My older brother is a psychopath.
He displays all the characteristics; such as inappropriate responses to
emotional situations, a failure to recognise or respect other people’s needs or
any kind of moral boundaries, and difficulties forming close relationships.
Most people just call him a
wanker; and I wouldn’t argue with them on that because he is. But it goes much deeper than that. His behaviour is not just
that of a git; he often displays degenerate behaviour, criminal behaviour, and
a disturbing lack of appropriate emotional response; for example when our
mother almost died of a heart attack and I cried at the sight of her lying in
the hospital bed, unconscious and attached to monitors and drips. My brother
actually laughed at me and said, ‘What are you crying for, you poof?’ He was
thirty-two at the time, so I think I could have expected just a little bit of
compassion and maturity from him.
Dr J. Bowlby, an eminent
psychologist, described a condition called “affectionless psychopathy”. I would
put my brother – and his equally psychopathic wife – into this category. Both
are unable to accommodate or respect the emotional needs of others, and both
are unable to form deep bonds with other people. They seem to have formed a
bond with each other, but when you observe them over a period of time you’re
left with the impression that if one of them died – while the other one might
display a mild, outward display of grief – deep down they wouldn’t really give
a shit.
This affectionless psychopathy is just one of
the many reasons I have cut them entirely out of my life. Others say I’m wrong,
and I’m being a bit childish, but I think if someone is just bringing you down
then what’s the point of maintaining contact with them? My brother is a sexual
predator, a criminal, an adulterer and a bully. Would anyone want someone like
that in their life?
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