Analysing 'Dudus" - 'A master manipulator'

Dr Tamika Haynes, Contributor

Fear, regret, and guilt are the major emotional themes pervading Christopher Coke's letter (dated September 7, 2011) to US judge Justice Robert Patterson, as he ponders the breadth and depth of a life in a maximum security United States prison. But not from the perspective of sorrow for his crimes as one might assume.

Coke ostensibly fears the traumatic effect imprisonment has had and continues to have on his family, in particular his eight-year-old son and his recently deceased mother. The regret is tangible as he weaves his account of his son's anguish at losing his father's presence and his mother's grief in her dying moments as well as his own sadness at the prospect of missing his mother's funeral.

This letter, though creating shockwaves and a phalanx of commentary, theories, outrage and vindication, is illuminating in many ways. From a psychological perspective, this formal plea, which is a common act for those convicted of some crimes in the US, reveals the machinations of a master manipulator.

Why do I say this? First, the body of his letter lists his good deeds, giving the judge the idea that his benevolent presence is integral for the proper governing of his community in west Kingston. This intimates that his quick return is imperative to preserving life, sustenance and succour to the elderly and infirmed. If not heeded, the judge could be guilty of causing further loss to the members of his beloved community.

The letter also goes into great length in describing the untenable nature of the psychological torture inflicted upon him and the inhumane conditions sustained so far in underground solitary confinement. This is meant to extract sympathy from the adjudicator and place fellow human being in his shoes.

Art of manipulation

In synthesising Coke's letter from a psychological point of view, what remains in the crucible is the fine art of manipulation. It is one of many psychological tools available to persons engaged in criminal or anti-social behaviour. According to research conducted by Andrew and Bonta, criminal behaviour is one in which the actions are rewarding to the actor but inflict pain or loss on others. A life of criminal behaviour in some cases is the result of a person with antisocial personality disorder.

Antisocial personality disorder is a mental disorder with 16 demonstrable characteristics of psychopathy, among other criteria. These include manipulation, superficial charm, above-average intelligence, the absence of psychotic symptoms (i.e. delusions and hallucinations), the absence of anxiety, a lack of remorse, failure to learn from experience, egocentrism, a lack of emotional depth, a trivial sex life, unreliability and irresponsibility, a failure to follow a life plan, untruthfulness, impulsiveness, and antisocial behaviour. Persons with these traits have all the outward appearances of normality as they lack the psychotic symptoms and there are absences of any feeling of anxiety or distress on their part.

In essence, Coke's letter is not meant to be a letter of apology or regret for crimes carried out. It is meant to manipulate the reader of the letter into compassionately bending the rules to accommodate his wishes. Ironically, this letter is meant to humanise a person convicted of the inhumane act of murder among other crimes. Incidentally, forensic and clinical psychologists are constantly on the lookout for this mental trap of manipulation in penal systems.

Dr Tamika Haynes is a clinical psychologist specialising in Neuropsychology at Breath Wellness Centre in Kingston. She is the author of the psychological blog drtammyhaynes.wordpress.com and founding member of Inscape Foundation (www.inscapefoundation.com). She can be contacted at drtammyhaynes@gmail.com

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  Dudus: Very sure of himself

Handwriting specialist, Beverly East gives her interpretation of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke's personality after analysing a letter he wrote to Judge Robert Patterson, pleading for leniency. Coke is facing 23 years in a United States prison and is expected to be sentenced in December.

HIS SMALL handwriting shows that he is a focused individual, highly productive, who is not easily rattled by interruptions and challenges. Very sure of himself, he sees himself as the 'star' and marches to his own drum. He is totally inflexible and simply does not recognise that anyone may have authority over him.

Getting ahead is his only priority. He puts his entire focus on attaining his objectives. He is unlikely to comply with rules and procedures that others may try to impose on him. He is fearless, but effortlessly, he has a way of drawing others along with him, in anything he sets out to do.

As a communicator, he is a good negotiator. He is direct and to the point when getting his message across. Although he can be impatient and abrupt, at times, he deals with conflicts head-on.

His super independent nature allows him to tolerate disapproval well. He is very unassuming and can be grossly underestimated. He is an analytical thinker who pulls all the pieces apart and investigates them from all angles before making a decision. He enjoys taking a problem apart and rearranging the parts into a more workable system. Examining the individual components seem to fascinate him even more than when they are all working together.

He is not limited by the boundaries of his everyday existence, but puts his imagination to use in planning for the future. He gets a quick grasp on new ideas that give him the creative edge.

A private person, he reveals very little about himself and others. His emotions are kept very much under lock and key as he trusts no one. He is ruled by logic rather than intuition and emotion.

He is a creator of big dreams and looks only at the end result, at the big picture. His mantra may be, "By any means necessary."

Fear of failure may inhibit him at times to attempt new activities. He sticks to what he knows as security is key for him. However, he is not easily discouraged, even when a situation looks bleak, he refuses to give up. Clarity of thought enables him to be extremely organised, but he may overextend himself. He knows exactly what he wants and how to go about getting it. He doesn't feel bound to doing things in a conventional way, as a whole realm of possibilities exist.

The only red flag evident in his handwriting that may indicate an area of concern are, the multiple cover strokes throughout the entire sample of handwriting. There is a constant need to retrace certain letters over and over again which expresses an exacting nature constantly looking over his shoulder making sure that there are no loose ends, incessantly retracing his steps. This is a behaviour lacking integrity.

Behaviour in any individual's handwriting is subtle. It sits just below the skin and like a tumour, they fester and grow. Characteristics that may be warning signs never jump out at us immediately. If this were the case many criminals would be caught long before they commit a crime. Christopher Coke is no exception.