True Crime | Personality Couch

Ep 55: The Dark Schizoid

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:00:01 -0500

Additional Podcast References

Ekleberry, S. C. (2009). Cluster A: Schizoid personality disorder and substance use disorders. In Integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders: Personality disorders and addiction. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203843710
Millon, T., Simonsen, E., Birket-Smith, M., & Davis, R. D. (Eds.). (2003). Psychopathy: Antisocial, criminal, and violent behavior. Guilford Press.
Nilsen, D. (2021). History of a drowning boy: The autobiography. RedDoor.
Wagner, J. (2023, Fall). Wings and arrows: Inner movements. [Training]. Enneagram Spectrum Training and Certification Program - Part 1, Virtual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Nilsen

The Dark Schizoid

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0500

I believe schizoid personality disorder is the most misunderstood personality disorder. While theories like psychodynamic have a deeper understanding of the internal turtle-y workings involved in schizoid dynamics, Millon and the DSM-5-TR take a deficit-based approach, highlighting criteria such as a lack of or decreased capacity for emotions, pleasure, intimacy, community, and desire for interpersonal connection¹ ². Most schizoid personalities are quite harmless, passively flying under the radar and busying themselves in their minds rather than the world. In contrast, those with antisocial personality disorder are actively going against rules, norms, and the law. Are these two personalities too different to overlap or combine? Let’s explore!

Similarities & Differences Between Schizoid & Antisocial

There are no overlaps or cross-mentions of schizoid and antisocial personality disorder in the DSM-5-TR¹. Millon’s theory notes they are opposite in terms of adaptation and energy, with schizoids being passive and antisocials being active². They are both detached from pain, but the schizoid is also detached from pleasure while antisocials can be pleasure seeking². Antisocials are strongly self-oriented, while schizoids are average in this area; however, both are detached from others². So the main overlaps here are detachment from others and pain, yet we’re still comparing antisocial tigers to schizoid turtles.

Other similarities include childhood neglect from parents, non-responsiveness, non-conformity, and aloofness…but again, there are different dynamics underlying these. Childhood neglect leads to detachment in both the schizoid and antisocial³, but the schizoid detaches from the world and their own needs, while antisocials detach from anything viewed as “weak” such as emotions, dependent needs, and even empathy. Non-responsiveness to the environment stems from the central nervous system⁴ with schizoids able to detach from the world and their own bodies, while antisocials have higher thresholds for activity due to childhood trauma. Non-conformity is different as well. For the schizoid, the underlying intent is detachment from the need to conform or please others, not defiance. For the antisocial, there’s an active movement to prove their control and autonomy². In regard to aloofness⁵ ⁶, schizoids engage in a solitary lifestyle, showing indifference to relationships, finding intimacy and people-ing too much. Antisocials are aloof in their rejection of others and society. They don’t fit in, they don’t want to fit in, and they do their own thing, making up their own rules to life. So we’re back to the question - can these dynamics overlap within the same person?

Nomadic Antisocial Subtype ²

Millon describes a Nomadic Antisocial subtype, which is an antisocial personality that has schizoid features. Because of rejections and injustices experienced in their past, they still harbor deep resentment, anger, and pleasure-seeking tendencies. However, they aren’t as active in their pursuit of revenge, instead detaching from social and societal responsibilities in order to defend against feeling ostracized, abandoned, and doomed. Their main focus is basic survival, as they roam, drift, and wander along the outskirts of society. It’s been suggested that they are unconsciously forever looking for a home. At a severe level, if they are provoked and/or using substances, they may act out impulsively, abuse alcohol, or become a predator.

When Detachment Turns Psychopathic…and Sadistic… ⁵ ⁶

The overlap between schizoid and antisocial includes detachment, non-conformity, and aloofness, and if you travel to the very extreme end of severity, this is where there is danger in psychopathy. Think about it like this: psychopaths detach from people so hard that they view individuals as inanimate objects to manipulate and mutilate. The interesting thing here is that the three personality disorders that are most associated with violent crime include antisocial, psychopathic, and sadistic, BUT add in a flavor of schizoid aloofness and detachment, and we find a group containing about 50% of males who commit serial sexual murder. So not a schizoid personality at the core, but adding in the schizoid flavor to darker personalities increases risk of danger and “evil.” Check out the serial killer Dennis Nilsen as an example.

Enneagram

Looking at extremes, darkness, and danger is always fascinating, but it’s very rare. Much more common are healthier overlaps containing schizoid and antisocial dynamics. Because the DSM-5-TR focuses on pathology, there’s not much information on healthy/normative personality dynamics, so I like to use the Enneagram to describe it. Simplistically, there is a shared line of growth and stress between Type 8s (antisocial dynamics) and Type 5s (schizoid dynamics). I’ll have to save an in depth analysis of this for its own blog, but in sum: Schizoid and Antisocial can overlap!

