But add to that ignorance, stupidity, racism, gullibility and masochism and you can make up some of the numbers difference. Of course psychopathy does not exclude any of the previously mentioned conditions so some Trumpites probably exhibit all six and, if asked, would be proud of it.
Quoting from a 2013 book chapter “The Virtue of Psychopathy: How to Appreciate the Neurodiversity of Psychopaths and Sociopaths Without Becoming a Victim”
David T. Lykken distinguishes between psychopathy and sociopathy based on the origin of the condition. According to Lykken, psychopaths are persons “in whom the normal processes of socialization have failed to produce the mechanisms of conscience and habits of law-abidingness that normally constrain antisocial impulses” (1995, p. 6) whereas a sociopath is an individual “whose unsocialized character is due primarily to parental failures rather than to inherent peculiarities of temperament” (1995, p. 7). For example, some people have APD despite positive and nurturing upbringings; these people are psychopathic. On the other hand, some people survive horrendous abuse and manage to become caring adults, indicating that abusive environments are not sufficient causes of APD. Various combinations of nature and nurture yield different degrees and types of APD. As Lykken puts it, “there is a continuum from sociopath to psychopath with intermediate cases that could reasonably be assigned to either or both categories” (1995, p. 31). However, Lykken also states, “Identifying someone as “having” APD is about as nonspecific and scientifically unhelpful as diagnosing a sick patient as having a fever, or an infectious or a neurological disorder” (1995, p. 5). Despite the issue of vagueness, Lykken advocates assigning either or both categories when diagnosing a patient with APD.4
Lykken, D. T. (1995). The antisocial personalities. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Certainly, advances may have been made since 2013 (or 1995, for that matter)
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What psychopath want’s help to be less of a psychopath? Isn’t the complete lack of wanting “help” one of the key aspects of psychopathy?
That’s not a thought, i.e. a theoretical possibility. This has happened all through human history, and sometimes at a massive scale. It is happening right now.
The disturbing thing is how easy it is.
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There is always the (probably just fictional) case of someone like Amos from The Expanse who is a psychopath that knows he needs a external moral compass. Again, probably fictional only, but an interesting idea
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She mentions, in passing,
A billboard in Washington DC buses asked parents to volunteer their children for a study on conduct disorder. Symptoms? Failure to conform to social norms (that could mean anyone queer, trans*, mad, autistic, or politically radical), trouble with the law (hell, that could mean anyone who uses weed or attends protests), consistent irresponsibility (that could be anyone for various poverty, disability, or abuse related reasons), impulsivity (as if this is pathological?), manipulative behavior (as a catch-all for anything non-normative or potentially subversive), and lack of empathy .
“conduct disorder” is one of those things “treated” at the “judge rotenberg educational center”, subject of many lawsuits.
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Interesting read. I need to look into it further. But I can say that I’m pretty sure I’m not being racist when I consider a certain GOP politicians to be psychopaths. Not saying there can’t be a racist component to the “diagnosis” in other settings, but that is not the way I’m using it. But I will add this information to the list of things to be self-aware of.
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I’ve read a couple of articles by people, including IIRC a mental health professional, who think that the label* of “psychopath” applies to them. They were discussing and looking for good-faith coping mechanisms and self-checks so that their destructive behaviours would not continue to affect them and those around them adversely (because some people, including family members and co-workers, were recognising them for what they were). There’s still an element of self-interest involved, but also what seems to be a genuine recognition that being a psychopath is not a good thing.
[* it’s not a diagnosis]
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I find myself uncomfortable at the idea of a medical diagnosis being used as a descriptor for people who exhibit related behaviour.
Never having interacted with a psychopath in any meaningful way, I suppose I have the luxury of being vaguely repelled at the implication of such statements that there is a class of humans who by virtue of characteristics at birth are essentially inherently evil.
(Edit: It reminds me too much of the Sheri Tepper book in which killing “soulless” babies was both a boon to society and even a mercy to the babies themselves.)
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Radio or television characters?
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Haaaaave you met my friend Ted?
ETA: just kidding. Ted was a narcissist.
Psychopaths are primarily (exclusively?) motivated by self-interest. In most contemporary settings murdering another human being is far more likely to make a person’s life worse than it is to make their life better, regardless of whether the killer has any actual empathy for their victim.
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The problem, though, is that psychopaths can also have a reduced fear of negative consequences and a high regard for their own cleverness and ability to get away with crimes. So the risk benefit ratio that you are positing will keep them in check, isn’t actually calculated the same in their brains as it would be in ours.
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Oh, psychopaths are problematic for LOTS of reasons. I’m just saying most aren’t murderers for the simple reason that most people have little or nothing to gain from committing murder.
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I have no way to know how accurate this article is, but since we’re on the subject:
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While there may not be an advantage for directly murdering someone with your own hands, there is definitely the issue of being unconcerned that actions that you feel beneficial for you resulting in the deaths and suffering of others. That is behavior that we see all the time in business and politics and I think is a better representation of the type of “killer” that psychopathy should be associated with. You very rarely get a Jeffery Dahmer, but you will see a lot of “CEO that is unconcerned about safety or living wages”
ETA: and the harm here is compounded since the latter behavior is often admired and rewarded rather than punished, so even non-psychopathic or sociopathic people will emulate it
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I agree; and you don’t just see it in people who are in a position to make those kinds of decisions for others. You also see it every day in middle-class or working-class people who honestly couldn’t care less if children are dying in cages at border patrol facilities or if millions are living in poverty due to social inequities or if the next generation will survive the effects of climate change. These are people who probably won’t ever commit murder directly but who wouldn’t hesitate to press a button if there existed a consequence-free mechanism for doing away with those they find inconvenient.
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Nope, psychopath, if this is the Ted who received stolen intellectual property, got famous with it, had a son marry a woman whose name would cover the theft, and is now dying of a-Alzheimers, b-Creuzfeld-Jakov syndrome acquired from dinners with his uncle the sheriff/funeral home owner.
Actually quite a few psychopaths notice that they have a hard time living in a society built on assumptions they don’t understand. It’s much like how people with ASD may not grasp what us neuro-typical folks do on a regular basis. So some do go seek out therapy especially since ASPD is a comorbidity for other issues such as mood disorders. Psychopaths aren’t cartoon villains, seriously.
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No, the one from How I Married Your Mother
