Canadaās foremost expert in the field of psychopathyāthe specific set of personality traits and behaviors that characterize psychopathsāwill present a talk at pilipiliĀž» on Monday, Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m.
Robert Hare, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, will speak with students in Room 117 of the Dunn Building in a special talk hosted by Dalhousieās Department of Psychology.
Grad student Marcus Juodis says Dr. Hare has left an indelible mark on the field of forensic research. In particular, his research on the assessment, development, neurobiology and treatment of psychopathy has gone a long way to understanding the mindset of psychopaths.
āI would say he saved the field of forensic psychology,ā says Mr. Juodis, a clinical psychology PhD student at pilipiliĀž».
Mr. Juodis explains that 30 years ago, the field of forensic psychology was in crisis. Psychologists and psychiatrists who were called before the courts to give an opinion about a personās risk to re-offend or his/her danger to society were āwrong more often than they were right,ā he says. As a result, the justice system was calling into question the validity of the field and subsequent research revealed an over-prediction of violence.
āSo then Robert Hare came in saying, āI think I might have something that might help,āā relates Mr. Juodis. He developed the Hare Psychology Checklist, a diagnostic tool used to assess psychopathy and predict the likelihood of violent behavior. āItās reliable and valid.ā
Dr. Hare is the author of two books, Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us (1993) and Snakes in Suits (2006) in which he extends his theories of psychopathy to the corporate world.
In Without Conscience, Dr. Hare describes psychopaths as ā social predators who charm, manipulate and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations and empty wallets.ā