![]() It was in this way that humanity first began to personify adverse circumstances or tragedy so that they could attempt to master attendant anxiety. Primitive cultures believed that natural calamities were manifestations of evil. The purpose of this article is to argue against the acceptance of the term “evil” into the lexicon and practice of forensic psychiatry.Įvil is an entirely subjective concept created by humans, and there is nothing inherently evil in nature or the universe. Further, embracing “evil” as a legitimate psychiatric concept can have a detrimental effect on forensic treatment efforts. Testifying about illusory moral concepts may ultimately diminish our credibility as forensic scientists. Moreover, there does not appear to be any significant need to define or use the term “evil,” as forensic psychiatry already has working concepts describing deviant behavior that is harmful to others. Since evil is a subjective moral concept with inextricable ties to religious thought, it cannot be measured by psychiatric science. Nevertheless, attempts by behavioral science to define evil as though it were an objective and quantifiable concept are inherently flawed. While Simon cautions about the subjective moral judgment involved, Welner believes that “defining evil is only the latest frontier where psychiatry … will bring light out of darkness” (Ref. Simon 3 and Welner 4 in this journal have debated whether forensic psychiatrists should define and testify about evil. Although most of the relevant publications are from the field of social psychology, there has also been a growing interest in the field of psychiatry. Medline and PubMed searches using the phrases “the concept of evil in forensic psychiatry” and “evil and psychiatry” revealed significantly more relevant publications beginning in the early to mid 1990s than before this period. The psychological and psychiatric literature reflects steadily increasing attention to the concept of evil over the past two decades. Our commitment to this research is inspired by our confidence that we will assist the recognition and appreciation of goodness through the delineation of evil …-The Depravity Scale 1 It is always possible to bind together a considerable number of people in love, so long as there are other people left over to receive the manifestations of their aggressiveness.-Sigmund Freud (Ref. ![]() Embracing the term “evil” into the lexicon and practice of psychiatry will contribute to the stigmatization of mental illness, diminish the credibility of forensic psychiatry, and corrupt forensic treatment efforts. Any attempt to study violent or deviant behavior under the rubric of this term will be fraught with bias and moralistic judgments. It is argued that evil can never be scientifically defined because it is an illusory moral concept, it does not exist in nature, and its origins and connotations are inextricably linked to religion and mythology. ![]() In particular, there is some interest in defining and testifying about evil. The author notes an increased interest in the concept of “evil” in the fields of psychiatry and psychology.
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