If you want to better understand an antisocial individual in your life, or if you are an antisocial or schizoid personality and want to explore it more, feel free to reach out! If you’re in Virginia (or a PsyPact state), work with us here. If you’re a provider stuck on a case, we also offer consultations for mental health professionals!

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR (5th edition, text revision.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787 ↩︎ ↩︎
Millon, T. (2011). Disorders of personality: Introducing a DSM / ICD spectrum from normal to abnormal (3rd edition). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Putri, A. A. T., Parwatha, N. W., Sutrisna, I. P. B., & Wiguna, I. G. R. P. (2024). Parenting models, spirituality and personality disorders in adolescence: A literature review. International Journal of Health & Medical Sciences, 7(2), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijhms.v7n2.2279 ↩︎
Raine, A., & Venable, P. H. (1984). Electrodermal nonresponding, antisocial behavior, and schizoid tendencies in adolescents. Psychophysiology, 21(4), 424-433. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.1984.tb00221.x ↩︎
Stone, M. H. (2007). Violent crimes and their relationship to personality disorders. Personality and Mental Health, 1(2), 138–153. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmh.18 ↩︎ ↩︎
Stone, M. H. (2017). The Anatomy of Evil. Prometheus Books. ↩︎ ↩︎

Ep 32: When Paranoid Personalities Kill | Analyzing 3 Infamous Mass Murderers

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 02:00:01 +0000

In this episode of The Personality Couch, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) dive deep into the dark end of the paranoid personality spectrum, focusing on three notorious cases of mass murder: Jeffrey Weise (school shooter), Richard Farley (jilted lover), and Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber). We explore the psychological underpinnings of each of these severe paranoid personalities, the impact of childhood trauma, and how their psyches came unglued. We firstly look at the case of Weise, a 16-year-old school shooter who experienced significant childhood trauma and rejection at the hands of his family. We then turn to look at Farley, an incredibly dangerous example of how erotomania, or extreme unrequited love, can turn into your worst nightmare. Lastly, we take a close look at the infamous Timothy McVeigh, a domestic terrorist obsessed with fantasy, fiction, and comics about revenge. Separating from the Army, but desperate to be a hero, he found an enemy in the very US Government that he used to defend. Our discussion emphasizes that while not all paranoid personalities are violent (most aren’t), paranoid personalities in forensic settings can quickly unravel, making them among the most likely to commit mass murder.

Are you a clinician stuck on a case? To schedule a consultation, please visit the practice website to contact us! https://www.questpsych.org/

Additional Podcast References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale_ESL_shooting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lake_shootings
Littlefield, R. S., Reierson, J., Cowden, K., Stowman, S., & Feather, C. L. (2009). A case study of the Red Lake, Minnesota, school shooting: Intercultural learning in the renewal process. Communication, Culture & Critique, 2(3), 361–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-9137.2009.01043.x
Savran, D. (1998). Taking it like a man: White masculinity, masochism, and contemporary American culture. Princeton University Press.

Episodes Discussed

3 Infamous Mass Murders Who Were Paranoids

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 02:00:00 +0000

I have to say that my fascination with paranoid personality runs deep, as I find it difficult to understand. The presentation of individual paranoid personalities are vastly different! As well-known personality expert Dr. Gregory Lester likes to say, “If you don’t know what it is, it’s probably a paranoid.” Why? Well, because we never really get to know them, since they hide and protect their real self from others. If you need a reminder of how paranoid personality disorder is characterized, check out the blog Paranoid Personality: The Post-Pandemic Narcissist.

Now let’s get to the interesting part that isn’t in the DSM, but is in the literature. Researchers have found that those with paranoid personality disorder have a sadistic parent and/or a parent with unmanageable anxiety (that is internalized by the child)¹ ². This leads to the child having their own unmanageable anxiety and annihilation fears, as well as a struggle with sadomasochism¹ (i.e. punishing others then punishing the self). This is all paired with their central defense mechanism of projection, which often turns into dealing with pain and early trauma by giving it to others. It’s an (un)conscious dynamic of, “Here, hold my pain.” It can lead to dangerous relational dynamics.

Photo by Kat Wilcox

PPD and Mass Killing

Paranoid personalities place their pain onto others or the world, creating a dynamic in which someone else has to pay. Adding in the possible criteria of readiness to counterattack, grudge-holding, and/or pathological jealousy, we start to have a dangerous equation. In fact, at extreme levels, paranoid personalities are at risk for committing mass murders³ ⁴!!!! But hang on…..before we go any further, let me say: I’m not trying to stigmatize or imply causation. Not all paranoid personalities are dangerous - most aren’t. BUT at their unhealthiest levels, they show up in forensic settings, like jails and inpatient hospitals, which means they are a threat to themselves or to society at large. Sitting on the extreme end of the continuum, forensic research has found that paranoid personalities are more likely to commit mass murder³ ⁴. Remember, this doesn’t mean most paranoid personalities commit mass murder; it only means that of those who do commit mass murder, paranoid personalities are more likely to be among that population. Let’s look at some examples found in the literature! I highly recommend listening to the full episode to get lots more information than I can provide in this blog.

