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Jessica not a psychopath, but emotionally unstable: Criminologist
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University of Indonesia criminologist Ronny Nitibaskara (left) enters a courtroom at the Central Jakarta District Court to testify in the trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso on Thursday. (Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf)
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niversity of Indonesia criminology expert Ronny Nitibaskara testified in the trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso on Thursday, saying that according to physiognomy, Jessica was not a psychopath but was emotionally unstable and narcissistic.
The physiognomy method is an assessment based on the outer appearance, especially the face.
“At first, I thought she was a psychopath. There are 22 characteristic of psychopaths but I only found four characteristics in her. It means nothing,” Ronny told the judges, adding that psychopaths do not have a motive when carrying out crimes.
After two examinations and CCTV monitoring, Ronny concluded that Jessica was not a psychopath but was emotionally unstable. The assessment indicated that Jessica’s feelings were highly changeable and that she had a great desire to be loved, had difficulty maintaining relationships, hated criticism, was sensitive and could be spiteful.
“Even if you manage to end a relationship, unstable personalities still want you to remain loyal,” Ronny said, adding that in extreme cases, a person of this type could kill someone.
Meanwhile, narcissistic behavior makes people constantly seek acknowledgement and attention. They also have the potential to hurt other people without feeling guilty.
At the beginning of the trial, Jessica’s lawyer Otto Hasibuan rejected the idea of Ronny testifying in court as he was worried the criminologist would not be an independent expert. Ronny is an advisor of National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and could have tendencies to support the police. However, the judges refused the lawyer’s rejection and continued the trial. (bbn)
