While most people think of cold-blooded serial killers when they contemplate the psychopathic personality, not all psychopaths are motivated by bloodlust. Most psychopaths are uncaring users, clever scam artists, ruthless manipulators, or petty criminals. They live off the labour of others and play cruel games to satisfy a variety of desires for objects and power. You are far more likely to lose your money or have a disastrous relationship with a psychopath than to lose your life to one. Only 20-25% of those in prison are psychopaths.
Causes of Criminal Behaviour
There are many reasons why people become criminals, and psychopathic personality disorder is just one of them. Many non-psychopaths turn to crime because:
- They have been raised in social environments where crime is the way in which most people make their living
- They were severely abused or deprived in childhood
- They have drug habits that make them desperate
- They have responded rashly to traumatic events
- They live in extreme poverty and have no skills with which to obtain gainful employment
Psychopaths, by contrast, usually commit crimes because they like to dominate or hurt people, they enjoy the thrill of getting away with things, and they prefer to live off the labour of others. Unlike regular criminals who almost invariably have suffered abuse or deprivation in childhood, psychopathic criminals are just as likely to have come from loving, supportive homes as abusive ones.
Guilt, Empathy, and Remorse
The primary difference between psychopaths and other criminals is that the psychopath is incapable of experiencing guilt, empathy, or remorse (though psychopaths may fake these feelings to look good to their parole boards). As a result, psychopaths commit far more acts of violence than other criminals.
Non-psychopathic criminals, when they commit violent acts, often do it in times of extreme emotional stress, whereas psychopaths usually do it as revenge, while drinking, or during the commission of other crimes. In contrast to regular criminals who do terrible things in the heat of the moment, psychopaths commit violent crimes in a callous and businesslike manner, and these actions are unaccompanied by psychological distress. They are also more inclined than other criminals to target strangers.
Because they feel no guilt about their crimes and have difficulty controlling their impulses, psychopaths have higher recidivism rates than regular criminals. Although psychopaths make up only 4% of the total population, they represent about 50% of serial rapists, as well as a significant proportion of persistent wife batterers. Overall, psychopaths are twice as likely to reoffend as other criminals, and three times as likely to commit violent acts again after being convicted. As such, they are bad parole risks.
Fear, Anxiety, and Low Self-Esteem
Many psychopaths claim that they turned to crime because of traumatic childhoods. However, these claims are often unsubstantiated, and even when proved true, it is notable that just as many psychopaths come from loving, supportive homes as abusive ones. Early experiences can worsen the expression of the disorder, but they don’t cause it.
Psychopaths differ from non-psychopathic criminals in both psychological distress and self-perception. Those who have become cold and violent due to severe childhood deprivation or abuse tend to suffer from intense emotional distress and low self-esteem. By contrast, psychopaths are free from anxiety, and think very highly of themselves.
A Code of Ethics
There is a code of ethics that the majority of prisoners adhere to. While it may not match the moral codes of non-criminal society, there is some overlap. For example, many prisoners will take revenge on those who have harmed children, whereas a true psychopath is unlikely to care either way, though he might participate in retaliatory actions due to an enjoyment of violence. Also, unlike psychopathic criminals, regular criminals usually have strong feelings of loyalty to their friends and families, and are capable of keeping their promises to them.
Another major difference between psychopaths and regular criminals is that most prisoners will not “snitch” on one another to obtain special privileges or escape punishment at someone else’s expense. Law enforcement authorities can make use of psychopaths because they lack the normal human loyalties that keep other prisoners silent. They are quick to betray their “friends” in order to secure better conditions for themselves.
More Extreme Criminal Activity
Psychopaths tend to commit a broader variety of crimes than most criminals, and their crimes tend to be more extreme and violent on average. Unlike regular criminals, psychopaths don’t necessarily have a specialty. They commit crimes either to fulfill various desires or for the thrill, whereas regular criminals tend to make a living out of a particular type of crime such as theft, forgery, or racketeering. Psychopaths are also more inclined to engage in shady behaviours that don’t quite put them into the running for a criminal conviction.
Age of Criminal Onset
Psychopaths, if they are going to become criminals, tend to get an early start regardless of family background. While regular criminals usually first appear in court at around the age of 24 (unless they have been raised in abusive or disadvantaged homes, in which case the average age is 15), psychopathic criminals begin making their rounds through the court system around the age of 14, regardless of family background. In contrast to regular criminals, a loving, supportive family does not usually decrease the likelihood of engaging in criminal activity, though it may decrease the likelihood that crimes will be violent.
Further Reading
For more information on psychopathy, see Personality Traits of a Psychopath, Behavioural Traits of Psychopaths, and Causes of Psychopathy.
References:
- The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout, PhD
- “What ‘Psychopath’ Means” by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz
- Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Dr. Robert D. Hare
