THE CON MAN

Author Maria Konnikova recently spoke to Business Insider about her book about the psychology of con artists. She said three attributes make a good con artist:

The dark triad is three things, obviously, including psychopathy, the inability to feel emotion in the way that normal people do. It's kind of a lack of empathy. Your brain is actually different, you process emotional stimuli differently. To you, they don't mean that much. It's very difficult for a non-psychopath to understand, but basically everything that would really make you emotionally engaged would leave you cold as a psychopath, so that's one part of it. 

The second part is narcissism, this overblown ego where you not only think you're just the best thing that's ever happened to anyone, but you also think you deserve a lot. You deserve basically everyone to bow down to you. And you have it coming to you, all these good things. So if you notice a lot of the con artists in the book, they want shortcuts, they don't want to work hard for their rewards, because they think they deserve them. They are people who steal credentials because they don't feel like getting a Ph.D. But they think they're smarter than the people with Ph.D.s.

Finally, it's Machiavellianism, or the ability to manipulate people into doing what you want. Kind of like Machiavelli's Ideal Prince, you have your own ends and you use whatever means you want to get there. And you're very good at tricking those people and getting them to do what you want.

The reason those traits are so important to con artists is that you are taking advantage of people, and in order to do it well, you can't think that you're taking advantage of people, because the moment you do, you start feeling bad for them. What this triad allows you to do is not have to deal with that, you don't feel bad for people, because you don't feel empathy. And you don't think you're doing anything wrong, because you deserve it. And you have the means, because you're Machiavellian, and so you're very good at convincing other people that what you say is correct. Those three things can really operate in tandem to create the perfect story. That said, and one thing that I do say in the book. It's not destiny. There are plenty of people who have these traits who don't become con artists. And there are also con artists who probably don't have the entire dark triad of traits.

Lacking emotional empathy. A belief in deserved alpha dog status. Ability to manipulate other people.

This was the blueprint for a few LOST characters. Sawyer was a known con artist, a process which he adopted in order to get revenge on another con artist, Cooper (Locke's biological father). Ben also conned Sawyer into submission on the Hydra Island kidnapping story. And Kate regularly conned men to do her bidding - - - such as helping her break into a safety deposit vault. Shannon manipulated men to pay for lifestyle of doing nothing constructive. 

Of the main characters, Ben showed the strongest abilities in the three elements of the dark triad. Sawyer had spats of remorse during his cons. Kate did not think she deserved a lot, except for her freedom. Shannon was more of a spoiled brat than psychopathic behaviorist. Cooper was a close second to Ben on tricking people to give up their prized possession - - - like an internal organ from Locke.

So there was a clear scientific basis for the character traits of the theme of con artists in the series.

LITTLE MAN COMPLEX

“ There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind. ” - - - Napoleon Bonaparte

A Napoleon complex is one of self-absorbed grandeur.  Some psychoanalysis of Bonaparte claim that his small stature but high dream expectations led him to become a tyrannical monster hell bent on conquering all of Europe. Great historical figures often have grand visions of their legacy. What better way to be remembered than enslaving an entire continent?

There were two characters who fall into the emperor category of conquest and control: Ben and Widmore.

Widmore was not a small man. He had apparently grown up on the island. He knew it contained serious power source. He wanted to control it for his own ambitions. He was once the leader of the Others, the self-proclaimed guardians of the island. Whether Widmore knew of or believed in Jacob is unclear. He had a relationship with a powerful woman, Eloise Hawking, and had a brilliant academic son, Daniel. But it was his lust for power and privilege that got Widmore expelled - - - his crime was having a child off the island (Penny) with another unknown woman. Why the island would have such a moral barometer on an out-of-wedlock daughter while allowing the Others to kidnap and kill visitors makes no logical sense. But being LOST, logic or common sense are not necessary elements in any story line.

Once forced to leave the island, Widmore used his ego and talents to build up a vast business empire. But that empire was only a means of gaining enough power to find his island and reclaim it. Widmore's quest was to return to the island, and get revenge on the man who kicked him off it: Ben.

Ben was a small man. His small size fits into the Napoleon grandeur of over-compensating for an inferiority complex. Ben did not have a good childhood. He had no close friends. His father blamed him for his mother's death at childbirth. He was lonely. He dreamed that people would look up at him in awe and fear. He wanted to control his own destiny. He wanted to rebel against the Dharma lock-step. He still had a measure of compassion when he did not kill Alex or her mother Rousseau even though Widmore had ordered it as part of Ben's initiation. Instead, Ben took baby Alex under his care and control. Perhaps this was his first lesson in turning an adverse situation into an advantage.

Both Widmore and Ben were clever in making other people do their dirty business. They both had elaborate plans to get what they wanted from other people. Ben used psychological mind games to confuse then submit people to his will. Ben became frustrated and angry when people, especially women, did not follow his orders.

