Many people equate the term ‘psychopath’ with violent individuals who cannot control their urges to commit terrible crimes. The image that might come to mind is that of Patrick Bateman, a character in the film American Psycho drenched in the blood of his victims, or Ted Bundy, an American serial killer who murdered and killed over 30 women and committed necrophilia with some of his victims’ corpses.

Today, some people use the term ‘psychopath’ to label and stigmatise people they do not like but this label is often used without a full understanding of the meaning of the term. Once a person is labelled a psychopath, they will almost invariably face many challenges in their social future because they will then be associated with serial killers or mass murderers, or someone who will commit harm for instant gratification or due to a lack of empathy.

In reality, psychopathy is a type of antisocial personality disorder, but not all of those who have antisocial personality disorders are psychopaths. In this article, we will discuss the symptoms of psychopathy, other antisocial disorders that are often mistaken for psychopathy, the causes of psychopathy, famous psychopaths, and available treatments for individuals who display psychopathic tendencies.

Symptoms of Psychopathic Tendencies

How can you spot a psychopath or people with psychopathic tendencies? According to the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy (Psychopathy Society), most individuals with psychopathic tendencies display the following symptoms:

• An absence of a sense of guilt – Psychopaths do not feel remorse after causing harm, loss, or suffering to another person or creature
• A lack of compassion and empathy – Psychopaths do not have the capability to identify and feel the pain of others, often viewed as being cold, inconsiderate, and tactless
• An absence of attachment – Psychopaths typically maintain an emotional distance from others, and the depth of their feelings are shallow, which causes them to display a sense of interpersonal coldness
• Narcissism – Psychopaths have narcissistic tendencies and an inflated sense of self-worth and ability, and are often opinionated and arrogant
• Superficial charm – Psychopaths typically have charming personalities and know what to say in certain situations; however, their actions often do not match what they say, and many of them tend to be smooth, charming, engaging, and slick
• Dishonesty – Psychopaths have a tendency to be dishonest, manipulative, and deceitful
• Manipulative behaviour – Psychopaths try to manipulate and cheat others for personal gain through charm and charisma
• Reckless risk-taking – Psychopaths have a tendency to take significant risks with no regard for the consequences
• Need for stimulation and prone to boredom – Some psychopaths require activities that will give them exciting stimulation, as they are prone to boredom when faced with routine or dull assignments
• Irresponsibility – Psychopaths tend not to fulfil or honour their commitments and obligations, and do not accept the responsibilities of their actions

Psychopaths try to manipulate and cheat others for personal gain through charm and charisma.

Although psychopathic tendencies are more prevalent in males compared to females, history has recorded many instances of female psychopaths. One of the most famous female psychopaths in history is Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who was responsible for killing and torturing over 600 women, and then bathing in their blood, in a twisted and mistaken attempt to maintain her beauty and youth.

In general, psychopaths are in touch with reality and are fully aware of their conduct. Due to this characteristic, they may learn to fit in with other people and keep their psychopathic tendencies hidden. However, most psychopaths typically have a run-in with the law at some point in their lives.

Sociopath vs. Psychopath: What are the Differences?

Some people often mistake a sociopath for a psychopath. While all psychopaths are sociopaths, not all sociopaths are psychopaths. The following are differences between the two:

Narcissism vs. Psychopathy: What are the Differences?

Narcissism is one of the attributes displayed by psychopaths. However, although all psychopaths are narcissistic, not all narcissists are psychopaths. For someone to be considered a narcissist, he or she must fulfil five or more of the following criteria:

• An inflated sense of self
• A preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or love
• A belief that he or she is special and unique, and can only be understood by, or should associate with people of high status or respectable institutions
• A desire for excessive admiration
• A sense of entitlement
• An absence of empathy
• A belief that other people are envious of him or her
• Display arrogant or superior attitudes

Psychopath vs. Psychotic: What are the Differences?

Psychopaths are very different from those who are psychotic. Psychotic behaviour involves losing touch with reality. Individuals who suffer from psychotic behaviour often hear voices, have strange beliefs, or are paranoid or delusional. Oftentimes, people who suffer from psychotic tendencies experience disorganised thinking, and they believe that a higher power gives them direct instructions.

What Contributes to Psychopathic Tendencies?

Psychopathy is not currently well-understood but there is a growing body of research focused on the disorder. Most of the research centres on identifying the causes of psychopathy, in the hopes that a therapeutic or pharmaceutical treatment can be found, if not to cure psychopathy then at least to manage psychopathic tendencies. There are at least two known factors that have been found to contribute to psychopathic tendencies: genetics and environmental factors.

