What Makes a Psychopath? The Case of Josef Fritzl

Recently, Josef Fritzl, the Austrian father who imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth in an underground enclosure and fathered all seven of her children, was sentenced to life imprisonment himself. Ironically he was to receive the same sentence that he had hoped to give to his child and grandchildren for many more years. Thankfully he was discovered by health authorities due to an illness in one of his incest-created children. Realistically, we will never know what drove this man, or indeed other psychopaths, to do what they do. Their behavior, by definition, goes beyond the norm and therefore becomes difficult for us … Continue reading

What Makes a Psychopath?

Recently, Josef Fritzl, the Austrian father who imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth in an underground enclosure and fathered all seven of her children, was sentenced to life imprisonment himself. Ironically he was to receive the same sentence that he had hoped to give to his child and grandchildren for many more years before being discovered by health authorities. Realistically, we will never know what drove this man to do this, or indeed other psychopaths to do what they do. Their behavior, by definition, goes beyond the norm and therefore becomes difficult for us to understand. But thee are characteristics that many … Continue reading

Adoptions: Non-Refundable?

I’ve always loved children. I’ve been babysitting my whole life, went to school to become an elementary grade school teacher, and taught preschool for two years after graduating. Since becoming a mother, I look at children in a totally different light. Before, kids were just kids. I liked them, and most of them were fun. However, some were cute, some weren’t as cute; some were brats, some were angels. Now, when I see a child, I think to myself, “Someone carried that child in her belly for 9 months. Someone gave birth to that baby. Someone probably loves that child … Continue reading