When Ben got to the leadership role he wanted, he ruled like a tyrant. It was his way or the highway. In that way, even though he was a "bad" character, he was a compelling character. There is a part of human nature that would lash out like Ben did because of his back story. There is always an inner demon that burns to be liked and loved by other human beings; but when that does not happen - - - one becomes bitter, angry and more controlling over people around him.

 Ben was the most complex character. He went through the rollercoaster of being good (as a boy) to bad (as an adult) to at least repented as a dead soul.

A FORD IN YOUR FUTURE

For the most extremely disappointed fans of LOST, they believe the entire series was one literary con-job on their entertainment viewing. There was no pay-off in the end after years of major promises. It was like waking up the next morning to find that your life savings had just purchased a quarter share of the Brooklyn Bridge.

So if LOST was representative of a long con, then the show's poster boy would be Sawyer. Of all of the main characters, Sawyer was the one who stayed most true to himself. He was the ultimate survivor because he looked out only for himself. And in the end, he got what he wanted from the island - - -  rescue and in the after life  - - -  Juliet. And he was never punished for his crimes or sins. 

James Ford was a mid-section survivor on Flight 815.  He had the charm of a Southern accent, but selfishness, machismo, and folksy use of oft-abrasive nicknames belied his sophisticated and tender sides as an avid reader and a caring lover—elements of his personality that started to become more apparent as he spent more time on the Island.

On the Island, Sawyer used his skills as a confidence man to accomplish various ends. He hoarded material possessions to leverage power, leading to his involvement in several dangerous missions. His acts of rebellion led him to, at various times, become the most hated survivor on the island, though he still formed an intimate  bond with Kate

Sawyer later developed romantic relationship with Juliet and his jealousy sparked a rivalry with Jack. He did not want to lead the survivors after Jack and Kate were captured, but Hurley convinced him he was the leader by default. He failed at it after giving it a try.

In an early attempt at rescue, Sawyer left the Island along with Jin, Michael and Walt on Michael's raft but was forced to return when Walt was kidnapped by the Others and the raft was blown up. He vowed his revenge against the men in that boat. Sawyer washed up on shore and met up with the previously unknown tail section survivors of Flight 815.

He used various cons to  gain control of all the guns and a position of power over the other survivors. He also used his hoarding skills to make people beg and feel uncomfortable around him. He would rather be alone than the center of attention. He was later captured by the Others,  as a result of Michael's betrayal. While with the Others, Sawyer and Kate were used as leverage to convince Jack to perform surgery on  Ben until he and Kate eventually escaped with the help of Jack.  During the time spent on Hydra Island and through the remainder of season three, Sawyer started an on-again, off-again relationship with Kate. Sawyer was asked by Locke to kill a man, Anthony Cooper, who was revealed to be the real "Sawyer" who Ford believed was the reason why his parents were killed. Locke could not kill his own father, so Locke trapped Ford in the Black Rock with Cooper knowing that if Cooper revealed his true self, Ford would kill him. Locke's plan worked, and he took Cooper's body back to the Others camp to be installed as the new leader, effectively dethroning an angry Ben. 

Sawyer would change alliances as the often as the direction of the wind. After Jack called Widmore's freighter for rescue, Sawyer joined Locke and a small number of survivors who thought Jack was wrong. They left for the shelter of the barracks. There, the freighter soldiers came and killed Alex, and blew up Claire's house. Sawyer rescued Claire from the rubble, but lost contact with her when she met Christian in the jungle.

When the survivors left the freighter  in the helicopter, when the fuel tank was hit and weight needed to be shed, Sawyer jumped for shore after he kissed Kate goodbye (also whispering her to tell his daughter he's sorry). This signaled the end of his romantic relationship with Kate. 

When he was on the island, he was part of a small group of survivors underwent time shifts as a result of Ben moving the Island. He led the small group until a final time shift, where they were stuck in 1974. Sawyer joined the DHARMA Initiative and eventually became their head of security. He began a relationship with Juliet, who knew the Dharma ways, and continued to live in the 1970s for three years until Jack, Kate and Hurley time flipped back to the Island following the crash of Ajira plane.

Sawyer joined the Man in Black upon meeting him, not out of loyalty but as a means of personal survival, although he ultimately betrayed MIB while boarding Widmore's submarine to escape the Island. The Man in Black however, had conned Sawyer into stealing the sub so that he could kill the remaining candidates with a bomb. After the explosion, Sawyer was knocked unconscious and brought ashore by Jack. While Jack was preventing the Island from being destroyed, Sawyer managed to escape on the plane with Kate, Claire, Frank, Richard and Miles. 

