Psychopath, This Is Neuroscientists Have Reported Intriguing Discoveries

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Let's start with the history of the term to clear up the current confusion between sociopath and psychopath and related terms. Physicians working with the mentally ill in the 1800s began to notice that some of their patients, who looked perfectly normal and even respectable, displayed traits. " moral depravity" or " moral insanity". This was expressed in the fact that they do not want to take into account the ethical norms and rights of other people.

The term "psychopath" was first applied to these people in 1900 and was changed to "sociopath" in 1930 to emphasize the damage these people are doing to society.

Researchers have now reverted to using the term psychopath. Some of them use the term to refer to a more serious disorder associated with genetic traits that pose a threat to society. The term "primary psychopath" is sometimes used to refer to the genetic conditioning of behavior. Sociopath (secondary psychopath) is often used to refer to less dangerous people, believing that the roots of their behavior are related to their upbringing in a particular environment.

Hervey Cleckley (1941) was the first to describe a list of characteristics to define "psychopath" or "sociopath". To date, a description of this behavior is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, which includes the category of Antisocial Personality Disorder.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF PSYCHOPATH:

Deprived of compassion

The Psychopathic Checklist (CLP), developed by Robert Hare and colleagues, describes psychopaths as callous and empathic, "heartless." Psychopaths also have difficulty recognizing fear on other people's faces (Blair et al., 2004).

There are already facts that point to the biological nature of the indifferent behavior of the psychopath. For most people, being sensitive and caring is due to the development of the emotional sphere. In the psychopath's brain, weak connections have been found between the emotional components of the brain systems. Due to the lack of connections, the psychopath cannot feel emotions deeply.

Disgust also plays an important role in the development of morality and ethics. We find certain types of unethical behavior disgusting, thereby refraining from and criticizing such behavior. But psychopaths have extremely high thresholds for disgust. They reacted neutrally or easily to disgusting photographs of disfigured people and when exposed to unpleasant odors.

There are neural circuits in the brain that are responsible for understanding other people's thoughts. Studies have shown that psychopaths have “abnormal” connections in critical areas of the cerebral cortex, which do not create the prerequisites for empathy. A psychopath cannot honestly say: “I know your feelings,” “I see you badly,” etc.

Superficial emotions

Psychopaths, like sociopaths to some extent, show a lack of emotion, especially social emotions such as shame, guilt, and embarrassment. Hervey Clakely (1941), in his description of psychopaths, noted that psychopaths who come into contact with other people "show poverty in most affective reactions" and "no remorse or shame."

Psychopaths are known for their lack of fear. In ordinary people in an experimental situation, neural networks are activated, sweating and sensitivity increase, if the experience suggests that something painful will happen, a shock - a soft electric current, or pressure on a limb. In psychopaths, the neural network showed no activity and skin sensitivity was reduced (Birbaumer et al., 2012).

Irresponsibility

A few more characteristics are indicated by H. Claykely - unreliability, irresponsibility. They have a behavioral model of "externalization of guilt" - they blame others for what happened, although in fact they themselves are guilty. Under clear evidence, the psychopath may admit his guilt, but this confession is not accompanied by feelings of shame and remorse, and therefore has no power to change future behavior.

Hypocrisy

H. Clakely, as well as Robert Hare, describes such characteristics of psychopaths as: "glibness", "superficial charm", "deceit", "insincerity", as well as "pathological lies" to achieve selfish goals. They tend to cheat for personal gain or pleasure. The worried father of the sociopathic girl said, “I can't understand my daughter even if I try hard. She easily lies with a dispassionate face, and after being caught, she remains aloof and looks absolutely calm, as if nothing had happened. " Psychopaths do not show different brain responses to emotional and neutral stimuli than normal people do (Williamson et al. 1991). They also have trouble understanding metaphors and abstract words.

Overconfidence

Robert Hare describes psychopaths as having a "tremendous sense of self-worth." H. Clakely points to the excessive boasting of his patients. R. Hare describes a sociopath serving a prison sentence who believed he was a world-class swimmer even though he never competed.

Selfishness

Cleckley spoke of psychopaths, showing their "pathological egocentrism and inability to love", which is included in the criteria for diagnosing psychopathy. Researchers often mention the "parasitic lifestyle" inherent in psychopaths.

Violence

Psychopaths tend to act impulsively, irritable and aggressive, as indicated in hospital reports of repeated fights or attacks.

Let's turn to philosophical questions. After all, they can help us recognize the implications of all these findings for our efforts to build an ethical society.

What does the genetic conditioning of psychopathy mean to society? What does this tell us about human nature? What steps can we take to “fix” psychopaths, and which is the most ethical step? If it is true that psychopaths have brain abnormalities, can we hold them accountable for what they do?