Psychopaths: Article Analysis

(Gao, 2011). Henry Greenwald sums it up perfectly with this quote, “Usually when we talk about the psychopath we are talking about the unsuccessful psychopath. The reason why we generally do not discuss the successful psychopath is because we would then have to discuss many of the rulers of our world. This paper will delve into the biological explanations of psychopathy and how differences and dysfunctions in certain brain regions can result in the outward manifestation of these psychopathic traits. This paper will further address the non-criminal psychopaths and the criminal psychopaths, provide brain structures and functions that distinguish these subgroups and finally, will address biosocial factors that displace psychopaths towards the path of crime and

When most people hear the word psychopath their mind forms a picture of a wild-eyed, rambling, lunatic who is often restrained in a straitjacket. The media has helped this belief along the way with slasher horror films and grisly CSI episodes depict these strange humans. However, the average psychopath is much harder to spot than most people believe. In fact, most of them are extremely difficult to distinguish from ordinary humans. They outwardly appear normal and many do not find it difficult to blend into common society. They can interact with others, hold successful jobs, and effectively keep themselves out of trouble. Most are not the sadistic killers many people think they are. Psychopaths are people born with problems (Bartol 105) or

Studies of the human brain have been done multiple times and it has been concluded that “those who had been convicted of murder with aggression or antisocial disorders showed distinct brain activity as compared to those who were normal. Those brain scans showed a relationship between the orbital frontal cortex, the anterior cingulated cortex, and the amygdale, which plays a large part in controlling negative and violent emotions” (Coleman et al. 2). Mental illness is something very serious that, if diagnosed at a relatively young age can be controlled by medication and counseling. The problem lies within those who either don’t receive medical treatment or don’t follow doctor’s orders when it comes to treatment regiments. For example, a schizoid patient following a doctor’s order may very well be an upstanding member of society. But when medication is no longer being taken, that person will be more likely to give into the urges given by the voices inside their head. Many serial killers are also considered to be psychopaths: a psychopathy is “a neurodevelopmental disorder, one which a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as neglect or poor bonding with parents, lead to deficits in the brain” (Anderssen and Mcllroy 1). Psychopaths are unable to feel empathy, kindness, and in some cases they even struggle with feeling love. Psychopaths experience these symptoms from a young age and are often very violent as children. The corpus callosum is frequently different structure wise, it is part in the brain that connects the left and right side while controlling someone’s ability to control other people. Psychologists and Psychiatrists “generally agree that factors outside a killer’s control, such as their upbringing and hereditary background, can have a defining effect on the way they behave as adults”

Psychopathy; a term used to describe an individual with the ability to differentiate between right and wrong and acknowledge the rules of society, but are impervious to the moral foundation of these rules. Unlike other mental disorders such as sociopathy and schizophrenia, psychopathic individuals are able to understand actions that violate the law or go against social norms (Glenn 1). Although, they may be able to accurately judge moral and/or legal violations, one major factor that they lack is – emotional capacity. It is estimated that about 1% of the general population is made up of psychopaths, which is a considerable risk when it comes to crimes (Parry n.p). Therefore, the way in which the law responses to psychopathic individuals is an important moral and empirical issue. With that being said, should psychopaths be held criminally responsible for their behavior? Due to psychopathic individuals failure to meet criteria necessary for moral responsibility, such as the lack of understanding of the human race, predetermined biological structures of the brain and the fact that psychopathy is

However, more recently, a study led by King’s College London has claimed that there are differences between the brains of psychopaths and other criminal offenders diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Dr. Nigel Blackwood who led the research is quoted as saying “We describe those without psychopathy as 'hot-headed' and those with psychopathy as ‘cold-hearted’.” This statement shows a clear distinction between what should be interpreted as a lack of self-control and ability to repress impulses and what should be diagnosed as psychopathy.
The study took MRI scans of 66 men, two thirds of which were offenders who had been diagnosed with antisocial personality whilst the other third were non-offenders considered to not have any personality disorders. Of the 44 offenders, 17 met the diagnosis criteria for psychopathy (ASPD+P) assessed by the guidelines stated in the DSM-IV. Researchers saw that the members of the study diagnosed as psychopaths had notably less grey matter in areas associated with moral behaviour and understanding other peoples’

As someone who feels that no one is above the law, I have some reservations about completely changing sentencing guidelines so that two people who inflict the same harm receive drastically different punishments merely based on the states of their brains. Furthermore, because an increasing number of people are being diagnosed with various mild mental illnesses (depression, bipolar disorder, etc.), this may end conventional guidelines for sentencing. Because of the availability of psychologists for examinations and the potential for human error, I’m concerned about the potential for unequal judgment and sentencing. That being said, I do believe that this modification of the legal system will be most fair to criminal that have been driven towards crime by their difficult-to-control psychology, and can actually be implemented quite easily. One of the primary determining factors of a criminal’s culpability and appropriate sentence is their mens rea, or guilty mind, a spectrum of criminal liability ranging from accidental to premeditated. At the very least, the biology of a criminal’s brain could be introduced in court to mitigate the mens rea and therefore assign a more lenient and appropriate sentence. This gradual introduction could serve as an experimental gateway for the criminal justice system to begin implementing neuroscience as a foundation for sentencing and

