- 1). To draw out a sociopath, an attorney must first understand what to look for. To begin, identify the characteristics of a sociopath. Although their individual personalities vary, most sociopaths are manipulative, amoral, and incapable of feeling empathy, remorse, shame or guilt.
- 2). Use the sociopath's actions against him or her. A sociopath may appear to be superficially charming or sympathetic but sociopaths only take on these attitudes as a means of getting what they want. Demonstrate for the court the discrepancy between the sociopath's demeanor and the crimes that he/she is being tried for.
- 3). Allow the sociopath to use his/her own legal strategy to hang himself or herself. According to the clinical psychologist, Joseph M. Carver, sociopaths are often so narcissistic and grandiose that they are confident they can outsmart the legal system. But, because the law is an entity immune to the effects of superficial charm and emotional manipulation -- the two most powerful weapons in a sociopath's arsenal -- they seldom win. When trying the sociopath, allow him/her ample latitude to implement his/her unconventional, and probably ineffective, legal tactics.
- 4). When the sociopath is on the stand, as him/her to explain the motivations behind their actions. Sociopaths, although familiar enough with human psychology to successfully manipulate people, lack a deep understanding of their own motivations and feelings. This hinders them from offering a convincing account of the reasons behind their actions. An inability to offer a reasonable explanation for why they did what they did can reveal for the court a number of legally significant inconsistencies in the sociopath's attitude.
- 5). Try to convince the sociopath to slip off the mask. Sociopaths are impulsive and often lack the ability to control many of their emotions. If you are able to sufficiently rankle a sociopath -- either by treating him/her disrespectfully, pointing out unflattering facts about them, or simply doing a good enough job trying the case that he/she feels like he/she is losing the case -- he/she may well lose control of the facade and reveal to the court his/her true, brutal face.
previous post
next post