People as Pawns

Since the subject matter is so unfortunate, I am just giving small pieces at a time in sharing wisdom and insight with you from Stanton Samenow's book Inside the Criminal Mind. When we left off we were talking about how the criminal uses people as pawns.

The criminal tries to dominate in every situation and resorts to any tactic to get his way. Anyone who evades his control reduces him in stature and thus is seen as a danger. Whenever others fail to do his bidding, the criminal's entire self-image is at stake. Criticism or interference with his plans constitutes a monumental threat because it signifies to him that he is not the omnipotent person he thinks he is. Instead of modifying his expectations and changing his behavior, he insists that it is others who err, not he. His pride is such that he adamantly refuses to acknowledge his fallibility. Unyielding, uncompromising, and unforgiving, his attitude is, "I'm going to hold my ground if it costs me everything," no matter how trivial the matter at hand.

Because the criminal's inflated view of himself is imperiled so many times in a single day, those who live and work with him are afraid for they never know what might set him off. When he angrily explodes, he is in effect announcing that he is somebody to be reckoned with. His anger might be thinly disguised in sullenness, silence, or feigned indifference. It may spurt forth in ridicule and sarcasm or erupt into screaming and cursing. Its most devastating form is physical violence.