International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 8 2025 98
After his conviction, Manson was transferred to San
Quentin State Prison to begin the automatic appeals
process for receiving the death penalty. In February
1972, the California State Supreme Court abolished
the death penalty in the state, thereby reducing
Manson’s sentence to life imprisonment (Bugliosi with
Gentry 1974:488). He served out his life sentence in
state prisons across California, including San Quentin,
Folsom, California Medical Center, Vacaville, Pelican
Bay, and Corcoran. His time was marked by occasional
parole hearings, where he was always denied release
into society (Marynick 2010:373). In 2017, Manson
died of cardiac arrest in a hospital near California State
Prison in Corcoran.
Charles Manson: A Psychobiography
Hare, Forth, and Strachan postulate that there is
a temporal stability associated with psychopathic
personality traits and behaviors (1992:292).
Furthermore, they claim that “[t]he antisocial behavior
of psychopaths begins at an early age and persists
throughout much of the life span” (1992:297). From
his childhood onward, Charles Manson consistently
displayed characteristics and behavior associated with
psychopathy. There is overwhelming evidence that he
meets the criteria for psychopathy, as outlined by the
PCL-R.
Hare posits that “glibness or superficial charm” is a
characteristic strongly associated with psychopathy. He
states that “psychopaths have what it takes to defraud
and bilk others: They are fast-talking, charming, self-
assured, at ease in social situations, cool under pressure,
unfazed by the possibility of being found out, and totally
ruthless” (1993:121). When interviewing witnesses for
the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, Prosecutor Vincent
Bugliosi was surprised at the wide variety of people
Manson had as acquaintances. A friend of Manson,
Gregg Jakobson, told Bugliosi that “Charlie was a
chameleon,” and Manson “often professed that ‘he had
a thousand faces and that he used them all—he told
me he had a mask for everyone’” (Bugliosi with Gentry
1974:223). Manson’s ability to don different guises
demonstrates his lack of sincerity and ability to assess
and charm a vast array of people.
Nielsen proposes that Manson’s charismatic authority
over the Family was central to the operation of the
group, and his charisma resulted from a multitude of
factors: Manson’s alleged powers to perform “miracles,“
his sexual prowess, his musical talents, his dancing
abilities, his criminal past, and his alleged personal
insight into members’ psyches (1984:320–321).
Manson possessed the credentials that were equated
with status in the counterculture of the late 1960s,
and therefore, he was able to translate his abilities and
experiences into power over the group.
Another indicator of psychopathy is a grandiose sense
of self-worth. According to Hare, “[p]sychopaths have a
narcissistic and grossly inflated view of their self-worth
and importance, a truly astounding egocentricity and
sense of entitlement, and see themselves as the center
of the universe, as superior beings who are justified
in living according to their own rules” (1993:38).
Manson’s narcissism was boundless. He went as far as to
use “Jesus Christ” as an alias in legal matters (Bugliosi
with Gentry 1974:190, 216) and overestimated his
talents and power in the entertainment industry. When
discussing Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s assessment of
his talent, Manson said, “Dennis himself thought that
I was some kind of wizard when it came to playing
and writing music” (Manson and Emmons 1986:148).
Manson also spoke of a time when he was associated
with “bigwigs” at Universal Studios, proudly claiming
that “[f]or a period of time, I had the run of Universal”
(Manson and Emmons 1986:132). He also expressed
dismay that his associations with celebrities were not
mentioned during his trial (Manson and Emmons
1986:132).
Manson’s inflated self-opinion also surfaced during the
Tate-LaBianca trial. Hare states that “[t]he grandiosity
and pomposity of some psychopaths often emerges in
dramatic fashion in the courtroom. For example, it is
not unusual for them to criticize or fire their lawyers
and to take over their own defence, usually with
disastrous results” (1993:38). Before the trial started,
Manson assumed control of the defense representation
and strategies for himself and the other three Family
members on trial. During pre-trial hearings, “Manson
had set up his own communications network.
