I've been following the Jodi Arias trial since it began in January and it's like a train wreck - I can't stop watching! I've become active in a great group on Facebook of fellow like-minded concerned citizens who want justice for Travis Alexander and think Jodi Arias deserves the death penalty.
As a Californian, I tend to lean towards the liberal side but when it comes to crime and murder, that's where I draw the line. I also am fascinated with true crime, especially forensics psychology, and have watched a lot of documentaries about serial killers and read my share of books. I'm not an expert on forensics or psychology (if you count my sociology and psych classes from college, I know the basics when it comes to human psychology). But you don't have to be a professional psychiatrist to know that Jodi Arias is a sociopath and a pathological liar.
We have discussed in my Facebook group about sociopathy related to Jodi Arias; she could be the poster child for female sociopaths (she reminds me of a female Ted Bundy). Not to mention her testimony, especially during cross-exam, is illogical and the lame excuse that she "blacked out" (how convenient!) while she stabbed him 29 times just doesn't wash with me...or prosecutor, Juan Martinez...or anyone in their right, sane mind!
What Makes Jodi Arias a Sociopath?
1. Flat, emotionless affect - During the trial, Arias has shown little to zero emotion on her face (other than her tears, which look fake to me) when she answers questions. If she was truly abused, she would be visibly shaken, broken down, and sobbing as she recounted the alleged abuse by Alexander.
2. Narcissistic tendencies - Arias answers questions, she is snarky and almost sarcastic. The biggest sign of her narcissism is when she laughed in Martinez's face. She looked down and tried to stifle a giggle when Martinez asked her about her "memory" problems. A sociopath is narcissistic and self-absorbed. It's all about them and they don't care about anyone else, and act superior to others.
3. Lack of remorse and guilt - A sociopath does not show remorse or guilt for their actions (remember the BTK killer? His stony expression on the stand and his gruesome details of the murder clearly showed what a sociopathic murderer looks like up close and personal!)
4. Pathological lying - Her pathological lying has been apparent: between the ninja intruder story to how she was never at Alexander's home to now the broken finger story that was exposed during cross-exam. Sociopaths take a tiny bit of truth and then they twist it into a full blown lie. For example, she was caught in a huge lie about the day that she allegedly caught Alexander masturbating to an image of a boy at his home. Martinez blew that story out of the water by the evidence he submitted - phone records and text messages that showed that Alexander wasn't hounding Jodi all day. If anything, the evidence made Arias look like the liar she is. There were only five phone calls which showed she was lying that Travis called her all day long (and she still disagreed that Martinez didn't know what he was talking about, even though he had evidence to prove otherwise). Her body language, the way she gazes down, doesn't make eye contact, and closes her eyes a lot, shows signs of deception and lying.
5. Charming yet manipulative - Arias wins the Most Charming & Manipulative Award. You only had to listen to her long-winded defense diatribe detailing all the men she dated over the years. She clearly knows how to manipulate men and uses sex as a weapon. She used her charm to manipulate Alexander. However, he lacks normal social skills - another sign that points to her sociopathy. One one occasion she was asked by Alexander's friend's wife to leave their home. She sat in their living room with a blank stare on her face and didn't talk to anyone and she finally left after an hour. She obviously was NOT welcome in their home but she continued to stay in the house - what sane person does that? She is a black widow and she stings those who get in the way of who or what she wants. Unfortunately, Alexander made the fatal mistake of crossing Arias' path and it cost him his life.
Feel free to weigh in and comment about the Arias trial. What other signs have you witnessed that show that Arias is a sociopath?
Justice for Travis Alexander - no one deserves to be killed in such a brutal and heinous way!
Thank you for putting into words what the majority of sane people are thinking and ranting about! I absolutely agree with every single word! You have a new fan Ms. Pope-me :)
ReplyDeleteJerrie Cupp
Thanks Jerrie. I appreciate you checking out my blog and commenting on my post about the Jodi Arias trial. Glad to "meet" you on our Facebook group! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to distinguish between the Jodi who committed the murder and the Jodi we see on the witness stand. The Jodi we are most familiar with is the one we saw testifying for 18 days; that is the sociopathic Jodi. The Jodi who committed the murder is more of a borderline personality. The characteristics you have listed certainly fit what we saw for 18 days. However, Jodi is not a sociopath by nature; she is a sociopath by design.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excerpt from the May Clinic's page on borderline personality disorder, and it more closely describes who the Jodi is who committed the murder:
"With borderline personality disorder, you may have a severely distorted self-image and feel worthless and fundamentally flawed. Anger, impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you may desire to have loving and lasting relationships. "
The DSM IV lists 9 criteria for borderline personality disorder, of which someone must have at least 5:
1. frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.
2. a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships
characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3. identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
4. impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.
5. recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
6. affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).
7. chronic feelings of emptiness
8. inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
9. transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms
Some are under the misconception that all borderlines are suicidal, but that is not the case. Someone can have borderline personality disorder without being suicidal. It is clear that the pre-trial Arias had at least 5 of those.
This is the stalker Jodi, the emotionally unstable Jodi, the Jodi who slashed tires, followed Travis on dates, violated his emails & text messages, and was obsessively jealous, the Jodi who was doing everything she could to avoid being abandoned by Travis, real or imagined, and decided that murder was the only solution.
All criminal defendants are coached before they testify, and being that this is a death penalty case, this coaching would have been intensive. The borderline Jodi would not have done well on the stand at all, and it was of paramount importance for the defense to give her a psychological makeover. Because sociopaths are the best liars, they coached her to lie like one. It wasn't an ideal makeover, but it was the lesser of two evils.
Monolith, thanks for the info - are you a psychiatrist?
ReplyDeleteNo, Therese, I have two degrees in psychology and worked for many years as a psychotherapist in Florida & Arizona
DeleteA defense psychological makeover is right on the money! Thanks for weighing in.
ReplyDeleteBorderline Personality Disorder is a chameleon-like personality disorder that is often misdiagnosed, and/or coupled with other profound personality, factitious, mood, and conduct disorders. Jodi Arias also displays pervasive tendencies which point to socio- and psychopathology. Regardless of what her actual, true diagnosis is, it is evident from examining her verbal, parslinguistic, and nonverbal bahavior that she is confident in her ability to manipulate people, and delights in her ability to do so. If she eventually ends up in "gen pop" in the prison system, I believe she actually believes she will be able to successfully manipulate other inmates through her planned "book reading club," "recycling" programs, et cetera. As a cociopath or psychopath, she's a rank amateur compared to some of the people she's going to become acquainted with if she evades the death penalty and ends up in prison general population. Can you say, "Wake up call?". I knew you could. ...Joel Johnson, Director, National Crisis Intervention Training Institute (NCITI dot com)
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