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M. Scott Peck is a clinical psychologist who became a Christian as a result of experiences he had while exploring the subject of human evil. He had come across some clinical cases which had defied any psychological diagnosis which he came to view as examples of human evil. This led him to further investigation and discovery which he documents in the book ... The People of the the Lie.

"Defying any psychological diagnosis" does not have to mean anything, more than "Defying scientific explanation" means we simply lack the tools or ability to deal with everything in our world.

I read the book, probably fifteen years ago and thought that it was fascinating (and insightful). In the book, Peck ultimately, equates evil with, what he calls, scape-goating behaviour, which he defines as what occurs when ... ... persons refuse to take responsibility for what they should in their lives, such that every negative thing which occurs in their lives, they blame on others, ... which is followed up by fairly sociopathic behaviour.

Sounds interesting. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't note that it sounds exactly like a psychological diagnosis.

Dr. Peck goes on to recount a subsequent interview with Bobby's parents, where they refuse to acknowledge that there was anything wrong with giving Bobby the gun for Christmas, and that they were sure that it had nothing to do with Bobby's depression.

Wow. Truly, wow. Tell me more about these parents? What caused them to be so deformed?

"Defying any psychological diagnosis" does not have to mean anything, more than "Defying scientific explanation" means we simply lack the tools or ability to deal with everything in our world.

Agreed, but these cases were particular in that way and, in other ways, as well, which defined a pattern that Dr. Peck felt he was seeing.

I can send you, through freepmail, a bit of the text which talks about what Dr. Peck felt he was seeing. Are you up for it ?

Sounds interesting. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't note that it sounds exactly like a psychological diagnosis.

Well, ... what would you expect ?

Wow. Truly, wow. Tell me more about these parents? What caused them to be so deformed?

Well, ... actually there isn't much more to tell. Dr. Peck did schedule another interview with them where he attempted to subtly suggest to them that they could benefit from counseling (like the counseling Bobby was then receiving), but they would have no part of it. They maintained that they didn't need counseling and that they didn't believe in it, anyway. That was the last intercourse Dr. Peck had with Bobby's parents.

He reported that, once Bobby was out of his parents' home, he gradually came out of his depression, and last that he heard, was doing fairly well.