Michael H. Stone is a doctor of medicine and professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, known for his research on deviant behavior. He gained widespread fame through the series Most Evil, which aired on Discovery Channel from 2006 to 2008. Read more at manhattanka.
As part of the project, Stone developed the Gradations of Evil scale (ranging from 1 to 22), which helps to classify murders based on their level of brutality. In addition to his research activities, Stone is the author of 10 books, including the bestseller “The Anatomy of Evil.” He has been mentioned in such influential publications as the New York Times, Psychology Today, the Christian Science Monitor, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, The Times, BBAC, Newsday and many other media outlets.
Biography of the Future Prominent Psychiatrist
Michael Howard Stone was born on October 27, 1933, in Syracuse, New York, to immigrants from Eastern Europe.
His father, Moses Howard Stone, managed a wholesale paper business, while his mother, Corinne (Hittleman) Stone, took care of the household.
Being a highly gifted child, Michael Stone learned Latin and Greek at a young age and was promoted to the seventh grade at just 10 years old.
The short-statured boy became the youngest and only Jewish student in his school, so he found someone who would protect him. It was a 17-year-old classmate who practiced boxing. According to Michael’s son, David, they had an unspoken agreement: Michael would help his classmate with homework, and in return, the boy would protect him from attacks by anti-Semitic bullies.
At the age of 16, Stone became a student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he began his studies in a pre-med program. However, knowing about a quota on the admission of Jewish students, he simultaneously pursued a second major in classical literature.
In 1954, after graduating from Cornell University, Stone continued his education at Cornell Medical School in Manhattan. There, he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1958.
Initially, he began his career studying hematology and cancer chemotherapy at the Sloan Kettering Institute. However, Michael later changed his specialization under the influence of his mother, who had chronic pain syndrome.
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He started studying neurology and then psychiatry, completing his residency at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It was there that he met Dr. Clarice Kestenbaum, who became his wife in 1965.
From his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 1978, Stone had two sons, David and John. He was also married to Beth Eichstaedt. He died on December 6, 2023, at the age of 90 and left his two biological children, David and John, adopted children, Wendy Turner and Thomas Penders, as well as three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
According to his son David, Michael passed away in his home in Manhattan. The cause of death was complications following a stroke he suffered in January 2023.
Versatile Talent of a Manhattan Psychiatrist
Fluent in 16 languages, Stone preferred a classic style in clothing, always opting for three-piece suits.
Despite the seriousness of his profession, he had a mischievous sense of humor, which can be noticed in his last book, “The Funny Bone.” It included cartoons, jokes and poems created by the author.
Stone was fond of woodwork and personally built shelves for his extensive library, which contained 11,000 volumes. About 60 of the books were dedicated to Hitler. It explained both his personal experiences related to childhood bullying and his professional interest in studying the nature of evil.
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Dr. Stone was not only a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst but also a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. He spent many years studying patients with borderline personality disorders.
As part of his research, he observed individuals, particularly those prone to suicide, and concluded that approximately two-thirds of them showed significant improvement after 25 years of therapy and other treatment methods.
In their work on the series The Most Evil, Dr. Stone and Dr. Brucato proposed a theory that explains the increase in the number of “particularly heinous and shocking crimes” that have been committed since the 1960s, especially in the United States and among men.
They warned that the development of false empathy could make people view the most ruthless psychopaths as victims.
Murder Ranking Method on the Gradations of Evil scale from 1 to 22
The book “The Anatomy of Evil” (2009) and the TV show The Most Evil, which he hosted from 2006 to 2008, brought wide popularity to Dr. Stone. As part of the show, he interviewed convicted murderers, trying to understand what drives them to commit their crimes.
To assess the actions of his “heroes,” Stone developed a 22-level scale based on Dante’s nine circles of hell. The scale ranged from justified killings to those committed to torturing the victim.
In his book “The Anatomy of Evil,” Dr. Stone claims that only humans are capable of evil. He emphasizes that people are not born with evil in their souls, but it can develop under the influence of various factors. Stone admits that it is difficult to give a precise definition of malefaction, but he offers the following explanation:
Evil is certain actions committed by people who clearly intend to harm or kill others in a painful manner.
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Stone believed that in order for an action to be considered evil, it must meet a number of criteria. It must be shockingly horrific and intentional, as well as cause unbearable suffering. It should seem incomprehensible, confusing and beyond the imagination of ordinary people in society.
Debunking the Myth: People with Mental Illness are More Likely to Commit Crimes
Dr. Allen Frances, a former student of Stone and now an honorary head of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine, characterized Stone’s contribution to psychiatry as follows: “Mike’s major contribution to psychiatry was sharpening the distinction between mental illness and evil.”
The renowned psychiatrist Dr. Stone identified 22 categories of murderers, ranking them according to the degree of evil. This scale was created based on the biographies of hundreds of killers. At the top of the list are the most abhorrent psychopathic killers whose primary motivation is the torment of their victims.
At the other end of the scale, under number 4, there are those who killed in self-defense but acted extremely aggressively towards their victim.
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In addition, he worked on a depravity scale to assist jurors in distinguishing the worst among the truly bad. For this, an online survey was conducted where respondents evaluated various actions and ranked them in order of their repulsiveness.
The forensic psychiatrist from Columbia University not only developed a scale to determine evil but also debunked several myths about the connection between mental disorders and violence.
One common misconception is that individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to commit violent crimes. Stone argues that this is not the case and that sensational publications in the media distort the real picture. In fact, the risk of committing a violent crime by individuals with schizophrenia is not much higher than that of people without mental disorders.