People often say “But why would they do that? They would only be hurting themselves as well?

Well, maybe they have what is known as an antisocial personality disorder, which is . characterized by limited or no capacity for empathy and a long-term pattern of disregard or violation of the rights of others.

Minds differ still more than faces. Voltaire

Imagine —if you can — not having a conscience, no feelings of guilt or remorse no matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern for the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members.

Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your whole life, no matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had taken. And pretend that the concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible fools.

Now add to this strange fantasy the ability to conceal from other people that your psychological make up is radically different than theirs. Since everyone simply assumes that conscience is universal among human beings, hiding the fact that you are conscience-free is nearly effortless.

You are not held back from any of your desires by guilt or shame, and you are never confronted by others for your cold-bloodedness. The ice water in your veins is so bizarre, so completely outside of their personal experience, that they seldom even guess at your condition.

In other words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world. You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their consciences, will most likely remain undiscovered.

One in 25 ordinary Americans secretly has no conscience and can do anything at all without feeling guilty.

One way or another, a life without a conscience is a failed life. Who is the devil you know?

Excerpts from Martha Stout, PhD’s book entitled, “The Sociopath Next Door.”

“A chillingly accurate portrayal of evil — the decent person’s guide to indecency” —Jonathan Kellerman