Photo by Terrance Barksdale

Jeffrey Weise, the Traumatized

Jeffrey Weise⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ⁴ ¹⁰ was a Native American male who experienced childhood abuse/neglect and multiple early attachment traumas. His father died by suicide during a standoff with Red Lake tribal police when Weise was 8 years old. When Wiese was 10 years old, his mother was in a car accident resulting in brain damage that left her unable to independently care for herself⁸. She was placed in a nursing home, so Weise was “sent” to his paternal grandparents at the Red Lake Reservation⁹. Evidence showed he wrote stories about school shootings and zombies, was hospitalized for suicidal behavior, and was fascinated with Columbine and Hitler, as he posted dark, depressive content, and admiration of Hitler on neo-Nazi websites under usernames such as “Todesengel” (German for “angel of death”) and “NativeNazi.”⁵ ¹⁰

In 2005, at age 16, Weise killed his own grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend, then drove to Red Lake High School and killed a guard, a teacher, and five students (seven people) with a shotgun and semi-automatic pistol⁶ ⁷. He skipped the classroom where his friends were located, but he did wave to them⁵ ⁶. He was not at all psychotic, but rather “mission-oriented.”⁵ When police came, he killed himself⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ¹⁰. His sadomasochism can be seen in how he committed a sadistic act of mass murder, followed by a masochistic suicide. In his death, there seemed to be a unification with his father (his first attachment loss), since his father also died by suicide in a police standoff.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Richard Farley, the Rejected Lover

Richard Farley¹¹ ³ ⁴ ¹² ¹³ is a White male who met a female coworker, Laura Black, in 1984 and stalked her after she consistently rejected his romantic advances¹¹. It was a clear case of erotomania¹¹. He took pictures of her in her gym class; frequently waited outside her house (she moved three times and got an unlisted number); copied her house keys; and sent hundreds of letters, including threatening ones¹¹ ³ ¹². Two years after meeting her, Farley threatened to kill Laura if she didn’t date him. This resulted in getting fired from his job, but he continued to stalk her³, and she eventually was able to get a temporary restraining order. The restraining order was scheduled to be made permanent, which triggered Farley’s violence¹¹ ¹². In 1988, at age 39, Farley went to his previous workplace and shot to death a total of seven people and wounded others, including Laura¹¹.

He was in a standoff with SWAT for 5 hours. During negotiations, he expressed remorse (only about Laura), threated suicide mulitple times, and claimed victimhood due to financial difficulties¹³, before eventually stating, “There’s no more reason to harm anybody; I’ve run out of enthusiasm for things."¹³ Farley surrendered after requesting a sandwich and soft drink.¹³ Reportedly, his motivation was to wound Laura so she would regret her behavior that caused him suffering¹¹, which is also why he surrendered instead of ending his own life¹². His erotomania was not psychotic¹¹ ³, and it’s notable that erotomania is correlated with paranoia¹¹. Here we also see sadomasochism again, as Farley was sadistic in his intrusion, power, and fear in stalking Laura, but also masochistic in consistent pursuit of rejection. Anyway, Farley was sentenced to death and is currently on death row¹².

Photo by Miguel Caireta Serra

Timothy McVeigh, the Terrorist

Timothy McVeigh¹⁴ ¹⁵ ¹⁶ ⁴ was a White male with an attachment trauma in childhood¹⁶ (mom “abandoned” the family¹⁴ ¹⁶; no connection with dad¹⁴ ¹⁶). He had fantasies about being a heroic warrior who fought monsters¹⁴ ¹⁶ and studied the book The Turner Diaries, which is racist, antisemetic, and describes a mass bombing¹⁴. He did join the Army in 1988 and had exceptional service. However, in combat, he killed a man who “didn’t want to fight us, but was forced to,” which led to disillusionment with and separation from the military. McVeigh regressed and became depressed and suicidal¹⁴. I think McVeigh wanted a real enemy, not a human who wasn’t willing to destroy him back. Anyway, his depression lasted until 1992 when he started projecting his pain by writing angry letters to the US government, who became his new enemy¹⁴. Events at Ruby Ridge, then Waco contributed to McVeigh’s desire for revenge against the US government¹⁴ ¹⁶. He considered multiple assassination plans, but ultimately chose differently¹⁴.

