O.J. Simpson Armed Robbery Case Progresses

Friday, when all of this was getting the initial coverage, it wasn't looking like charges would be filed. I can't put my finger on it, but I would have thought the deck would have been stacked against the guy that made the complaint, because there was one of him and several of the others. But yesterday, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with participating in an armed robbery. The real shocker in this? No bail was set.

Evidently, the court does not trust Simpson to show up for proceedings. And why should they? Too many people have seen the chase in the white Bronco ad nauseum, too many know that with the possible penalties involved, he cannot be trusted to appear. To their credit, Las Vegas criminal justice officials do not want a repeat of the three-ring circus that was known as the O.J trial, back in the 90s. So they appear to be taking steps early to prevent that from happening.

So what the hell was O.J. thinking, when he allegedly pulled this stunt?

I am sure there will be no shortage of material for Greta's show, for awhile. This means every speculator and prognosticator that has any minuscule insight or theory of some kind, will somehow be asked what they think. And you can bet that they will tell us.

But to understand this as clearly as possible, first, it must be understood that he has not been found guilty of anything in this case. He has only been charged. However, there must be some compelling evidence. Why else would Las Vegas law enforcement officials be willing to put themselves under the microscope, the way L.A's officials were during the murder trial?

After avoiding prison in that case, to me it would seem that he would lay low for the rest of his life and be content that things came out his way. I would think that he would not want any more negative attention coming his way. While the specifics of this case are being speculated, there are some general things that can be said about O.J.'s personality.

In the world of psychology, there are 10 mental illness conditions, known as personality disorders (PDs). These 10 are far more difficult to treat than the thought and mood disorders, because they involve years of development. Much of the behaviors that are exhibited are learned responses to anxiety. The person that copes with anxiety in a healthy adaptive way has learned to to so, through years of experiences. The one that doesn't cope with anxiety well, also learned the maladaptive responses, through years of experiences.

To properly diagnose a PD, the individual must display three or more behaviors. Of the ten PDs recognized by the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the one that fits O.J.'s reported maladaptive coping mechanisms is that of the anti-social.

Diagnosed anti-socials are overwhelmingly men, but that is not to say that women aren't diagnosed. Usually, women with similar histories to anti-social men develop what's known as a borderline personality disorder. But O.J. is a man, and from all descriptions of his behavior found in the media these days, it appears he meets the criteria for the anti-social classification.

In summation, I think that with O.J.'s acquittal in the murder trial, he has felt more empowered to do as he pleases, without fear of accountability. It is well-known that he has dodged many of his financial obligations and now it appears that he is desperate for cash. And in all of this, it appears he has lied rather convincingly, saying that no one was roughed up during the incident in which he is now being charged. But now, we have audio tape that provides what appears to be Simpson's voice and it doesn't sound like a social call.

So, it's apparent that while he gets his day in court to answer the charges, this may not be a repeat of the fiasco we all witnessed in the murder case. While it is high-profile and certainly is being played out in the media, from all appearances, it would seem that the criminal justice system is taking a different path in the early stages of this case. They gave little indication that they would arrest him and yet, when the decision was made, it was done swiftly and surely. They didn't tip their hand, as the LAPD seemed to do.