A psychopath is a person suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. A person who is labeled a narcissist has a sense of self-importance and needs others for admiration, but showed a lack of empathy. The Reverend Jim Jones was a psychopath who ultimately lead hundreds of people to their deaths in Guyana. He developed narcissist behavior due from his upbringing, when he was older he wanted the love he wasn’t showed in his childhood, but he never learned how to treat others with the same compassion he desired. Although never being diagnosed officially there are signs of behavior to point to Jim Jones being a psychopath and narcissist. Why were people so reluctant to follow him and teachings,a man who lied, …show more content…
Jones was an outcast early, even with children in his neighborhood because he always looked so differently than them. His eyes were slanted, almost oriental, his face round, his hair shiny, black and straight like an Indian’s. In his youth Jones felt unloved because his mother’s opinion of him being “ugly” because of his multiracial appearance, although she was part Cherokee Indian. His father “Big Jim” reportedly had a deep racist mentality and was reportedly a member of the Ku Klux Klan. His father was also an unemployed alcoholic, who made a little money on the side being a fortune teller. “Jones began his own religious quest around the age of 10. He visited churches in the small town of Lynn where he lived with his family and befriended a Pentecostal minister for a time.” An observant child, Jones began taking what he learned at these different houses of worship and started preaching to other children in the community.” ( "Jim Jones." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 13 Apr. 2016). Jones’s parents eventually separated in 1948 and he moved to live with his mother in Richmond, Indiana. While in Richmond Jones began to work at a local hospital, there he met an older nurse Marceline Baldwin who he married.Shortly after getting married the couple adopted 3 children of three different ethnic groups. The family relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana where Jones worked as a methodist preacher in …show more content…
To get people of different ages and racial backgrounds to be able to coexist together. This was something the great United States of America hadn’t/hasn’t figured out how to do. “Jim Jones was a very desirable man to many women, and a role model to the men. He was extremely charismatic and always came across as a good person who was always trying to help others out.” ( "Histories of Peoples Temple, Biographies of Jim Jones." Alternative Considerations of Jonestown Peoples Temple. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.) Even though in ways Jones manipulated the senior citizens of his church, he still looked out for them. Although he had them turn over their life savings and homes to People’s Temple, he made sure they were kept up. People’s Temple had a couple retirement homes were these older members could live with other older members. They didn’t have to pay for a thing food was provided, all their needs were met, and there numerous pictures and videos shows Jim mingling with his older members. Every member in the temple was guaranteed free medical and dental expenses. Also, him wanting to help African Americans and be a part of the Civil Rights Movement. The Jones family was the first family in Indiana to adopt a black child. He was also noted to have desegregated a couple of restaurants and a hospital while still living in Indiana. These things
Psychopaths are typically devoid of emotion, and have an inherent sense of superiority that drives them to take actions that society considers
He preyed on their need for change and he offered a colorless environment to them before the civil rights movement kicked into full swing. They jumped at the opportunity because it wasn’t being offered anywhere other than Jones’ church, The People’s Temple. Jones pushed an integrated society which is what drew in a large percentage of his following, along with its ability to push prejudices to the side and focus on faith. Catherine Abbott took notice of his recruitment patterns and said, “He brought so many young college kids, so many old black women in, so many people from diverse backgrounds who realized that there was something bigger than themselves.” (Abbott) Not only did Jones have ideas that interested people, but he was just an all-around charismatic man. He was able to make people think that he cared for them and their well-being, he helped people when they needed, and he was just a like-able guy.
They’re distinctive traits include living a parasitic lifestyle, lack of responsibility for their actions, glibness, and a lack of realistic long term goals (“Psychopathic”). They do not learn from their experiences and cannot form meaningful relationships. They continuously engage in antisocial behavior, punishment does not have an affect on their behavior, and they are emotionally immature (Hare, Psychopathy 9). They find it hard to control their impulses and commonly hold many short-term relationships, often engaging in promiscuous sexual behavior. (“Psychopathic”). Frequently, they fail to plan ahead, have a low frustration acceptance, and have no problem lying blatantly to someone’s face. Psychopaths don’t feel remorseful if they mistreat or hurt someone, in fact, the person’s safety, as well as their own, is disregarded in order for the psychopath to get what they want (Hare, “Psychopath vs. Antisocial”). An easy way to describe a psychopath is a human who lives a predatory lifestyle (“Psychopathic”).
Definition of psychopath is someone who with a sociopathic personality; a person with an antisocial personality disorder.
