Tom Mason 
Forensic Psychiatry 
Influences of Evil

An international panel of experts from diverse specialties examine the idea of ‘evil’ in a medical context, specifically a mental health setting, to consider how the concept can be usefully interpreted, and to elucidate its relationship to forensic psychiatry. The authors challenge the belief that the concept of ‘evil’ plays no role in ‘scientific’ psychiatry and is not helpful to our understanding of aberrant human thinking and behavior. Among the viewpoints up for debate are a consideration of organizations as evil structures, the ‘medicalization’ of evil, destruction as a constructive choice, violence as a secular evil, talking about evil when it is not supposed to exist, and the influence of evil on forensic clinical practice. Among the highlights are a psychological exploration of the notion of ‘evil’ and a variety of interesting research methods used to explore the nature of ‘evil.’

Table of Content

Organizations As Evil Structures.- The Psychopharmaceutical Complex.- Intention, Excuse, and Insanity.- An Archaeology of the Psychopath.- The Comforts of Evil.- Madness, Badness, and Evil.- Destruction As a Constructive Choice.- Violence As Secular Evil.- Scapegoat, Spectacle, and Confessional.- The Vilification of Victimized Children in Historical Perspective.- Evil.- Capacities and Dispositions.- Should Radical Evil Be Forgiven?.- Mad, Bad, and Evil.- Talking About Evil, Even When It Is Not Supposed to Exist.- The Influence of Evil on Forensic Clinical Practice.- Hope in the Face of Evil.