But it is typically, and tragically, lacking in those who commit the most mean-spirited of crimes. A psychological fault line is common to rapists, child molesters, and many perpetrators of family violence alike: they are incapable of empathy. This inability to feel their victims’ pain allows them to tell themselves lies that encourage their crime. For rapists, the lies include “Women really want to be raped” or “If she resists, she’s just playing hard to get”; for molesters, “I’m not hurting the child, just showing love” or “This is just another form of affection”; for physically abusive
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