Learning to behave according to the rules and regulations of society, called socialization, is a complex process. On a practical level it teaches children "how things are done." In the process, socialization-through parenting, schooling, social experiences, religious training, and so forth-helps to create a system of beliefs, attitudes, and personal standards that determine how we interact with the world around us. Socialization also contributes to the formation of what most people call their conscience, the pesky inner voice that helps us to resist temptation and to feel guilty when we don't. Together, this inner voice and the internalized norms and rules of society act as an "inner policeman," regulating our behavior even in the absence of the many external controls, such as laws, our perceptions of what others expect of us, and real-life policemen. It's no overstatement to say that our internal controls make society work. Our collective amazement and fascination with the psychopath's utter disregard for rules suggests, by comparison, the power our
"inner policemen" actually have over us.
-Without Conscience The Disturbing world of Psychopaths Among Us by
Robert Hare, PhD pg.75
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