Whenever he heard that an attorney for one of the
girls [co-defendants] had initiated a move on behalf
of his client which could conceivably run counter
to Manson’s own defense, within days that attorney
would be removed from the case ...Manson’s goal: to
After his conviction, Manson was transferred to San
Quentin State Prison to begin the automatic appeals
process for receiving the death penalty. In February
1972, the California State Supreme Court abolished
the death penalty in the state, thereby reducing
Manson’s sentence to life imprisonment (Bugliosi with
Gentry 1974:488). He served out his life sentence in
state prisons across California, including San Quentin,
Folsom, California Medical Center, Vacaville, Pelican
Bay, and Corcoran. His time was marked by occasional
parole hearings, where he was always denied release
into society (Marynick 2010:373). In 2017, Manson
died of cardiac arrest in a hospital near California State
Prison in Corcoran.
Charles Manson: A Psychobiography
Hare, Forth, and Strachan postulate that there is
a temporal stability associated with psychopathic
personality traits and behaviors (1992:292).
Furthermore, they claim that “[t]he antisocial behavior
of psychopaths begins at an early age and persists
throughout much of the life span” (1992:297). From
his childhood onward, Charles Manson consistently
displayed characteristics and behavior associated with
psychopathy. There is overwhelming evidence that he
meets the criteria for psychopathy, as outlined by the
PCL-R.
Hare posits that “glibness or superficial charm” is a
characteristic strongly associated with psychopathy. He
states that “psychopaths have what it takes to defraud
and bilk others: They are fast-talking, charming, self-
assured, at ease in social situations, cool under pressure,
unfazed by the possibility of being found out, and totally
ruthless” (1993:121). When interviewing witnesses for
the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, Prosecutor Vincent
Bugliosi was surprised at the wide variety of people
Manson had as acquaintances. A friend of Manson,
Gregg Jakobson, told Bugliosi that “Charlie was a
chameleon,” and Manson “often professed that ‘he had
a thousand faces and that he used them all—he told
me he had a mask for everyone’” (Bugliosi with Gentry
1974:223). Manson’s ability to don different guises
demonstrates his lack of sincerity and ability to assess
and charm a vast array of people.
Nielsen proposes that Manson’s charismatic authority
over the Family was central to the operation of the
group, and his charisma resulted from a multitude of
factors: Manson’s alleged powers to perform “miracles,“
his sexual prowess, his musical talents, his dancing
abilities, his criminal past, and his alleged personal
insight into members’ psyches (1984:320–321).
Manson possessed the credentials that were equated
with status in the counterculture of the late 1960s,
and therefore, he was able to translate his abilities and
experiences into power over the group.
Another indicator of psychopathy is a grandiose sense
of self-worth. According to Hare, “[p]sychopaths have a
narcissistic and grossly inflated view of their self-worth
and importance, a truly astounding egocentricity and
sense of entitlement, and see themselves as the center
of the universe, as superior beings who are justified
in living according to their own rules” (1993:38).
Manson’s narcissism was boundless. He went as far as to
use “Jesus Christ” as an alias in legal matters (Bugliosi
with Gentry 1974:190, 216) and overestimated his
talents and power in the entertainment industry. When
discussing Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s assessment of
his talent, Manson said, “Dennis himself thought that
I was some kind of wizard when it came to playing
and writing music” (Manson and Emmons 1986:148).
Manson also spoke of a time when he was associated
with “bigwigs” at Universal Studios, proudly claiming
that “[f]or a period of time, I had the run of Universal”
(Manson and Emmons 1986:132). He also expressed
dismay that his associations with celebrities were not
mentioned during his trial (Manson and Emmons
1986:132).
Manson’s inflated self-opinion also surfaced during the
Tate-LaBianca trial. Hare states that “[t]he grandiosity
and pomposity of some psychopaths often emerges in
dramatic fashion in the courtroom. For example, it is
not unusual for them to criticize or fire their lawyers
and to take over their own defence, usually with
disastrous results” (1993:38). Before the trial started,
Manson assumed control of the defense representation
and strategies for himself and the other three Family
members on trial. During pre-trial hearings, “Manson
had set up his own communications network.
Whenever he heard that an attorney for one of the
girls [co-defendants] had initiated a move on behalf
of his client which could conceivably run counter
to Manson’s own defense, within days that attorney
would be removed from the case ...Manson’s goal: to
