The Disturbing World Of Psychopath: Summary

When we look at how fragile each one of our lives are, we need to take a minute and realize the different characteristics that form us into who we are today. Studies have shown that there are characteristics within the behavior of an individual that can be linked to the specific behaviors demonstrated by an offender that would classify them as a psychopath. Along with other research that looks into an individual’s genetics to see if that plays a role in defining or making a psychopath. John Allen Muhammad, also known as the D.C. sniper, was labeled as a psychopath when he terrorized D.C. for two weeks, taking thirteen victims and killing ten of them. This paper will go over the behaviors that constitute psychopathy, and the behaviors that

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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

According to studies led by King’s College researchers, it has been confirmed that “psychopathy is a distinct subgroup of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)” (Gregory et. al n.p) and similarly to psychopathy, the more severe ASPD behavioral patterns are, the symptoms can be referred to as sociopathic or psychopathic. Furthermore, according to Nigel Blackwood, Ma, MD.MRCPsych, “MRI scans...found that psychopaths had structural brain abnormalities in key areas of their ‘social brains’” (Gregory et. al n.p). The areas of the brain, in which are deficient in psychopaths, are important when comprehending an individual emotions’, intentions, and moral

Psychopathy, in both the mental health and criminal justice systems, has emerged as one of the most important clinical constructs of the 21st century (Hare, Clark, Grann, & Thornton, 2000, p. 623). Where clinically, psychopathy is traditionally described as a combination of inferred socially deviant behaviors and personality traits. Some traits and behaviors a psychopath is seen to possess are commonly known, for example, to being impulsive, selfish, aggressive, lacking remorse, shame, feeling for others, pathologically lying, and having asocial or antisocial behaviors (Hare, & Neumann, 2006, p. 59-60). One of the reasons as to why psychopathy has come to see an increase in the development of its theoretical and applied interest is the

Psychopaths have been around for more than a century, and have found themselves to be able to make the public fear them. Belle Gunness, the Zodiac Killer, and John Wayne Gacy are all examples for the character traits compatible with psychopathy and have been able to provide more reason to the research of psychopaths. Statistically, psychopathy is found in three percent of the male population and in one percent of one percent of the female population. A psychopath’s behavior of exploitation, lying, recklessness, and arrogance has been studied to further understand how their brain structure is different in MRI scans and how they are able to use special abilities to catch its victims. Many research studies have been able to provide more information

Accordingly, there exists a small group of people who exhibit most-to-all of these specific and peculiar characteristics and behaviours. This particular group of predators presents numerous challenges to morality, safety and policy. For instance, because a "psychopath" may display a general coldness toward others, they are more likely to commit criminal acts, and afterward not respond to punishment or deterrent tactics. Hare’s psychopathy checklist when used as a tool to identify psychopaths prevents harmful exposure of non-psychopaths to this dangerous group of offenders. For this tool to work effectively there must not be significant overlap of the specific characteristics used in the PCL-R to identify psychopaths as in the general population of non-psychopaths. In other words, the psychopath must

This article states that we need to stop interchanging psychopath and sociopath, as they are two different disciplines. Pemment goes into detail about the history, research, and growth of psychopathy. He says that we need to understand the difference between the two, as the behavioral characteristics and potential treatments for each are different. The article includes details on Hervey Cleckley and Robert Hares work on psychopathy. The article describes the PCL-R, and how Hare says the test should be done. The PCL-R is used as a screening tool to identify psychopaths, and

The media’s focus on the highly publicized trials of notorious mass murders, such as Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Kaczynski has spurred society’s fascination with psychopaths. Hollywood’s consistent production of films portraying psychopaths, like Silence of the Lambs and American Psycho, is illustrative of the public’s removed curiosity with the mad. Psychopathy, a misunderstood behavioral disorder, traverses the fine line between the mentally ill and the evil. Unfortunately, the perceptions established through popular media prejudice our overall ideologies on the mentally ill, specifically those suffering

Within the streamlined boundaries of today’s society, many find amenity in discussing their unrest with those who can lessen it or resolve it completely. Similarly, when the burden is too great, those with apprehensions about their mental state are welcomed into psychiatric facilities designed to rehabilitate their patients to their full potential. Psychopathy is defined by a select grouping of symptoms while the classification of psychopaths has changed substantially over the last 60 years, largely by Dr. Robert Hare. Randle McMurphy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s protagonist displays a combination of psychopathic tendencies and inclinations of those not needing psychiatric care. Within the 1960s definition of a psychopathic individual

Popular portrayals of psychopaths are diverse and conflicting, ranging from impulsive and violent criminals to corporate figures who skillfully maneuver their way up the social ladder. Despite this diversity a well validated measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), has come to dominate clinical and legal practice. The PCL-R covers two basic domains: an interpersonal affective domain that encompasses core traits like callousness and manipulativeness, and an antisocial domain that entails disinhibition and chronic antisocial behavior. The PCL-R is often used to help make decisions in legal matters like hat sentence an offender should get (Skeem

The bulk of the book revolves around the mysterious enigmatic topic psychopathy and how it is essentially all around us; in the highest places and the lowest, inside the best and worst of us, and a bit in the core of us all. The history of psychopathy goes back to the beginnings of civilization itself, but its treatment and study began to take of in the late 1800’s and reached its peak in the mid-1900’s. Ronson dedicates many pages of The Psychopath Test

Hare could not definitively conclude that either ones’ biological factors or social forces made a person a psychopath, he rather believed it is an interplay between the both and their ability to make emotional connection, is greatly reduced (p. 173). He affirmed that psychopaths are difficult if not impossible to treat, because they themselves believe that they have no psychological or emotional problems. When Dr. Hare’s prison experience was over he continued his profession of psychiatry, he postulated that a psychopath is not only for prisoners but for all people. One of my reactions to this book was the Psychopathy Checklist, which Dr. Hare created as a tool for discovering psychopaths are egocentric and have no feelings of empathy, guilt or remorse.

“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.