Scorpion & Frog

During the summer, I managed to collect various pieces of research. At first, I didn't think of them as research sources, but instead I enjoyed reading them on my free time. It was the books I collected over the summer that led me to choose my topic: psychopathology. I wanted to choice a topic that would intrigue people and they would enjoy watching my presentation In the end I fell in love with my own topic, too. Psychopathology isn't definitely not a subject everyone talks about, but it sparks their curiosity. Whenever I tell someone my topic, I always get the same response, "what's that?" I reply with, "it's the study of psychological and behavioral disorders, specifically psychopaths." With that, they immediately want to know more. As I continue my research, I learn something new literally everyday. Even though, finding a mentor and mentorship has been a bit difficult, I am dedicated to succeed with my senior topic.

My favorite piece of research and over all non-fiction books is "The Wisdom of Psychopaths" by Kevin Dutton. It was written in such a way that it is entertaining and informative. There is specific parable that involved a scorpion and turtle that perfectly portrays how a psychopath is know to socialize with society:

A scorpion and a frog are sitting on the bank of a river, and both need to get to the other side.

“Hello, Mr. Frog!” calls the scorpion through the reeds. “Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the water? I have important business to conduct on the other side. And I cannot swim in such a strong current.”

The frog immediately becomes suspicious.

“Well, Mr. Scorpion,” he replies, “I appreciate the fact that you have important business to conduct on the other side of the river. But just take a moment to consider your request. You are a scorpion. You have a large stinger at the end of your tail. As soon as I let you onto my back, it is entirely within your nature to sting me.”

The scorpion, who has anticipated the frog’s objections, counters thus:

“My dear Mr. Frog, your reservations are perfectly reasonable. But it is clearly not in my interest to sting you. I really do need to get to the other side of the river. And I give you my word that no harm will come to you.”

The frog agrees, reluctantly, that the scorpion has a point. So he allows the fast-talking arthropod to scramble atop his back and hops, without further ado, into the water.

At first all is well. Everything goes exactly according to plan. But halfway across, the frog suddenly feels a sharp pain in his back—and sees, out of the corner of his eye, the scorpion withdraw his stinger from his hide. A deadening numbness begins to creep into his limbs.

“You fool!” croaks the frog. “You said you needed to get to the other side to conduct your business. Now we are both going to die!”

The scorpion shrugs and does a little jig on the drowning frog’s back.

“Mr. Frog,” he replies casually, “you said it yourself. I am a scorpion. It is in my nature to sting you.”

With that, the scorpion and the frog both disappear beneath the murky, muddy waters of the swiftly flowing current.

And neither of them are seen again.