noun
- a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviour.
One of the questions that poses itself for anybody who has studied the McCann case, or indeed for the casual observer, is this; could one or both of the McCanns have a severe mental disorder?
A sociopath possesses the ability to withdraw emotion and conscience from situations that may present themselves to them, especially when those characteristic traits hinder their ability to cope with a problem.
- For instance, imagine a computer game, a shoot em up, if you will. You the player, wander the streets, armed to the teeth with weapons and shoot anything that comes your way. That is the aim of the game, and you do it because you must to win. You have no feelings for the characters you blast your way past, why would you, they're not real, you just do it because it's a game. For the sociopath, it is much the same, life presents them with a mission, a goal, or a need, and whilst they might not kill anyone in the process, the lack of conscience gives them the ability to calmly succeed without thought for right or wrong, only the desire to win.
In Gerry McCann, we see a man who plays out the case of his missing daughter as if it were a game. He appears to thrive from the thrill of the chase, and it is that chase that makes his sociopathic traits manifest to the surface. Whereas you or I would panic if in the situation of the McCanns, Gerry does not, he is calm, he is alert, he is calculating, his mind working at high speed, reading the situation with the guile of a predator, all powerful, in control of everyone, and everything around him. He feels that he is the centre of attention, his personality absorbent of his own deceptiveness, and his self belief grows with every calculated scheme.
Take the following scenario, it is a theory that has been put about by many as to what happened to Madeleine McCann:
The McCanns sedated their children, so that they could enjoy nights out without the worry of them waking up. It isn't an implausible theory, Kate McCann after all, is a qualified anaesthetist, she would have a professional expertise on various sedatives, dosages, and be more than competent in the administration of them. It is a known fact that Madeleine, as is quite normal for a three year old, had history for waking during the night, as her reward chart shows. 
If we are to believe that the children were left, then how could the McCanns be sure Madeleine would not wake, wander off, (she had done before). She could have encountered many household hazards in a dark, unfamiliar apartment. Kate described in her book, and to the press how "we had always suspected all three children had been sedated" yet it took her 4 months to have them tested. Now, with Gerry's cardiological background, and Kate's expertise, it is completely illogical that either parent would take 4 months to have their children tested, knowing the fatal consequences that could arise from a qualified professional giving children sedatives, let alone a stranger. Curiously, Kate had this to say of the eventual test results:
"Whilst this didn't totally exclude the possibility that the children had been sedated, especially given the time that had elapsed, it meant that nobody else (including the PJ and the media) could prove otherwise"
There are grounds to believe the children had all been sedated, not by an abductor, but by Kate or Gerry McCann, and so back to our scenario. The children were sedated, Madeleine has an adverse reaction to the drug she was given, and either wakes feeling unwell, gets out of bed and has a fall, or dies during her sleep, and is found by her parents. It would certainly explain the cadaver odour on Kate McCann's clothes, and could even explain the crying heard by Mrs Fenn. As harsh as it sounds, and it does, Madeleine is dead, neither parent can change that fact, a decision must be made. This is where the sociopath would take over. With no regard for human decency, a sociopath would enter the realms of damage limitation, or self preservation if you like. An autopsy is out of the question, thus alerting the authorities is out of the question. Too much would be at stake, neither doctor would work again, one, or both would certainly face manslaughter charges, which would undoubtedly result in a jail term, and both of the twins would be taken from the couple. With that in mind, is it inconceivable that Gerry took over, hatched a plan to dispose of Madeleine's body, and protect what is left of his family? I think not.
There is clear evidence, that suggests Gerry segregated the loss of Madeleine to concentrate on saving the family unit. Time and time again, we see Gerry refer to Madeleine as "the child", it is a classic case of disassociation. By calling Madeleine "the child", she is no longer his daughter, but an object, eg. the bus, the tree, the fridge, the emotional connection is removed, therefore making the situation more playable, remember this is a game now, there is no room for sentiment, not for the sociopath.
A sociopath has the burning need to control situations, to control the characters within the game, again this is evident with the power Gerry holds over Kate. Kate has aged drastically over the years, she does not possess the same ability to place guilt or emotion into a box, thus dealing with self preservation as easily. Take for example the 48 questions Kate McCann refused to answer. We are told this was upon the advice of the McCanns' lawyer, yet Gerry chose to answer his questions. Of course he was always going to, the need for controlling the situation would mean that keeping silent, simply wasn't an option. Keeping Kate silent, on the other hand, was the only option. It was during Gerry's interview, that we see yet more evidence of displacement, when shown the evidence of the dogs alerting to all things McCann, Gerry wouldn't even look at the screen. Almost childlike tendencies, "If I can't see it, it isn't happening, and therefore it can't hurt me" again, removing the reality, the risk of emotion, from the set plan, the self preservation. Gerry had to be in control. Whilst waiting at the police station, and about to negotiate, with a man who claimed to have Madeleine, Gerry was said to be sat, calmly sucking on a lollipop, watching the television, and chatting to an officer about sport, yet again, and I know I keep writing it, he was distancing himself from the situation.
Time after time we have seen interviews on the television, or videos, where Gerry displays his true nature, he can't help it, whilst he is talking, he is calmness personified, he is in control, the toothy sneer, the arrogance, the smugness, the catch me if you can attitude, but all of that goes out the window the moment Kate speaks. As soon as Kate answers a question, or dares to speak, Gerry's face tightens, a fear washes over his face, he is not in control, and the fact that every word that comes out of Kate's mouth, hasn't passed through the mind of Gerry first, fills him with dread. Take the video below for example, Gerry goes through every trick in the book to correct Kate, he shows disappointment, both facially, and physically, leaving Kate in no doubt, that she hasn't stuck to his script.
A sociopath, whilst convinced they are doing the right thing by a loved one, will ultimately destroy them. They truly believe that they are making those closest to them, into better people, for that person's own good. They will attempt to mould them into what they believe they should be, but in doing so, they will leave the other person lifeless, scared and desolate. Kate's face bears the scars of such behaviour, it is barren , often lifeless, her eyes glazed, and devoid of any happiness. Her actions are no longer her own, as she now finds herself in a mortal state of purgatory, ruled by her "loving" husband, whilst tortured with the need to rid herself of guilt. Something she will never be able to do.
In contrast, Gerry doesn't seem to have aged at all, he has fed his needs from what he perceives as a game, a game that to he is convinced he is winning, but at what cost? How many have suffered at the hands of Gerry McCann, how many more will suffer? One thing is for sure, one day, one way or another, the games are always over, and when that day comes, Gerry McCann, the man who thought he could control the world, will lose everything.