In 1995 on the anniversary of Waco, at age 27, McVeigh killed 168 people after bombing a federal building in Oklahoma City in retaliation against the government for Ruby Ridge and their destruction of Waco¹⁴. He was pulled over for speeding about 75 miles north of Oklahoma City, then arrested due to not having a license plate, registration, car insurance, or gun permit for the pistol in his holster¹⁴. He meticulously planned a huge terroristic crime for weeks (sadism), but then forgot all these details about his getaway?? That’s masochistic. I think he unconsciously wanted to be caught, which highlights the paranoid sadomasochism. He completed his sadistic act, but his masochism followed, just like after he killed someone in combat. It was also very evident that he was not psychotic, as his cognitive abilities and reality testing was intact¹⁴ ¹⁶. He was imprisoned and eventually sentenced to death. He actively pursued his execution date to occur sooner rather than later, which was granted because he was found to be mentally competent¹⁵. He was executed on June 11, 2001¹⁴ ¹⁵.

Photo by Dmytro Koplyk

As you can see, these three examples of killers are vastly different, though all were grudge-holding, non-psychotic paranoid personalities³ ⁴. They projected their fear of annihilation, destroying others instead of themselves. They were also quite immature, but to be fair, Weise was only 16 years old. All three had a very strong orientation towards sadomasochism, as they fluctuated between hurting their chosen enemy and hurting themselves. And they also seemed to have sadistic mothers and/or hate women…which makes ya wonder! But let me reiterate: Most people with paranoid personality disorder aren’t violent! However, most mass murderers are paranoid personalities³.

Photo by cottonbro studio

If you ever need help parsing out all the paranoia/paranoid personality stuff, we can help! If you’re a clinician, and you’re stuck on a case (in a PsyPact state), we provide consultations to help you figure out what you’re working with.

References

McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. ↩︎ ↩︎
Millon, T. (2011). Disorders of personality: Introducing a DSM / ICD spectrum from normal to abnormal (3rd edition). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ↩︎
Stone, M. H. (2007). Violent crimes and their relationship to personality disorders. Personality and Mental Health, 1(2), 138–153. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmh.18 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Stone, M. H. (2015). Mass murder, mental illness, and men. Violence and Gender, 2(1), 51-86. https://doi.org/10.1089/vio.2015.0006 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Böckler, N. (2013). School shootings : International research, case studies, and concepts for prevention. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5526-4 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Borja, R. A. (2005). FBI says Red Lake gunman acted alone in 9-Minute attack. Education Week, 24(33), 4. https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/fbi-says-red-lake-gunman-acted-alone-9-minute/docview/202712793/se-2 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Borja, R. R., & Cavanagh, S. (2005). School shootings stun reservation. Education Week, 24(29), 1-1,10,12. https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/school-shootings-stun-reservation/docview/202757714/se-2 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Leavy, P., & Maloney, K. P. (2009). American reporting of school violence and ‘people like us’: A comparison of newspaper coverage of the Columbine and Red Lake school shootings. Critical Sociology, 35(2), 273-292. https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920508099195 ↩︎ ↩︎
Lester, C. (2006). From Columbine to Red Lake: Tragic provocations for advocacy. American Studies, 47(1), 133–153. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40604901 ↩︎ ↩︎
Weisbrot, D. M. (2008). Prelude to a school shooting? Assessing threatening behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(8), 847-852. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181799fd3 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Meloy, J. R. (1989). Unrequited love and the wish to kill: Diagnosis and treatment of borderline erotomania. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 53(6), 476-492. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Stone, M. H. (2017). The anatomy of evil. Prometheus Books. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-supreme-court/1295931.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Clarke, J. W. (2006). Defining danger: American assassins and the new domestic terrorists. Taylor & Francis Group. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Madeira, J. L. (2012). Killing McVeigh : The death penalty and the myth of closure. New York University Press. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Meloy, J. R. (2004). Indirect Personality Assessment Of The Violent True Believer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 82(2), 138–146. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8202_2 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

True Crime | Personality Couch

Ep 55: The Dark Schizoid

Additional Podcast References

The Dark Schizoid

Similarities & Differences Between Schizoid & Antisocial

Nomadic Antisocial Subtype 2

When Detachment Turns Psychopathic…and Sadistic… 5 6

Enneagram

References

Ep 32: When Paranoid Personalities Kill | Analyzing 3 Infamous Mass Murderers

Additional Podcast References

Episodes Discussed

3 Infamous Mass Murders Who Were Paranoids

PPD and Mass Killing

Jeffrey Weise, the Traumatized

Richard Farley, the Rejected Lover

Timothy McVeigh, the Terrorist

References

Nomadic Antisocial Subtype ²

When Detachment Turns Psychopathic…and Sadistic… ⁵ ⁶