The psychopath is a social predator. He is ruthless, manipulative and often charming. Once referred to as “moral imbeciles,” psychopaths exhibit a marked lack of conscience. They are callous, remorseless and spectacularly self-centered, willing to use and abuse others to achieve their ends, and they are inclined to blame others, including their victims, for their problems and bad behaviour.
Psychotic Versus Psychopathic
Many people confuse the terms “psychotic” and “psychopathic,” but unlike psychotics, psychopaths are not crazy. They are fully aware of what they’re doing and the potential consequences. They make their decisions rationally, and exercise free choice. They don’t suffer from delusions or hallucinations, and they are not afflicted with the anxiety or anguish that the mentally ill usually suffer.
Psychopathic Versus Antisocial Personality Disorder
Psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder are similar but not identical. Antisocial personality disorder manifests as a constellation of antisocial and criminal behaviours. Psychopathy, by contrast, refers to a cluster of deviant personality traits and behaviours that do not necessarily include criminal activity. Psychopaths, while often dabbling on the border of criminality, may never actually commit crimes for which they could be arrested, and many people who commit crimes are not psychopaths (although the majority of extremely violent criminals are).
Superficial or Glib, with Shallow Emotions
Psychopaths tend to be articulate, amusing and witty. Although they may tell stories that should be unbelievable, they have a knack for doing so in a way that causes intelligent people to believe them. However, some may peg them as overly slick or insincere, alerted by the psychopath’s use of excessive flattery to manipulate people.
The shallow emotions of the psychopath are evident in the fact that many claim to love the people they have abused or even murdered. Most abandon their spouses and children, or mistreat them if they stick around. Those that do stay part of a family unit tend to view their families as possessions, existing to create a favourable impression of the psychopath to the world, and to serve his or her needs.
The emotional capacity of the psychopath is extremely primitive, comprising “proto-emotions,” or reactions to immediate needs rather than the depth of feeling that others experience. When trying to manipulate others into feeling sympathy for them or guilt for questioning their motives, psychopaths can be quite dramatic and forceful, but this is a smoke-and-mirrors display, designed to obscure the lack of emotional depth the psychopath possesses.
Grandiose or Egocentric
Arrogant and shameless, psychopaths tend to brag. They are very self-assured, cocky and often domineering. They push their opinions onto others and can’t understand why anyone would disagree with them. Most have big plans for making money but these plans tend to be unrealistic and vague. Often they do not match the qualifications and experience the psychopath possesses. However, psychopaths are adept at encouraging others to give them money to support these plans.
The psychopath never feels that there is anything wrong with him or with his behaviour. It is everyone else who is in the wrong. He likes himself, and would not enter therapy voluntarily for any reason other than to impress a parole board or keep a human meal ticket from leaving.
No Empathy, Remorse or Guilt
Psychopaths are incapable of feeling guilt or remorse for anything they’ve done because they can’t empathize with others. They tend to view guilt as a liability or weakness in other people, and feel that they are superior because they don’t experience it and can therefore be as ruthless as they like.
Interviewed after committing horrible crimes, many psychopaths insist that their victims deserved it or even that they did their victims a favour. They rationalize, justify or deny any wrongdoing, while perceiving themselves as victims of an unfair society.
Exaggerated Need for Excitement
Psychopaths often break laws and take serious risks because they have a greater need for excitement than most people. Driven by intense feelings of boredom and a craving for ever-increasing thrills, such risks may include abusing substances, driving dangerously, playing extreme sports and engaging in violent activities. Of course the majority of substance abusers and extreme athletes are not psychopaths, but the psychopathic personality is drawn to such activities.
Ten Subtypes
There is not a single, simple formula for identifying psychopaths, though there are certainly ways to spot high-risk individuals. Theodore Millon, a personality theorist, has identified ten psychopathy subtypes: abrasive, covetous, disingenuous, explosive, malevolent, malignant, risk-taking, spineless, tyrannical and unprincipled. Each of these types will manifest a different set of traits. However, what they all have in common is the inability to feel guilt or empathy.
A Note of Caution
When reading about psychopathy, it’s tempting to diagnose difficult friends, family members, acquaintances and coworkers with the disorder, but only a trained professional can make an accurate diagnosis. Many people have one or two psychopathic traits without being psychopathic, and those under extreme stress, suffering from mental illness or abusing substances may manifest many of the symptoms without being psychopathic by nature.
Further Reading
For a comprehensive list of references on psychopathic personality disorder, visit Dr. Robert Hare’s website. For more information on psychopathy, see Behavioural Traits of Psychopaths, Causes of Psychopathy and How Psychopaths Exploit Others.
References:
- “What ‘Psychopath’ Means” by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz, Scientific American online
- Kindness in a Cruel World: The Evolution of Altruism by Nigel Barber
- Psychopathy: Antisocial, Criminal, and Violent Behaviour by T. Millon & R. Davis
- The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout, PhD
- Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Dr. Robert D. Hare
