Is psychopathy a distinct mental abnormality, or part of the spectrum of narcissism? And the answer isn’t easy to come by, because, as usual, the experts don’t agree.
Psychopathy has been one of my primary areas of interest for as long as I have been fascinated by abnormal psychology.
The more I think about the common characteristics of Narcissistic PD and Antisocial PD, I can’t help wondering if they just represent degrees of severity along the same dimension of personality. There are about as many opinions on this matter as there are experts in psychopathology.
Psychopaths of Everyday Life
I am currently reading, and will soon be reviewing, Dr. Martin Kantor’s most recent book “The Psychopathy of Everyday Life.” In the book, Kantor discusses the ‘everyday psychopath,’ similar to what Robert Hare calls the ‘subcriminal psychopath.’ Kantor asserts that there are milder forms of psychopathy which are much more common than the highly sensationalized extreme cases that we occasionally see spotlighted in the media. Other experts consider psychopathy to be part of the continuum of narcissism, and there are those who see narcissism and antisocial personality as clearly separate conditions.
New Article Series on Narcissism & Psychopthy
I have recently published an article series exploring the relationship of psychopathic and narcissistic behavior, all of which are summarized and can be accessed through the article Psychopathy & Narcissism.
New Survey
It is also time for a new survey. So far the surveys haven’t inspired much participation. The new one will run through the end of November, its topic: The Relationship between Narcissism and Psychopathy. I hope this survey might catch your attention and I urge you to vote.
