In your opinion, what is divine in us? 

I believe our conscience is a sign of the divine in us. A small fraction of the much talked about, and yet seldom practiced, universal love or unconditional love may be another expression of the divine in us. Any story about conscience relates to the interconnection between all the things in the universe. That is why, even unconsciously, we rejoice with the nature of gentle acts of love. 

In your book Mentes Perigosas – O Psicopata Mora ao Lado (Dangerous Minds – The Psychopath Lives Next Door), you talk about psychopathic disorder. What is the definition of a psychopath? 

It is someone who has a personality disorder characterized by the complete absence of guilt, regret or remorse for their wrongdoings, lack of empathy for others and lack of emotions in general (love, sadness, fear, compassion etc.) 

How do they come across in the social environment? 

They are cold and calculating, compulsive liars, egocentric, megalomaniac, parasites, manipulating, impulsive, unscrupulous, reckless, they break social rules and many of them are violent, aiming to achieve only their interests. They exist in all parts of society, in all religions, genders, cultures and in order to achieve their sordid interets they will trample over anyone who gets in their way. We can say they are true “social predators;” all they aim is to achieve power, social status and enjoyment, and they use people merely as trophies or pieces in their cruel game. 

We, Spiritists, understand we have reincarnated, each one of us bringing from previous experiences a psychological profile. How can we recognize a psychopath? 

That isn’t easy at all. Most of them have normal appearance, not neglected, and there are no clear marks to identify them. They are true actors in real life. Being cautious is always important with someone you don’t know very well. You should check the persons habits, find out a bit more about their past and be particularly aware of the way play their “poor me”, “feel sorry for me” game. By the way, we all do a bit of that some time in life… Psychopaths are very shrewd and know how to make the most of our good faith. 

As reincarnates, do we show from an early age the signs of our psychopathic tendencies or do they only manifest later in life? 

Psychiatry only provides a diagnosis for psychopathic disorder after the age of 18. However, it’s clear no one will become a psychopath overnight. People are born as psychopaths. Hence, it’s clear that some children and teenagers already show evil behaviour or are genuinely bad. You can see that in the way they treat their siblings, their school mates and animals, in the way they keep lying, robbing other people’s belongings, breaking social rules and, most important, by failing to display any affection. 

How do you get a diagnosis? 

It’s basically a clinical diagnosis, through observation of the person’s behaviour and their life history. It must be a very strict examination, and the professional in charge must be very careful, as psychopaths are manipulators who can portray themselves as “good people.” The parents are usually the ones who bring them to see the doctor, when they can no longer put up with their challenging behaviour and their acts of transgression. They often believe they failed in their children’s education. Adult psychopaths rarely go to see a psychiatrist or go to psychiatric clinic. 

Do think you, as a doctor and psychiatrist, believe there is a cure for psychiatric disorder? 

Psychopathic disorder is a way of life. What the doctor and/or the psychotherapist are able to do is to provide support to the victims of psychopaths, as they are the ones who really suffer. As odd as it may seem, psychopaths seem to be completely at ease with themselves and show no signs of moral embarrassment or emotional distress, in the way of depression, anxiety, guilt, low self-esteem etc. Therefore, one can’t treat an inexistent ailment. If one could minimize their actions, reducing their fire power, that should be done during childhood, by setting out clear rules and barriers, to get them to know that they will be punished in some way. I mean, a child who is born with a tendency to serious psychopathic disorder can develop a moderate psychopathic disorder if brought up with strict rules. But the parents must be aware from a very early age and monitor the situation constantly, follow them very closely, which isn’t easy. 

In relationships with psychopaths, what’s the scariest aspect? 

In the many levels of human relationships, psychopaths are capable of trampling over anyone just to pursue their interests. We can say they are truly “social predators.” Their acts are in some instances so shocking that we even instinctively refuse to recognise their existence. The good news is that, according to the American classification of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR), only 3% of men and 1% of women have antisocial personality or psychopathic disorder. Nearly 96% of all of us are considered to have a reasonable basis of decency and responsibility. Men are naturally more impulsive and aggressive and can more easily reveal signs of their disorder. Women generally have a subtler, disguised kind of perversity, which flourishes in the field of intrigue and deception. Psychopaths are good at making the most of our good faith. We need to watch out, but the important thing is really to stay away from them and never colluding with their acts and establishing partnerships with people like that. 

You have just published a new book, Bullying: Mentes Perigosas nas Escolas (Bullying: Dangerous Minds at School). What exactly is bullying? 