Jim Jones gave the people what they wanted to hear. He would help them try and find their better self. That is why he had such a rapid following. Many at the moment thought that the government were not taking care of them so he made them felt like they were going to be take care of. Also he made them feel like they had a community that they were not alone. He would manipulate people by using jesus name. That jesus wanted them to be a certain way or do certain things. His followers are usually vunerable people. Like for example people with addictions and the elderly. He was so persuasive that he told these elderly people to sell
After this Coach Jones looks after Radio and they go out to eat together. Mr. Jones is looked down on it seems like with all the disapproving glances he gets from everybody. He’s only trying to teach Radio manners and treat him to some food and by doing so you can judge Harold Jones’s character.
“Prior to the 9/11 attack, the tragedy at Jonestown marked the single largest loss of U.S. civilian lives in a non-natural disaster”(Jonestown Massacre 2). Jim Jones, a cult leader of the Peoples Temple, was responsible for the loss of the 900+ people that died in Guyana on November 18, 1978. Before all of this Jim Jones was a normal man living a life as a preacher who preached against racism. Throughout his life he was very popular by “currying favor with public officials and the media, donated money to numerous charitable causes and delivered votes for various politicians at election times”(History Staff). Jim Jones was a cult leader that preached to 900+ people of the Peoples Temple, made hundreds of people commit suicide, and made history of the biggest loss of U.S. civilians before 9/11.
Jim Jones had many jobs before he became leader of the peoples temple. As a child he spent much of his time alone. He began preaching at 10 years old after going on weekly trips to church with a neighbor of his. He continued his strong religious beliefs when moved to Indianapolis with his mother. Jones became a minister at a local church and held racially integrated services to the church’s displeasure. During the mid 1950’s Jones opened his first church of The People’s Temple while still living in Indiana. As the cult grew in the 60’s Jones relocated to Northern California and soon after opened churches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Followers of the People’s Temple often referred to him as ‘father’ or ‘Dad’.
Jones ideas of equality in the form of socialism attracted many to the congregation. But as his following grew so did the criticism for his socialist beliefs. In 1965, with an increasing number of threats, Jones moved his following to Redwood Valley, California. Jones created a whole society with every level of work a commune needs to sustain itself. By the 1970s, The Peoples Temple had opened up branches all throughout California setting up its headquarters in San Francisco. But a then amphetamine addict, jones began to go crazy. Defectors of the congregation went public telling stories of fake mass suicides and other mistreatment of his members. With even more criticism than before, Jones leased 3,800 acres of land in Guyana and brought over 900 of his followers with
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by enduring diminished empathy, remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavioring antisocial behavior, A psychopath is a person with a psychopathic personality,which manifests as a moral and antisocial behavior. They lack the ability to love or establish meaningful relationships. Psychopaths fail to learn from experience. Psychopathy is among one of the most difficult disorders to recognize. A psychopath can appear normal or even charming. Underneath, they lack conscience and empathy. This makes them manipulative, volatile and sometimes (but by no means always) criminal. There are many symptoms associated with psychopaths.
In the PBS film, “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples’ Temple”, it illustrates an extreme example of one radical religious leader's control over hundreds of people to the extent of convincing them to voluntarily commit a "revolutionary suicide" in their attempted utopian settlement in Guyana. In the 1970's various changes were being made and through social and cultural movements, including political and religious, people wanted something to believe in. They wanted to fight for a cause that would change the world. Jim Jones preyed on the members of the Peoples' Temple and gained his ultimate control through promoting activism, managing all the finances of each member while providing them with benefits, and through creating a sense of
To be able to understand the thoughts behind James Jones leadership over his group of followers, you need to understand the story of Peoples Temple from the very beginning. The Peoples Temple was located in Indianapolis and were known as a social activist, they opened orphanages,
“Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by an inability to form human attachment, aggressive narcissism, and antisocial behavior defined by a constellation of affective, interpersonal and behavioral characteristics, most of which society views as pejorative” [1]. Some of these characteristics include irresponsibility, grandiosity, cunning, deceitfulness, selective impulsivity, sexual promiscuity, lack of empathy, etc. People who are psychopathic display not only antisocial behavior but also emotional impairment such as the lack of guilt. They are able to prey on others using their charm, deceit, violence or any other methods that allow them to get what they want. A strong feature of most of the behavior
A psychopath is traditionally defined as someone with a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, egotistical traits. In society, psychopaths display specific characteristics such as lack of empathy, which may identify and explain how they respond in certain situations.
Psychopathy is a disease of the mind, in which the psychological state of someone has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric evaluation. Psychopaths have no concern for the feelings of others and a complete disregard of any sense of social obligation. Psychopaths are characterized by lack of empathy, poor impulse control and manipulative behaviors. They use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and the use of severe to mild violence to satisfy their own needs.