Psychopath psy·cho·path
/ˈsʌɪkəpaθ/ ˈsī-kə-ˌpath
noun
The term “psychopathy” derives from the Greek words “psyche” (soul) and “pathos” (suffering, feeling).
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not include psychopathy as an official clinical diagnosis. Psychopathy is classified as antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) because many psychopathy symptoms overlap with those of antisocial personality disorder- a broader mental health condition that describes people who frequently act out and break rules.
Most people believe that “antisocial” refers to someone who is reserved, a loner, keeps to himself, and so on. This is not the case with ASPD. In ASPD, “antisocial” refers to someone who violates society, rules, or engages in behaviours that conflict to social norms.
Only a small percentage of people with antisocial personality disorder are considered psychopaths. It is possible to have psychopathic characteristics without being a psychopath. People with psychopathic characteristics do not always engage in psychopathic behaviour. Only people who exhibit psychopathic traits as well as antisocial behaviour are classified as psychopaths.
Psychopathic traits commonly include:
According to one study, only 1% of the general population are likely to meet the criteria for being a psychopath, even though about 29% of people in general exhibit one or more psychopathic traits. Although the specific causes of ASPD is unknown, many think that environmental and genetic factors may have contributed to the condition’s development. According to earlier studies, 38 to 69 percent of cases could be hereditary. [2] Additionally, neglect as a child and other negative experiences, such as child abuse, are some of the environmental triggers of ASPD.
Let’s look at psychopathy from a biological standpoint. The amygdala, which is located in the temporal lobe, regulates emotions (such as fear and aggression), as well as memory and decision making. This area of the brain is also known as the origin of psychopathic behaviour. Adrian Raine, a professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “when we brain-scanned psychopathic individuals in the community and compared them to matched controls, we found that the amygdala part of the brain, the emotion part of the brain, it was reduced in volume by 18 percent.” [3] This study suggests that psychopaths are people who have a neurological deficiency.
Criminal behaviour and psychopaths are closely related, as is well known. In movies and television shows, psychopaths and sociopaths are frequently portrayed as the bad guys who kill or torture innocent people. The majority of those with antisocial personality disorder are not violent, albeit some of them are. Instead, they use deception and reckless behaviour in an effort to get what they want.
In contrast, psychopaths are portrayed in popular culture as monsters who brutally kill, assault, blackmail, and torture their victims and behave recklessly. Viewers are used to seeing people with psychopathy as almost robotic, as when a character is standing calmly over a lifeless body or giving the classic “psychopathic stare.” Such characters tend to only scratch the surface of the problems associated with psychopaths. Psychopathy is not synonymous with violence.
Because people today are so fascinated by shocking and upsetting things, people are letting characteristics like intelligence, attractiveness, or sad and traumatic backgrounds serve as a justification for murder and assault. In the media, being a violent person is more interesting than being a good person. This romanticization can be especially harmful to victims of abuse or assault, who may see characters who resemble their abusers glorified, defended, and forgiven.
Both serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer received thousands of love letters, marriage proposals, and gifts from smitten female admirers during their court cases. These admirers appeared more than willing to separate horrific violent crimes from an attractive face. Serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy received widespread praise, which caused a shift in the public’s perception of psychopaths, who were now seen as high-functioning, intelligent, and attractive. This strange fascination is disturbing and problematic.
Furthermore, it skews notions of what involves appropriate behaviour and establishes absurd standards of what is desirable. People assume they will receive the same attention if they act similarly because the media is portraying these things. On the other hand, there is a sense of romantic intrigue because of the terrible and inaccurate portrayal of psychopaths in the media.
Some believe that they can “change” the psychopath and make them better. This misguided notion can lead to dangerous situations, as it encourages people to pursue relationships with psychopaths or at least engage in behaviour that is not healthy without realizing the potential danger they are putting themselves in. Psychopaths are people who have a major character flaw, and it’s not something you can “fix” by simply being there for them.
In 2014, Belgian psychiatry professor Samuel Leistedt and his team set out on a three-year mission to watch over 400 movies from 1915 to 2010 and report back on which characters truly embodied psychopathy. They discovered 126 believable psychopathic characters, only 21 of whom were female. [4]
Cinematographic depictions of psychopaths are damaging because they grossly misrepresent people who actually are psychopaths. The assumption that psychopaths are necessarily intelligent, cunning, and sophisticated is untrue and paints a single possible outcome for those who suffer from ASPD. Someone is not necessarily doomed to a horrible end just because they are psychopaths.
Individuals with psychopathy exhibit fascinating behaviour, so much so that it does not need to be made more complex for dramatic plotlines. There are a lot of psychopathic people who are perfectly normal and peaceful people. They just lack feelings, normal feelings that we usually have. They’ll often talk about feelings, rage and anger, but there’s nothing really going on beneath the surface [3]. These individuals are able to live their lives in a way that doesn’t necessarily cause harm or distress to those around them, provided they find a way to understand and manage their own emotions. These individuals must develop a sense of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in order to be successful in their lives.
Reference:
Every society has some kind of stratification or group classification, where some groups are able…
The development of the self begins in the early stages of life and continues to…
Shiny object syndrome, or SOS, is a state of distraction created by the impression that…
Born in 1993, Stanley Milgram was an American psychologist best known for his study on…
Dyelsixa is a redaing disorder taht diruputs how yuor barin proessces wtirten langague due to…
Have you ever entered a room for the first time and get the feeling that…
View Comments
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and
wanted to say thhat I have really enjoyed browsing your blog
posts. After all I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon! https://Lvivforum.Pp.ua