In all history, society often attributed madness or mental disorders to wicked people. This connection, although common, is problematic because it reflects the attention of the true nature of perversity: a conscious choice of causing damage or action against ethical values. Separation of evil from madness is crucial, both to understand human motivation and avoid stigmatization of people with mental disorders, which are mostly violent or perverse.
Wickedness as a conscious choice
Personnel is not an involuntary state. Unlike someone who acts impulsively due to his mental state, a wicked act with full awareness of their actions and effects. He understands good and evil, but he decides to ignore good when he suits him. This behavior can be rooted in features such as selfishness, the desire for power or pleasure in submission to the second, but not in the illusion or lack of contact with reality, which are characteristic of many mental disorders.
The problem of attributing madness to Wicked Acts is that this reduces the agent’s responsibility. If someone acts cruelly and instead of being seen as responsible for their actions, he is considered a “sick”, a moral judgment is transferred to the clinicist. This approach not only minimizes the impact of the unit’s choices, but also strengthens the idea that those who are bad cannot avoid being-what in many cases is the wrong view.
Impact of stigmatization on health mental
Assigning wickedness to madness strengthens the mark around mental illness. People with mental disorders are constantly associated with violent or unethical behavior when most of them do not have these features. This sensational narrative not only impairs public understanding health Mental, but also pushes those who need help, fearing perception as “dangerous”.
On the other hand, there is a romanticization of the idea that if someone has committed something wicked, it must be because they are not fully using their mental abilities. This creates an unfair vision of both victims who see an aggressor treated as “innocent” and a society that does not treat the real problem: a deliberate cruel choice.
The border between evil and pathology
It is important to distinguish evil from pathology. For example, psychopathy is a personality disorder that can lead someone to action without empathy or remorse, but even in these cases psychopathy does not necessarily mean violence or cruelty. In addition, the presence of psychopathic features does not eliminate the ability to choose. Many people with these features live without causing significant damage to others. However, twistedness is often the result of distorted values, selfish interests or contempt for the consequences of their actions to others.
The chapter line between moral and immoral behavior can be exceeded by those who decide to ignore ethical principles, even if they have full ability to recognize.
Why does it matter?
Separating madness from wickedness is not only a matter of conceptual accuracy; It’s a matter of justice. Understanding that wickedness can be a choice – not only the result of a mental illness or dysfunction – allows us to deal with these problems better. This means responsible for the wicked for their actions, instead of treating them as victims of their own mind.
In addition, such a distinction helps us fight the stigma against health Mental, promoting a more precise and empathic understanding of psychological conditions. People living with mental disorders should be seen as requiring support and treatment, and not as potential agents of destruction or cruelty.
Assigning madness to Wicked Acts is a simplification that impairs our ability to deal with the complexity of human behavior. Perverse is mainly a deliberate choice, and treating it as inevitable or pathological is a way to protect those who do not deserve protection. To develop as a society, we must see the wicked who is: someone who decides to ignore good for their own interests, and not someone who works without knowing what he is doing. This distinction is essential for building a just world that blames the culprits without stigmatizing the innocent.
Cristiane Lang is a clinical psychologist.
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