The word bullying is yet unknown to the wider public in Brazil. It’s an English word, still not translated into Portuguese, and it’s used to describe aggressive behaviours in the school environment, carried out both by boys and girls. The acts of violence – physical or not – target regularly one or more students who are not able to challenge the aggression. Such behaviour is not explained but any justifiable are plausible reason. In a nutshell, we can say that the strongest use the weaker ones as mere objects to provide them entertainment, pleasure and power, with the intent of mistreating, harassing, humiliating and scaring their victims.  

In which ways do bullies act? 

In many ways: verbal, physical and material, psychological and moral, sexual, virtual. 

What are the main problems the victim of bullying can face at school and throughout their incarnation? 

The consequences vary a lot and depend on each individual, their resilience and background, genetic predisposition and also on the manner the aggression is inflicted and its intension. However, all the victims, without exception, will suffer somehow by being bullied. Many will carry to their adult lives the deep psychological scars from the aggressions and will need psychiatric and/or psychological support to overcome the problem.  

What are the main problems caused by bullying? 

The ones I observe more often in my practice are: lack of interest for studying and the school; problems of a psychological and behavioural nature, such as panic syndrome, depression, anorexia and bulimia, school phobia, social phobia, anxiety in general among others. Victims of bullying also have aggravated pre-existing problems, due to the long periods of stress they are subjected to. In more serious cases, we can observe the occurrence of schizophrenia, homicide and suicide. 

How can we find out whether a child or teenager is being bullied at school? What is the typical behaviour of those children? 

At school, during playtime, they sit on their own or next to adults who could possibly protect them; in the classroom, they have restrained behaviour, they skip classes very often and are usually sad, depressed or anxious; in the class games or group activities they are generally the last ones to be picked or are excluded altogether; little by little they lose interest in school; in some more extreme cases, they will have bruises, scratches, cuts, damaged or torn clothes. At home, they often complain of headache, stomach cramps, dizziness, lost appetite, insomnia, they feel sick and vomit. They have frequent mood swings, bursting with anger. Typically, they have few friends or no friends at all, they don’t speak much on the phone and receive few emails. The symptoms above tend to become more marked as the victims approach the time to go to school.

How about the aggressors? What is the behaviour of the typical bully? 

At school, they are aggressors who carry out unpleasant pranks, who make offensive jokes, give other people degrading nicknames; they slander, threaten, intimidate and put down their colleagues. They disturb and intimidate through physical or psychological violence. They steal or rob money, the packed meals and the belongings of other students. They are usually popular at school and are always part of the crowd. They have fun at the expense of other people’s suffering. At home, they display challenging and aggressive attitudes towards other family members. They are arrogant in the way they act, they speak and they dress, showing superiority. They manipulate people in order to get out of trouble they got themselves into. They often come back from school with money or objects they didn’t have before. 

The bully is more of a thinker or a hands-on person? 

It can be either. In both cases they are the generating and disseminating source of violence among students. The thinker, the brain behind the act is more dangerous. Those who carry it out are his “little soldiers.” 

We know the important role parents have in shaping the lives of their children. Can we say that the bully begins being a bully at home? 

Yes, absolutely. In order to bring up fempathetic children, who respect others, parents must pay attention first and foremost to what happens at home. Parents often don’t question their own behaviour and values, shying away from their responsibility as educators. The example from the parents is of paramount importance. The school has joint responsibility for the cases of bullying, as most cases of aggression or transgression take place in the school environment. The good school is not the one where there are no cases of bullying, but the one that takes a proactive and efficient approach to the problem. 

Your final thoughts… 

There is a small proportion of psychopaths who display such a degree of insensitivity that they can reach unimaginable levels of cruelty in their criminal practices. As for bullying, I am amazed by the fact that children who should be playing or reading books at school are instead dealing drugs, holding weapons and pulling triggers without a shred of mercy. These are children and teenagers who have this transgression in the very core of their personalities. They lack the ability to feel, necessary to exercise altruism. Ethics, solidarity and altruism are values that must be taught from the cradle and later, at school, where they will spend a great deal of their time. School principles should contact the parents whenever needed, in the same way as social workers and other organisms dedicated to protecting children and teenagers. Recognising that bullying takes place in 100% of all schools in the world, be it private or state schools, is the first step towards eradicating this obscene practice.  

Author’s note:

Contacts for Ana Breatriz Barbosa Silva

Email:contato@medicinadocomportamento.com.br; anabeatriz@medicinadocomportamento.com.br;

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