A Stolen Life: A Memoir

In telling the story of her abduction and confinement, Jaycee uses a narrative technique that emphasizes isolated incidents, her emotional state at the time, photographs, journal entries, and free association to other periods of her life. This creates an intentional feeling of disjointedness for the reader because Jaycee’s chronic emotional state while under Phillip’s control is one of profound confusion. She writes:

This book might be confusing to some. But keep in mind throughout my book that this was a very confusing world I lived in. I think to truly begin to understand what it was like, you would have had to be there, and since I wish that on no one, this book is my attempt to convey the overwhelming confusion I felt during those years and to begin to unravel the damage that was done to me and my family (7).

While confusion is a useful tactic employed by sociopaths to immobilize their targets, it is also indicative of the mindset of sociopaths themselves. A psychiatric description of sociopathy includes such behaviors as impulsiveness, a constant need for stimulation, lack of empathy for others, risk-taking, inability to take personal responsibility, and shallow emotions. These characteristics are indicative of a person who lacks integrity.