What the Case of Patrick the Dog Can Teach Us About Psychopaths

April 19, 2011 - PRLog -- An innocent victim of extreme neglect, this story demonstrates what a person without a conscience can and will do. Nicknamed Patrick by the workers at the Associated Humane Societies who care for him, this case is part of the growing plague of abused people and animals in this country and evidences a growing population of psychopaths.

If Kisha Curtis, Patrick’s owner, is indeed a psychopath, this is what she will do. She will deny responsibility for the dog’s condition while presenting justifications for why she kept, but refused to care for him. She will minimize the reality of his suffering and position herself as the victim. She will blame someone else for her own behavior. The facts of the case are still in discovery, but what is known suggests that Kisha Curtis took no steps to find another home for Patrick. Instead she kept him and mistreated him because it gratified her to watch him suffer.  This is what psychopaths do.

“If this case goes to trial, Kisha’s mother will likely sit in the courtroom and cry that her daughter is innocent.  When confronted with evidence of wrong-doing, psychopaths and their families close rank and cry foul. Psychopaths have written the book on denial,” says Anna Moss, author of RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS, a guide on relationship literacy.

Anthropologist Moss offers some additional identifying hallmarks of abusive behavior:

1.   Justification (no matter how egregious the act)
2.   Control over others (the chief requirement in all dealings)
3.   Lack of self control (a prominent, ironic characteristic)
4.   Blame (often done in concert with justifying)
5.   Minimizing (to deflect attention)

“I am speaking up for Patrick and the tens of millions of people and animals being harmed by psychopaths every day. The leading cause of injury to females today is their boyfriend or husband. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time until we’re all touched, unless we learn how to recognize the warning signs so we can stop the horror,” Moss adds.

For an alarming, informative and irreverent interview, call Anna during business hours at 307-455-3546 (MT).

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