The therapist of the violent offender says that we are all at risk of becoming “evil”

What drives people to commit terrible acts of violence, such as murder and sexual assault?

This question is the subject of a new book written by Dr. Gwen Adshead, an internationally renowned forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and co-author Eileen Horne, to explore the true nature of evil.

The Devil You Know: A Story of Human Cruelty and Compassion Based on Adshead’s 30 years of experience working with people convicted of violent crimes.

This book was published on July 20 and explores the stories of her 12 former patients being held in prisons or in the mental health system, and their actions will be regarded as “evil” by society.

This book explores whether we can and should sympathize with these people, and at the same time reveals the extraordinary ability of human beings to change and redeem.

Weekly newspaper Discussed this new book with Adshead and Horne. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

Advertising header: I am very interested in what makes people do terrible things. What kind of mentality do they have when they do terrible things? So, I have been thinking about how to write this book for non-professional audiences, because I know that everyone is interested in evil.

The concept of evil is ubiquitous in popular imagination. What would you say to people who regard violent criminals as evil?

Advertising header: What I learned from people who have done terrible things is that I think evil is a mentality, and maybe all of us will get into trouble at some point-we are all at risk. The potential is there. I think this may explain why people are so interested in evil. I want to know if we know deep down in our hearts that, in fact, any of us could be in that state under the right circumstances. So what I have been thinking about over the years is the risk factors that make you enter that mentality, which we call evil. In the book, Irene and I describe it as a number in a bicycle lock. If the numbers are arranged correctly, the lock may suddenly open and release something terrible-some terrible violent ability.

The good news is that it may not happen to many of us.But maybe we have something in common [people who commit acts of terrible cruelty]——Maybe more than we know. This is a terrible idea, but it also has the potential to be understood. If we can better understand violence, we may be able to do something to prevent it.

Horn: I just want to add that when you say the word “evil”, I think it reminds people of something very different. I have lived in the UK most of my life.But i’m back here [in America] For this last very strange five years. In the 20 years or so since I left, the change I have noticed is this incredible polarization, I mean, so sharp and compelling. I think this book is a bit urgent now. It feels like at this moment, we have to talk about how we stop interacting with everyone and how much we have in common humanity.

What are the main risk factors leading to violence?

Advertising header: Well, there are more general and more specific ones. A very important research area is substance abuse. We need to understand why people take drugs and why people drink alcohol. Usually it is a way of dealing with pain-unresolved pain, unresolved fear, unresolved trauma. Another thing that really reminded me of my work over the years is the importance of childhood adversity as a risk factor for violence. In fact, many of the people I work with have suffered very serious childhood traumas. Now, this is not an excuse for what they did. But this may be an important way to understand how they get into a mentality that other people do not seem to them to be real. For example, it is perfectly reasonable to stab this person in the heart because I am afraid of him.

Horn: The other two really key risk factors for violence that the data provide us are young people and men. Then there is the final risk factor-if you think about this combination bicycle lock, the thing that actually opens it-is usually a very personal matter to the perpetrators, related to their victims. So, a girl who just looks at you funny, a person who smiles to remind you of things from a long time ago, a person who somehow said a word in his mind, triggers a very strange reaction. I find that very charming.

Once we understand the psychology of why people commit violent acts, how does this affect how we treat these people or treat them as a society?

Advertising header: I think the first meaning is worth doing. Because we will get the perspective and information we want, otherwise it may not be available. I think this means that if we can learn more about what drives people to violence, we may be able to take some measures in this regard, we may be able to identify these risk factors and intervene earlier.

For example, intimate partner violence is a very terrifying, very common type of violence, usually not related to mental illness itself, but has a lot to do with unresolved pain. Many battered men have been exposed to beatings when they were children, or witnessed them when they were children. If they are to stop, they will have unresolved pain to resolve. What we want is for these people to stop using violence as a solution. We think that sometimes people use violence as a terrible communication tool.

If we can make people stop doing this and find better ways to communicate their pain, better ways to reach out and connect with people, then it might be in our interest. Moreover, this may mean that we may not have to spend too much money on large buildings that are expensive to build and maintain. We may actually be able to use people’s experience in a more effective way.