Criminal Psychopaths

One important difference between an average person’s brain and a psychopath’s is the different paralimbic systems. The paralimbic system is a "behaviour circuit of the brain which is correlated to processing emotions’’ and self control. People with stunted paralimbic systems do not empathize with others and have strong self control. Psychopaths also show abnormal balances of dopamine and adrenaline (Vronsky 247). Dopamine is released in rewarding situations and adrenaline is released in stressful situations. This unbalance is innate and can factor into violent behavior. Low dopamine activity is common within psychopaths and drives them to do thrill-seeking activities to get more dopamine. These activities also play on their desire for adrenaline. There are “drugs that influence the monoamine neurotransmitter systems [that] can reduce desire for adrenaline” and dopamine but nothing can change it (Fallon 206). In other words, most psychopathic psychological traits are innate but their environment can influence

The criteria mentioned above was the first step taken to compose a fully acknowledged (check)list when it comes to psychopathy. After Dr. Hervey Cleckly, Dr. Robert Hare took up his task and produced a considerable amount of work to identify neurological abilities exclusively found in psychopaths. Dr. Hare’s work resulted in the PLC-R or Psychopathy Check List - Revised. An adaption or expantion from Dr. Hervey Cleckly’s product.

There is no current compilation of tests or surveys that can serve as a standard to test for psychopathy in children. Even though the cause of this disorder is unknown, researchers have discovered a remarkable amount of information relating to brain abnormalities in psychopaths. Various psychologists claim that just like autism, psychopathy is a distinct neurological condition; this brain activity can be identified in children as young as five years of age (Kahn, 2012). A study tracked the psychological development of 3,000 children, this was done over a span of 25 years, it was stated that psychopathic signs could be detected in children as young as three years of age. New high-level technology such as the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Functional Magnetic Resonance imaging (fMRI) has facilitated researchers in locating the affected sections in the brain of a psychopath.

"The Psychology of a Psychopath." Science of People. N.p., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 01 May

In all humans’ brains, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the determining factor for empathy, morals, and emotions. The problem comes when the PFC is damaged, which causes alterations in the mental state. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health reveals that the damage to this part of the brain is due to reduced structural integrity and less activity in the PFC, determined by diffusor tensor images (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Because doctors determine the behavioral integrity of a person by the function of their PFC, it is the main focus for determining psychopathic tendencies (“Psychopaths’ Brain Show Differences in Structure and Function”). So psychiatrists are now able to examine an MRI of a brain and look at the prefrontal cortex to determine if they have a higher liability of having behavioral inconsistencies or psychopathic qualities, therefore providing a visual confirmation of a mental deformity. Robert M.

PCL-R was divided into four sub-scales called “factes” that reflect clusters of psychopathic expression. The facets are interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial. It includes two factors. The first factor is Interpersonal and affective. Psychopaths’ traits on the interpersonal level are grandiose sense of self-worth, superficial charm, pathological lying, manipulative. Affective facet includes lack of guilt, shallow affect, lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility for actions. The second Factor is Social Deviance which includes Lifestyle and Antisocial. Lifestyle facet includes need of stimulation, proneness to boredom, parasitic lifestyle, lack of realistic, impulsivity, irresponsibility. Antisocial facet includes poor

Many things set psychopaths apart from normal people, but the qualities that psychopaths possess are what truly make them psychopaths. The brains' of psychopaths are always damaged in away that affects their ability to feel emotion the same way we do as well as their ability to control themselves from bringing harm to others. In "Exploring the mind of a Killer", a Ted Talk given by Jim Fallon, it is explained that all psychopaths "had damage to their orbital cortex...and also the interior part of the temporal lobe." The orbital cortex has a lot to do with emotions and decision making, so if it is damaged, the person may have trouble making desk ions skillfully and feeling accurate emotions for their situations (both traits that psychopaths

In the article they research if psychopaths have the capacity empathy. This is connected with the human mirror neuron system and is basic to the capacity for moral reasoning. A lack of empathy is usually associated with alexithymia or with reduced mirror activity in the brain. They research this by measuring the degree of people’s empathy. They do this true a behavioral point of view; through verbal and nonverbal communication, the expression of Editorial empathy in feelings or comments, or in facial and bodily reactions to others. The results of their research indicated that psychopaths experience empathy and it may be a motivational factor in moral development.