Should criminals with brain defects be held legally responsible for their criminal actions? Advances in what scientist is able to learn about the brain through imaging, has changed how the legal system thinks about this query. We know now from various types of advancements in brain scan imaging that the brain of a psychopath looks different than the brain of a non-psychopathic brain. These defects are thought to be responsible for the personality and actions of the psychopath and some believe these defects are just as responsible for the criminal actions of the psychopath as well. However, while behavioral science may look at the brain of the psychopath and seek explanations for the antisocial and aggressive personality traits-in

There is an obvious difference between the neurological structure of psychopaths and the average human. There are multiple different scans used to detect different formations. A PET scan will detect brain activity when the subject is given a task. An MRI will show of the size of the components of the brain and if they have changed. To measure brainwaves an EEG is used. Since psychopaths have a different brain structure, their frontal lobe does not function the same as the average person. The frontal lobe is responsible for making judgements, problem solving, and impulse control. They understand the difference between right and wrong, but they simply do not care. The amygdala is accountable for aggression, fear and guilt. Psychopaths lack the ability to perceive guilt. Since there is no guilt, aggression is

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by enduring diminished empathy, remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavioring antisocial behavior, A psychopath is a person with a psychopathic personality,which manifests as a moral and antisocial behavior. They lack the ability to love or establish meaningful relationships. Psychopaths fail to learn from experience. Psychopathy is among one of the most difficult disorders to recognize. A psychopath can appear normal or even charming. Underneath, they lack conscience and empathy. This makes them manipulative, volatile and sometimes (but by no means always) criminal. There are many symptoms associated with psychopaths.

Scientist have tried to find out what makes a psychopath and are still trying to get a better insight in their minds. An important question is that is it nature or nurture or both that contributes to someone being a psychopath. Can we blame it all on neurochemistry or has environment got a role to play in it too? this gives rise to another question, does the brain of a psychopath resemble the brain of a normal human being?

According to the “Psychopathy” article “psychopathy is a mental disorder marked by affective, interpersonal and behavioral abnormalities”. Meaning people who are psychopathy show the “incapacity for empathy, guilt, and chronic violation of social, moral and legal norms”. One of the main questions about someone who is psychopathy has been if they are morally and legally responsible for their criminal actions. I feel that they should be criminally responsible for their actions and their mental status should not play role on their ruling if they are found guilty or not. I agree with The American Psychiatric Association when they write “is the job of the judge or jury [not psychiatrists] to determine criminal responsibility”. Psychopath are not likely to be incompetent to stand trial because they are not sure they have done anything wrong. Although others argue that psychopaths are in touch with reality and are aware of their doings because they have the ability to fee pain and that pain will have

Most are environmental factors that influence the way that they react to different types of situations. A lot of psychopaths are not inherently that way. Some examples and common ways that people become influenced are traumatization, experiencing negative childhood, being around negative people for extended periods of time. Being traumatized (more likely during childhood) is one of the single most prevalent factors that influence a person’s thinking. Whether they were abused as a child or experienced a whole lot of violence during said childhood also influences a person’s mind. A person can become a psychopath by heredity. They are influenced by someone else, most likely their parents, from a very early age. Another factor that comes into play that can and has caused a person to have this disorder is abuse of drugs and/or alcohol. The influence of drugs and alcohol can very easily escalate the symptoms of a person that already has the mental disorder. A person with alcohol in their system is vulnerable to misconduct and a psychopath is already amoral and cannot think clearly or rationally, so drugs and alcohol just makes things worse (Gorenstein, 1979, p. 207). In several different studies it has been shown that the heredity of personality type disorders has also been affiliated with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). In the study researchers found that psychopathic traits were more

I've looked at alot of background of serial killers and cannibals a very large amount have had troubled childhoods. I believe that childhood experience is what drove them to kill a person. I have read some a article named “20 Of The Most Notorious Killers The World Has Ever Seen” and in this article its talks about Aileen Wuornos also know as “The Monster”. She killed seven men and she claimed they tried to rape her or had already done so. She worked as a prostitute in Florida. She had admitted to killing these men and was sentenced to death row she died in 1992 by lethal injection. What drove her to do this? What made her so mad or angry to want to kill over and over again?

“Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by an inability to form human attachment, aggressive narcissism, and antisocial behavior defined by a constellation of affective, interpersonal and behavioral characteristics, most of which society views as pejorative” [1]. Some of these characteristics include irresponsibility, grandiosity, cunning, deceitfulness, selective impulsivity, sexual promiscuity, lack of empathy, etc. People who are psychopathic display not only antisocial behavior but also emotional impairment such as the lack of guilt. They are able to prey on others using their charm, deceit, violence or any other methods that allow them to get what they want. A strong feature of most of the behavior

Psychopaths can seem just like you or me, but when you are not around them this is when their mental disorder kicks in. Psychopaths that have been put in jail committed three times as many crimes per year then non-psychopaths. 97% of convicted psychopathic criminals cause at least one violent crime compared to 74% of non-psychopaths. Psychopaths are shown to be more violence throughout their entire life compared to a regular people. Psychopaths tend to have a greater chance of failing on parole and mandatory supervision and have a faster rate of failing then non-psychopaths. Psychopathy predicts recidivism on conditional release as well as or better than do actuarial risk instruments. Psychopaths recidivate at a rate of three to four times higher than that of non-psychopaths.