This may be the most fascinating interview I’ve ever seen. The subject of the interview is a self-described middle-aged woman who has been diagnosed with psychopathy, freely and frankly discussing how her mind works, how she sees the world, and how she sees herself. ‘Emmy Thomas’ (a psuedonym) explains her total lack of empathy, guilt, shame, and other emotions that most other people take for granted and consider normal. At various points throughout the five-part video series, Emmy describes how she functions in life without feelings and emotions.
Part 1 “Ask a Psychopath – What is your background?” (4:06):
One thing about Thomas’s behavior that caught my attention right away: she rarely makes eye contact with the interviewer or camera, and when she does it’s only for a moment. She spends most of her time looking off to her far right (camera left), occasionally briefly looking off to her left (camera right), then briefly making eye contact before looking off to her right again.
Part 2 “Ask a Psychopath – What are some things you’ve done?” (5:10):
In the third video, Thomas describes her fearlessness, how much she enjoys adrenaline, and her lack of caring for what other people think.
Part 3 “Ask a Psychopath – What is it like to be you?” (3:14):
Next, she describes how therapy helped her develop a sense of self and came to experience a range of emotions that she’d never felt before.
Part 4 “Ask a Psychopath – Why did you decide to get treatment?” (4:43):
In the final video, Emmy describes how and why she’s not prone to violence. Halfway through, she begins to rationalize under what conditions she might become enraged and turn to violence. I found this part of the interview to be disconcerting, and anything but reassuring.
Part 5 “Ask a Psychopath – Would you say you’re dangerous?” (5:41):
Question Of The Night: Now that you’ve seen this interview, how comfortable would you be living next door to, or across the hall from, someone with psychopathy?
