The Relation Of Specific Psychopathology With Social Perception

Psychopathy as a mental disorder or construct, although not included in the presently valid classification systems, is gradually fascinating the experts and investigators involved in the field of mental health. Curiosity in psychopathy has mainly grown after the declaration of the new classification system DSM V in which psychopathy is mentioned as a clear diagnosis in the context of six new personality illnesses.

Psychopathy is an umbrella term that is both wide and varied. Much like the spectrum of light, there are numerous groups and subcategories. In this spectrum is Anti- Social Personality Disorder (referred to as ASPD in this essay); this condition unlike psychopathy is a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (referred to as the DSM). The term psychopathy and psychopath is used in both the media and everyday use as a disorder but this is untrue. Unlike a disorder, psychopathy is more of a series of traits that all individuals have. ASPD and psychopathy are used interchangeably in society, but the diagnosis for ASPD and psychopathy are quite different. Though similar in numerous ways, there are some key

Previous research has discovered that people on the autism spectrum have difficulty understanding the agency portion of mind perception, meaning they have trouble representing other people’s mental states. Contrary to autism, schizotypy involves the over-attribution of mental states, specifically agency, in the area of social cognition. The third syndrome, psychopathy, is characterized as the failure to be aware of experience. This explains the tendency for psychopaths to be insensitive and manipulative.

Psychopathy, sociopathy, and anti-social personality disorder, also known as ASPD, are three very similar disorders; so much so that it is a common question if they are the same disorder or not. All three of them are defined as people who have anti-social behaviours. All of these disorders are very common in people who disregard both the law and social norms, have no shame or guilt, and are occasionally violent; such as criminals. Psychopathy, sociopathy and ASPD, are essentially the same disorder, as they all fall under the same category of an anti-social disorder, and are based on symptoms, definitions, and crime records.

According to research a difficulty developing Theory of Mind is central to the social deficits associated with autism (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). Theory of Mind is the ability to infer, understand and predict the beliefs, intentions, emotions of oneself and others. In typically developing children the understanding of intention as an “internal goal-oriented internal state is evident around 4-5 years of age (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). It is often the more subtle aspects of Theory of Mind, such as the ability to recognize complex emotions and facial expressions, and the interpretation of social-emotional cues in naturalistic settings, are where cognitively more able groups of individuals with ASD struggle (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin, and Rinehart 2012). Those children with ASD that are of low IQ are most likely to struggle with Theory of Mind because they are not fully able to utilize cognitive reasoning to compensate for their social deficits (Sivaratnam, Cornish, Gray, Howlin,

Stories of the ‘psychopath’ are often intriguing to individuals in the general population as they receive exhaustive media coverage and are the basis for many interesting story lines in books, television and movies. The idea of the ‘psychopath’ is usually misunderstood and merged with other dispositions such as Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD), but these concepts are two distinct entities. Defining a ‘psychopath’ is a difficult task. Frist, psychopathy is a trait and not a disorder (Strickland et al, 2013). Characterizing psychopathy using the Diagnostic Statistical Manual Fifth Edition (DSM-V) has demonstrated effective trait-based coverage in terms of psychopathy and its facets that are identifiable through the Personality

I believe many of us would assume that everyone thinks in the same way as ourselves. We think in words and ideas. We are “verbal thinkers.” However, do you ever thought about people who might think differently than you? Not everyone is a verbal thinker or a conventional thinker. If you don’t have autism, you may have thought those who do are different or maybe even “strange.” In her speech, The world needs all kinds of minds; Temple Grandin, a woman with autism, discusses how people with autism think differently than others. She says that she “thinks in pictures” and that many others with autism also think this way. She also explain how it differs from the conventional sense of thinking. She gives personal experiences throughout her speech. She is able to tell of how she overcame some of the cons that is sometimes associated with autism. Grandin’s main argument is that individuals with autism should be encouraged to branch out and should not be confined where they don’t feel comfortable. They should not be forced to act the same as others but to be who they are. She advocates that they are individuals and they should be treated as such.

