Diagnosing Evil People
In 1978 renowned psychiatrist M. Scott Peck published The Road Less Traveled. The book was a massive success, selling 10 million copies and remaining on The New York Times Best Sellers list for 13 years.
And I can see why.
In his book, Peck challenges the reader to accept that life is a difficult series of problems. We can either moan and whine about it. Or we can have the courage to find answers to our challenges. Peck goes on to explain that a mentally healthy person will be committed to reality at all costs.
So good.
So true.
Nevertheless, when I got to the section of Peck’s book on spirituality, I found him wanting. He seemed to believe that spiritual truth can be found in all types of religious frameworks. He identified with Buddhist and Islamic mysticism. Such New Age beliefs have little room for terms like sin and grace, evil and judgment, the cross and the empty tomb.
However, in 1983, Peck published a less well-known but important book, People of the Lie. In the book’s introduction, he unapologetically describes himself as a recently baptized Christian, rejecting many of his former ideas about spirituality.
What led him to such a radical change? His experience with evil.
As a psychiatrist, he was confronted daily with the reality of evil people. He saw that there were evil people who entered his office and wicked people who victimized his patients.
Peck came to see that not all mental illness is evil—and more important, not all evil can be explained by mental illness. Some people intentionally seek to harm others. Such people don’t just need some therapy and medication. They require a completely new heart; unfortunately, most of them reject any kind of confrontation or rebuke.
Peck came to see that his previous spirituality didn’t have a category for such malevolence. Only Christianity teaches the personification of evil found in the devil.
Only Christianity describes the dangers of a person with a hard heart and their insatiable ability to harm others.
Clinical clues: What evil looks like
In People of the Lie, Peck suggests that evil ought to have a clinical diagnosis. While it would be hard to categorize under the current structure, he believed evil would fall under the category of narcissistic personality disorder. Although it is unlikely that the current medical model would allow for a moral analysis, Peck saw the value of putting a name to evil behavior. This classification might help someone be more aware of their ailments, although a cruel person would most likely resist such a diagnosis. Nevertheless, this identification would give victims more clarity and direction in responding to such cases.
So according to Peck, what are the distinguishing marks of evil people?
First of all, he explains that evil people are not just those who sin. We all sin. But he is describing people who have a pattern of ongoing deception, manipulation, and intention to harm.
They consistently display destructive behavior while at the same time practice scapegoating, often in subtle ways.
Such people are often concerned about their public image, willing to do whatever is necessary to control what people think about them.
They are unable to take correction or criticism.
They are intellectually devious but can show signs of mild schizophreniclike disturbances in times of stress.
In my experience with such people, I would add one more characteristic: an unrelenting desire to control others. Such people are often entirely devoted to dominating at least one person, usually their spouse or children. They isolate their victim from their support system, use gaslighting to keep them vulnerable, and often confuse them with random overtures of gifts and kindness as another means of control.
Overcoming evil with good
Once evil is identified and labeled, what should a person do? According to the Christian psychologist Henry Cloud, when a person is evil and is intentionally trying to harm and control another person, the victim needs to run to a place of safety and security. The law, including lawyers and law enforcement, might be necessary.
This advice lines up with the story of Moses and Pharaoh. When Pharaoh continued to abuse and control the Israelites and continued to lie and manipulate the narrative, Moses’ only answer was to rescue the people and run to safety with God’s help.
God does have the power to transform hard hearts, like he did in the case of the apostle Paul, but that is not the role of the victim. The victim needs to find a place of security and peace.
Ultimately, Jesus has overcome all evil at the cross and the empty tomb. He now rules on high, and he will be with us and guide us. And on the Last Day, all those who were bent on evil will face God’s complete and perfect justice.
Facing the reality of evil
The Bible tells us about evil for a reason. It is a warning for all of us to pay attention to our hearts and decisions. As the Lord told Cain, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). If we do not acknowledge our sin, repent, and change, we will end up like the evil, hard-hearted Cain.
But it is also essential to be aware of evil people around us, those who try to victimize others we love. We must be able to see past the subtle manipulation so that we might help others find freedom and safety. As Jesus says, we must learn to “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) so that we can spot the wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).
Alert but unafraid
Our Christian faith gives us the ability to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. We will not be naive or afraid. Because, like Peck says, we can be “committed to reality at all costs.” We can identify evil in our midst and do what is necessary to come under God’s protection and will through God’s Word and prayer.
Evil is real. But so is God. The devil does prowl like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus rules over all things.
Works cited:
Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978).
Scott Peck, People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil (New York: Touchstone, 1983).
Henry Cloud, Necessary Endings (New York: HarperCollins, 2011).