As stated in Science Daily’s article Brain Difference In Psychopaths Identified, psychopaths’ uncinate fasciculus have a large reduction in the integrity of the particles that compose it. The uncinate fasciculus, UF for short, connects the amygdale and the orbitofrontal cortex. The amygdale is responsible for one’s emotions, such as fear and aggression, whereas the orbitofrontal cortex is the region in the brain that deals with decision making. Researchers Declan Murphy, Michael Craig and Marco Catani from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London used a DT-MRI to analyze psychopaths’ UFs compared to non-psychopathic peoples’ UFs who have the same age and IQ. As I had noted, psychopaths’ UFs were incomplete and abnormal. Researchers

Everything is not black and white when it comes to proving that one is guilty or innocent based on a neurological basis alone when we have to look at morals, and whether or not one’s brain abnormality deems them not responsible for any actions or crimes they may or may not commit. According to Lambert and Kinsley, it is difficult to distinguish a specific cause for a certain behavior (specifically criminal behavior in this case). Despite these difficulties, all hope should not be lost, because areas of the brain (i.e. the frontal cortex, prefrontal cortex, orbital frontal cortex, amygdala, etc.) have been helpful in many cases considering the use of modern brain imaging technology, and studies containing scientific methodology. It must be

What makes an individual a psychopath? Does the environment an individual grows up in or whether or not an individual’s gender plays a role? Questions which have been examined and researched by psychologist. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the concept of psychopathic behavior is based off guideline set in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is classified as a personality disorder. The difference between a psychopath and a regular offender is the way they respond emotionally, their cognitive functions and their behavioral characteristics. Differences, in behavioral characteristics have been found between male and female psychopaths. Factor examined to distinguish

Previous studies have looked into the topic of psychopaths (e.g. Michael R. Levenson, Kent A. Kiehl & Cory M. Fitzpatrick 1995; Farah Ali & Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic 2010; R.A. Richell, D.G.V. Mitchell, C. Newman, A. Leonard, S. Baron-Cohen & R.J.R. Blair 2003). This study specifically focuses on cognitive empathies relationship within the types of psychopathy. ‘Cognitive empathy, often referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM), is conceptualised as the ability to understand and infer emotions and

Psychopathic individuals within the society can display traits of marked antisocial behaviour, reduced empathy and remorse, and uninhibited character. This research design should further explore theoretical and empirical elements to understand the processing speeds among psychopathic and non – psychopathic individuals. using emotional information/stimuli (words). To further evaluate this relationship the measurement of intelligence and gender where also cross examine.

The fearfulness and screams exhibited by the victims will not be processed by the offender, proving diminished ability to know right from wrong (DeLisi et al., 2009). This example demonstrates an offender’s inability to interpret the emotion of fear in others, potentially leading to sadistic crime. Other emotions which when misjudged, can lead to sadistic crime are aggression and sexual emotions (DeLisi et al., 2009). These emotions may be the case in crimes of rape and murder. Further to this, a study conducted by Raine et al. (1997) shows the murderer test subjects of having decreased relative glucose in the left, and increased relative glucose in the right of the amygdala when compared to controls, proving amygdala dysfunction. As a result, there is an obvious link between sadistic crime and the amygdala as shown through perspectives conducted by neuropsychological

My major is Human Factors which is the incorporation of psychological ideas into a design. In order to design systems that are functional for all different types of people, one must first understand the basics of psychological disorders. I have decided to look deeper in psychopathy. Psychopathy testing has accepted the use of a moral questionnaire, but for a group of people known for being deceiving, that may not be efficient. The goal of this research is to develop an activity that identifies psychopaths based on the upper cognitive abilities.