The concept of psychopathy originated in the 1800s to describe individuals that consistently failed to conform to societal norms and exhibited antisocial behavior that did not fit the concept of mental illness of the time period. While, psychopathy was a common term used to describe individuals suffering from this disorder other descriptions were coined such as “Pinel’s term “manie sans delvie” meaning mania without delirium in the 1700s, to describe patents whose ‘affective faculties were disordered’” or Pritchard’s term “moral insanity” (Ogloff 520). In the 1930’s Partridge argued that psychopathy was a social rather than a mental disorder and proposed that the concept of sociopathy be introduced as a more accurate description. The American Psychological Association adopted Partridge’s term for their Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel in 1952. However, in 1968 the American Psychological Association changed the diagnostic label from sociopath to “personality disorder, antisocial” for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel – II that continued through to the DSM - III in 1980 and the DSM - III-R in 1987 and the DSM - IV in 1994. Today the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel categorizes antisocial personality disorder as a personality disorder and it is named as such. Unfortunately, not much research has been conducted

This paper explores the physical and mental abnormalities of one who suffers from Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD), what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has produced about it, and specific characters who suffer from the disorder. The DSM, although very accurate and authentic, will not be the sole reference- it will merely benefit the definition, symptoms, and treatment of ASPD. Actual, psychical brain abnormalities of one who endures ASPD will be represented- along with two disorders that very well relate to ASPD: sociopathy and psychopathy.

To focus further on sociopathic disorder, Dr. Paula MacKenzie discusses this history of the disorder. MacKenzie defines sociopathy as a personality disorder characterized by a lack of social responsibility and failure to adapt to ethical and social standards of the community (Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary, 2002, p. 1599). After she defines the many personality disorders she discusses in the article, she discusses how much of the research of behavioral disorders began in the 1800’s when mental asylums became popular (2014). The first classification of a disorder similar to sociopathy was “manie sans delire” or “insanity without delirium.”

Also, individuals with autism have been shown to lack this ability, yet we do not attribute with a lack of moral judgement. The solution to understanding the differences between psychopaths, autistic individuals, and normally developed individuals, Nichols asserts, lies in finding a deficit present in psychopaths and not autistic individuals. Due to the non-rationalist explanation of lack of responsiveness to harm of others in psychopaths, the evidence points towards a Humean account. Thus, Nichols concludes that this deficiency is to be found in affective capacities.

On average, men scored higher than women on psychopathy (Mmale = 2.48, SEmale = .05; Mfemale = 2.05, SEfemale = .03), narcissism (Mmale = 18.33, SEmale = .86; Mfemale = 13.49, SEfemale = .58), and Machiavellianism (Mmale = 3.82, SEmale = .09; Mfemale = 3.47, SEfemale = .05). The results from the independent t-tests indicated that there was a significant difference between males and females on psychopathy, t(202) = 7.08, p < .001, with a medium effect size, r = .45, on narcissism, , t(202) = 4.73, p < .001, with a medium effect size, r = .32, and on Machiavellianism, t(202) = 3.51, p = .001, with a small effect size, r = .24. Men and women were also different on many of the LIWC categories. On average, men were less authentic in their

Grinnell College has given me a wonderful opportunity to explore many different subjects I hold interest in. When I enrolled here, I envisioned myself as an English or History major. After dabbling in subjects from Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies to Spanish, I have found that I hold a passionate interest in Psychology. I have always had an interest in mental disorders and diseases, which led me to my Tutorial: Exploring Autism. It was there that I was introduced to my first true whiffs of psychological thought, what we understand of how the mind functions, and what some abnormalities look like. I continue to hold my interest in mental disorders and disabilities, and would thus like to focus on areas of psychology that pertain to it.

This study by Gray et al. explored how a 2D framework of mind perception could be used to further our understanding of psychopathology. They have done so by examining the interaction between the two dimensions of mind perception: agency (e.g. capacity for conscious control) and experience (e.g. capacity for feelings), with three subclinical syndromes: autism-spectrum disorder, schizotypy, and psychopathy. By reviewing current literatures, a distinct profile of under- and overperception of agency and/or experience was speculated for each syndrome. Specifically, Gray et al. hypothesized that people high in autism spectrum would be characterized by underperception of agency in adult human, people high in schizotypy would overperceive mind in non-human targets, and people with psychopathic tendencies would underperceive experience in living beings. The Mind survey was adopted to assess participants ' mind ascription profiles, in which they have rate their perception of nine targeted entities. It could be inferred from the study that beside the rather miscellaneous target Superman, a typical individual without tendency for disorders would perceive those entities according to 4 categories: being capable of both agency and experience (man and woman), being capable of mainly experience (baby and dog), being capable of mainly agency (God and robot) and being capable of neither (tree and dead woman). Moreover, participants were required to complete web versions of the Autism-spectrum

Psychopathy is defined as a disorder of personality and antisocial disorder is primarily behaviorally based. Interestingly these disorders are considered co-morbid, because they can be present simultaneously within in patient but are not the same (Werner, Few, & Bucholz, 2015). This paper will discuss the literature for psychopathy and antisocial disorder, any relevant theories, and areas in need of further research.