Yes, based on what he has said, Mr. F has no idea what kind of person he was dealing with here. I guess Dr. D's testimony didn't "grab" him. Perhaps he can look up "psychopath" in the near future, and discover that they can even look like normal, everyday people.
One thing I think is obviously in play here is a common psychological belief that "what is beautiful is good." Now, a lot of us here don't think CMJA is a real looker, but I'm sure a lot of guys would find her attractive. Here's WIBIG defined:
"What is Beautiful is Good Stereotype..."
"With the vast amount of information available, the human mind has developed different strategies to operate more efficiently. Among the various shortcuts, or heuristics, used to make interpersonal judgments is the what is beautiful is good stereotype and the halo effect. These mental shortcuts occur automatically and provide important information, as Asch (1946) stated we look at a person and immediately a certain impression of his character forms itself in us (p. 258). The information gathered from initial contact becomes a working foundation for future characteristics and attitudes. (snip)
"What is Beautiful is Good Defined"
"This effect relies on the assumption that physically attractive people are superior to others on many other traits, such as intelligence and overall personality (Eagly et al., 1991; Feingold, 1992; Jackson et al., 1995). [snip]]
Example of research
There is a lot of research on this principle, but here's a representative study:
"Dion, Berscheid & Walster (1972)-What is Beautiful is Good"
"In this study participants were asked to rate photographs of three individuals, ranging from low, medium, to high attractiveness. The physical attractiveness scale was determined by an earlier survey of a hundred students. The participants were to provide ratings for several different categories including personality traits, overall happiness, and career success. The ratings were then averaged. The results show that attractiveness is positively linked to more socially desirable personalities (Dion, Berscheid & Walster, 1972). The findings in Dion, Berscheid & Walster study (1972), also confirmed that attractive men and women were expected to attain more prestigious occupations (p. 288). [snip] Overall, the experiment concludes that 'not only are physically attractive persons assumed to possess more socially desirable personalities than those of lesser attractiveness, but it is presumed that their lives will be happier and more successful' (p. 289).
"The results confirm people tend to associate beauty with other positive qualities. [snip] Beauty was the central trait, which influenced other characteristics." [snip]
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/What_is_Beautiful_is_Good_Stereotype_and_the_Halo_Effect
When you're not aware of this principle, of what basically amounts, in my opinion, to a weakness in humans, then it can be harder to fight or protect against, and you may fall prey - literally! - to the "beautiful" person who is just waiting to take advantage of you. Well, not you personally, but people in general.
