright foolish statements and behavior.
“I’ve been on the same drug (different amounts) for going on 6 years and in the winter time I have to bump it up a bit when I am not getting enough sunlight!”
Have you ever tried a light box? They are highly effective for treating winter SAD. In addition, embracing cold weather also helps but keeping your metabolism high.
“I have kicked that kind of creep out to the curbs of my life and moved on.”
I am also very careful to keep my distance from all “toxic” individuals.
“Sounds like you are taking good control of your life and life style. How is your cardiac rehab coming along, BTW?”
The cardiac rehab is coming along fine — no restrictions on anything and my right lung now seems to be fully inflated.
More important, my recovery from the PTSD from a sociopath is also coming along fine. I had an interesting experience over the weekend. I ran into somebody I have not seen in over a year. In fact, the last time I saw this guy was when I was out with Jamie. This guy is only one of three people I know who have meet Jamie. My friend asked me if I was still seeing the British guy… I gave my friend the short of it and its funny how others can immediately see what you don’t.
My friend was particularly incredulous regarding Jamie’s storming out of the restaurant after I asked him back to my apartment… My friend’s comment was as follows: “A 35 year-old gay guy acting like an actress in a 1920s movie.” He also immediately pegged Jamie for being HIV+ and hiding it.
Funny how even 3-months ago I still thought that little display from Jamie was charming, albeit bizarre.
Now, I shake my head at myself for being so needy I did not see it for what it was…
My thanks again to yourself and eveyone else here for that.
Blue-eyes, you are so firmly on your healing path in every way. Happy Solstice!!!!
Brightest blessings.
Has anyone besides me heard the Joran interview where he admitted that he had tried to extort money from Natalie’s family? Of course he had an EXCUSE:
1) he had been un justly accused and insulted so much over the years that he just decided “he’d use it to get money”
2) He really didn’t know where she was hidden
3) he had told so many different stories through the years
4) he shouldn’t have done it, BUT you know (see excuse #1)
This guy is one of the most “typical” of the “high level” violent psychopaths that I have ever seen going right up there with my P-son and P-sperm donor for “telling a lie when the truth would fit better.”
It is just “Unbelievable” that he can tell o ne lie right after another and each one contradicting the next (not really UN believable, just UN-believable) LOL
He wanted to ‘get back’ at Natalies family for causing HIM so much grief the past 5 years!
What a waste of air……..
His case is stunning.
EB, you said it. What a waste of air!
I betcha he get’s off on technicalities….political crap…..
Only to confirm to himself everyone else is WRONG….and he’s the goodguy.
Some vigilante needs to just end him…..before another young girl dies.
I have a question off topic on “outing” the spath.
I am wondering had I done the photo shoot for New Beauty with my x spath’s first wife (and several other women) for domestic violence, and had his first wife and I not tried to talk to his now 3rd wife prior to their wedding about him and his behavior (his first wife and I debated whether we should even tell her. I said she’d never believe us….not then…and she didn’t but it did put a bit of a cramp to the actual wedding day) would x spath not have gone after me so much these past five years? I wish I would have kept my mouth shut now…but I had no idea and I was trying to do something positive by being a part of the DV article and Give Back a Smile Foundation that helps abused/beaten women repair teeth/facial fx,, etc. He had already obtained custody and had been evil during divorce proceedings…lying, twisting small truths, etc. but life has been so much worse with him calling my job, landlord, friends, etc etc since that time. Would it have made a difference do you think had I not been involved in all of that? Or would he most likely have kept trying to destroy me? I was getting the idea with the posts that his need to ‘destroy’ me (his words) came from my outing him and his need to do whatever he could to take me down. I so wish I had this site five years ago….I have recently met a man who is going through horrendous divorce here in my city and his wife sounds quite spathic…she told him (and he is very much a public figure here) she is going to ‘destroy him’. I am going to lead him to some information……!
Thanks for any insight…info on this. I am seeing now that my best offense is to keep mouth shut, say nothing more, build my case, document, stay focused, and STRIKE when I am ready to win. It will be such a celebration. I had a local attorney who told me that it wouldn’t matter what I did, my xspath would ALWAYS try to go after me. Even if I get custody and he is outed that he will continue to take me to court, harrass me (he has money to do this). Damn. Sometimes I wish I could leave country, change my name….with my D of course!
China…..
None of us can answer that question…..
And your wasting your healing energy with regret or questioning it.
Bottom line…..did YOU think you did the right thing?
Did you help others and raise awareness on DV issues by doing this?
Well then…..stand proud…..stand tall and have some confidence.
You could have bought him a shirt and the button fell off and he would have gone for the jugular….
There is just no way of telling…..they punish, and they punish for all sorts of ‘perceived’ wrongs……
They find weakpoints and zero in…..
THIS IS HOW BACK SPATHING WORKS…..you find HIS weakpoints and zooomin……
Not tit for tat….YOU are tit AND TAT….
If it wasn’t that….it would have been something else….that’s just how they are.
Like I tell my close friends…..he will NEVER go away. He might break for felony drug trials here and there…..but he always finds a way to ‘make’ a stench around us.
Your attorney is right…..SO……Don’t worry your sweet mind about something you CAN”T control.
You helped others…….mission accomplished!