The World of Psychopaths Part 1

The word Psychopath is a word which is thrown around constantly in the media and among people. Sometimes you'll hear the police department saying how a "psychopath" is on the loose, which seems to imply that the individual in question is in fact mentally unstable. While this is partially true, it's not the whole story. When people think of a psychopath, they think about someone who's psychotic, or someone with an extreme mental disability who cant control themselves. Whereas psychotic individuals are "insane" in that they have no real concept of what they're doing, the psychopathic individual is "morally insane" or, they know exactly what they're doing but suffer from a chilling inability to feel for the people they hurt. Psychopath's have been described by Robert Hare, a leading Canadian pschiatrist, as "ruthlessly plowing their way through life leaving a trail of broken and miserable people in their wake." and the most telling part about this is that they feel nothing for these people. Psychopath's suffer from a distinct lack of conscience. They cannot be moved by the powers of poetic tragedy and art. They cannot construct a fascimile of another person or 'walk in their shoes'. Psychopath's are cold blooded, manipulative creatures who are not hindered shame or guilt. From where does such a personality spring forth? No one knows for sure. There are many theories: Having a bad childhood, hitting their head too hard, growing up neglected, and being neglected when they are first born, which is said to be a crucial time to develop a bond between humans. But not all of this is true as many who grow up with horrible childhoods do not become psychopaths. Some people seem to go off track during their lives but the psychopath seems off track from the start. Whatever the origin of the psychopath, one thing is for certain: not all of them are serial killers. The common image we get when we think of a psychopath is a raving killer who murders for kicks, but this is not the case. Psychopath's can be charming businessmen and politicians who may never commit a crime that would arouse the law, but who do plenty of things which would make anyone else hesitate. A psychopath is an adept liar and is sometimes caught up in the act. They tell fantastic stories with themselves at the centre, a mark of their extreme narcissism. They dont just tell a lie, they revel in the performance itself. They are glib and superficial, and have only an emptiness behind whatever exterior they have created for themselves. Similarly, in spite of their seemingly emotionless personality, the psychopath can be infuriated by the slightest percieved insult. The inhibitory controls which would keep most of us from lashing out are weak on the psychopath, but even their anger has been said to be "cold" and lacking the substance of genuine emotion. This brings in an interesting phenomenon in intself: scientific research has demonstrated that the psychopath's have very little activity going on in their frontal lobes. This could have an enormous effect on their emotion and their fear. Does a person's brain become this way when they become a psychopath? Is it formed over time in some people? No one knows for sure. What is for sure, besides their lack of emotion, is what appears to be their lack of fear. Most of us, when we are afraid, have visible sensations we can use to describe this: sweating of the palms, butterfly's in our stomach, but the psychopath doesnt have this. They are seemingly impervious to threats and punishment. Similarly, they dont attach emotionaly value to the same kind of things we do. If i say to someone "Go Fuck yourself you asshole!" that person may understandibly have a conflicting range of emotions, but the psychopath would not. The emotionaly connotation attached to the word 'fuck' means nothing to them and they will use the word without regard for the effect it may have on others. Several other terms which have been used to describe psychopathic personalites range from the term sociopath, to Anti Social Personality Disorder. In this case, anti-social doesnt mean those who are afraid of social events and who are anxious when around people, this refers to those who dont recognize the rights of others, such as psychopaths. Psychopaths view people as mere objects to be used and extorted for their purposes. As far as they're concerned, no one else matters, no one but themselves. Because of this behaviour you'll hear plenty of stories about psychopath's who murdered or tortured animals when they were young. This represents their lack of respect for living things. coming Part 2: distinct traits of the psychopath.