In the sideways world,  Sawyer was an edgy police detective rather than a crook. Eventually, he was reunited with his lover Juliet at the hospital while investigating Jin's shooting. They moved on together with their friends at the church.

So Sawyer was one of the few characters that got all he wished for: rescue from the island; no ramifications from his past criminal behavior; and an after life reunion with Juliet who was taken from him by Jack's dumb plan to set off an atomic bomb to stop the time shifts.

CONFIDENCE

I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
In a poker game, a small "tell" can give another player the "big picture" of what cards his opponent may have - - -  that gives someone confidence and the strength to move forward.

Confidence means:

the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something;
the state of feeling certain about the truth of something;
a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities; or
the telling of private matters or secrets with mutual trust.

Trust was one of the pronounced themes of LOST. Characters constantly asked each other whether "they trusted" them or their decisions. Some said yes, some said no, and some lied to gain one's trust.

Beyond the hard core daddy or parent issues of the main back stories,  the main characters did have major unresolved "trust issues" to resolve. For example:

Jack did not trust his father. He even suspected that his father was behind the break up of his marriage to Sarah. Jack came to distrust his father's skills as a surgeon. That was the focal point for the severe break in their relationship.

Kate apparently trusted no one but herself. She got other people, mostly boys and men, to trust her, but in the end those trusts were betrayed in the most tragic ways.

Locke had a history of being "too trusting" of other people, who used him as a scapegoat, a mule and a victim. Locke was aware of his own character flaw, but could not change. He became a bitter and angry man - - - which ruined any chance to have a normal life. His need to have a trusting relationship with his father destroyed his relationship with Helen.

Sawyer used the concept of trust to gain an advantage in conning his marks. But he fell and trusted one of his victims, and that put him on the path of normalcy (with the birth of his daughter) rather than his path of revenge. When he trusted an old friend's information about his parent's killer's location, that trust turned Sawyer into a cold blooded murderer.

Hurley could not trust even himself. He knew that he was finding solace in food when his father left him, but he could not stop himself. He could not trust himself to act rationally. He trusted other people, including his mother, to make decisions on his behalf.

Sayid trusted that his superiors would make the right decisions. But once he was put into personal moral conflicts, he began not to trust himself. He knows it is wrong to follow the path of darkness, and he betrays himself when he continues to torture and kill other people.

But on the other hand, event those with trust issues held themselves out in a confident manner.

Jack was quite confident (really, overconfident) in his abilities. He was quite uneasy in the position of leadership, but his medical skill confidence (the count to five stress release) allowed him to become the leader of the group.

Sawyer was always about showing confidence, almost in a reckless manner. He may have relied on instincts and the cleverness of a fox to charm the pants off of his marks. His confidence was part and parcel with being able to control the situation: create the ideal situation (the set up) to run his game (which had become second nature to him).

Sayid was also confident because of his military training. He was aware that he could defend himself at any cost. He was aware that his analytical skills could get him out of troublesome situations.

On the other hand, Hurley lacked the most confidence. He was shy and meek. He avoided confrontation. He would go out of his way to avoid trouble. He was not a risk taker. He felt that things happened to him - - - he was cursed, the unluckiest man on Earth.

Kate also lacked confidence in herself. That was the result of her bad decisions and her inability to take accountability for her bad actions. Since she had no control over her life, she lacked any confidence in herself to change to become a normal person. She tried once, marrying a police man in Florida, but at the first sign of her troubled past catching up to her, she fled like a scared mouse.

So there were various undercurrents of confidence and lack of confidence throughout the main characters. In some ways, several characters sought validation for their trust issues. Others could never truly cope with gaining any level of confidence or trust in their fellow man or woman. They (especially Hurley) always found doom around the corner.

Jack always had some level of personal confidence. So when he became the next island guardian, that was no real surprise. He accepted it by default since the other candidates stood silent after Jacob's campfire chat. It is not really clear that the other candidates even trusted Jack would accomplish the plan to kill Flocke. Sawyer, for one, made haste to get back to the plane to get off the island. Kate could have made the greatest character change if she trusted herself completely and stayed with Jack on the island, but she did not - - - she ran away not relying upon her true feelings.

It is possible that regret and not confidence or trust was the universal bond between the main characters in the after life. Confidence alone cannot explain the motivations and actions of the characters throughout the series. Hurley did not have the confidence to replace Jack as guardian; he had to have a strong crutch in Ben by his side. And what was the final resolution for Jack? His meeting with his father did not resolve any trust issues per se. His reunion with Kate may have offered him a third chance with her. Why Kate chose the after life to bond with Jack is also a mystery because there were other men in her life that she had deeper emotional connections. Jack and Kate had trust issues on and off the island. But if the island was the high point of her life, then regret that she abandoned Jack could explain why they were together in the end.