Psychoanalyst Examines Bernardo Tape
Posted June 11, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was the public’s first glimpse into the mind of a sex killer, and as expected, it elicited responses that ranged from disgust to curious intrigue. But how would a professional psychologist analyze the footage of the newly released Paul Bernardo tape? On Wednesday, CityNews found out. Jordan Peterson, a psychologist at the University of Toronto, carefully viewed the tape and gave his opinion on Bernardo’s behaviour, and mannerisms.
Peterson admits he wasn’t sure that releasing the interview was a good idea — until he watched it.
“I think it’s useful to have the video out where people can see it,’ he said. “Because it gives you some insight into what sort of personality someone who does that kind of thing has.”
He gets more specific as the tape rolls.
“He’s leaning back…so he’s comfortable, whereas the policeman is leaning forward…If you didn’t know what this clip was about, you’d think that Bernardo was running the meeting, and he’s constantly contemptuous, casting things off, looking around.
“He sees himself as above, well, everything I would say, but certainly other people.”
Peterson also has a theory as to why Bernardo seemed to be rambling and avoiding giving direct answers to simple questions. When asked if he killed Elizabeth Bain – the reason for the detectives’ visit to the Kingston Pen – he starts off by saying, “That’s a loaded question.”
“I think that if he would have said no outright, in a way it would have been the end of the interview, and he wouldn’t have had the opportunity for any more attention.”