Genetic Causes

Click to enlarge

In 2012, Dr Kent Kiehl, a neuroscientist at the University of Mexico, discovered that the brains of people who displayed psychopathic tendencies were wired differently, with a decrease in activity in the paralimbic part of the brain compared to the average human brain. The paralimbic part of the brain deals with moral reasoning, and lower activity in the paralimbic system makes it difficult for a person to identify with other people’s feelings. In the following year, Dr Kiehl found that the abnormality in the paralimbic system was present from birth.

Studies have shown that in people with high psychopathic tendencies, their brain responds differently to those who have low psychopathic scores. One study found that the amygdala of people with antisocial personalities responds differently to that of people with less antisocial personalities. This difference is believed to be the contributing factor in the development of psychotic traits, since the amygdala is the part of the brain that regulates emotion. In the study, when people with low psychopathy scores were faced with violence, they would experience an increase in respiration and heart rate. However, the people with psychopathic characteristics would not experience fear and instead became calmer.

In 2017, a Harvard University-led team discovered that psychopathic individuals tended to show greater activity in areas of the brain associated with immediate rewards. They were also weaker in areas of the brain associated with projecting and thinking about the future consequences of their actions.

In other words, in the brain of a psychopath, they are more likely than others make decisions based on immediate gratification, and their decisions are less likely to be governed by a projection of what the future consequences may be.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors experienced during childhood, combined with genetic differences, may contribute to the development of psychopathic personalities. While the genetic differences as described above are significant factors, the following environmental factors also contribute to the development of psychopathic traits:

• Inconsistent parenting, or parenting styles that focus on punishment and a lack of reward
• The absence of or insufficient parental involvement
• Physical abuse or neglect during childhood
• Separation from a parent or parents

Examples of environmental factors can include a parent’s drug addiction, childhood bullying, or stresses occurring during pregnancy or within the first two years of a child’s life. However, not all the children who experience these circumstances grow up to be psychopaths. As such, it would suggest that environmental factors do not account for the whole cause of psychopathy, and a genetic component must also be present.

Children with psychopathic tendencies are emotionally distant from their surrounding environment.

Psychopathy is a condition that is only diagnosed in adults above 18 years old. However, a study on psychopathic adults shows that young adults and children may also display psychopathic tendencies and personalities. If you know any children who display psychopathic tendencies, it is recommended that you encourage the child’s guardians to seek psychological help to determine the root of their behaviour and intervention if needed. If the development of psychopathy does indeed have some of its roots in environmental factors, it stands to reason that such learned behaviours are easier to treat and unlearn when a child is younger, than when they are older and have had much more time to reinforce those behaviours.

Examples of psychopathic tendencies in children include:

• Emotional distance
• A history of conning or using other people
• Aggravated self-importance
• Blaming other people for their mistakes
• Acting impulsively without thinking of the consequences
• Breaking promises
• Disregarding schoolwork
• Prone to boredom
• Fake charm
• Engaging in dangerous and risky behaviour
• Lying often and skilfully, and believing in their lies
• Engaging in illegal activities
• Lack of empathy for other people

Are Psychopaths Always Violent?

While many TV shows and movies often portray psychopaths as monstrous villains who torture and kill innocent victims, not all psychopaths are violent serial killers. Having said that, most psychopaths do engage in reckless behaviour or manipulation to achieve their objectives. For example, some of them are skilled in climbing corporate ladders although they have to hurt others on their way up. That would be an example of a socially functioning and socially engaged psychopath who does not exhibit violent tendencies, but perhaps scores low on the empathy scale.

There are many websites that list the various symptoms of psychopathy so it may seem a simple disorder to diagnose. In fact, we might even find that we ourselves match some of the listed symptoms of psychopathy. In reality, psychopathy is a very complex disorder and diagnosing psychopaths is best left to qualified professionals. Diagnosing someone as a psychopath on the basis of simplistic lists is irresponsible at best, and harmful at worst because it helps to perpetuate the stigma of seeking help for our mental health and we may be denying people the chance to receive treatment. So if you know someone who displays the above characteristics, it is best to refer to them to a qualified professional so that they can get the diagnosis and help they need.

A Case Study: Dr James Fallon, a Psychopath Neurologist

Dr James Fallon

From the outside, Dr James Fallon was a family man and a practising neuroscientist since the 1970s. One day however, he stumbled across the previously unthinkable. In 2005, Dr Fallon was researching Alzheimer’s disease and used the scans of his family members as a control for his research. At the same time, he had a side project reviewing the brain scans of murderous psychopaths.

As he was reviewing the brain scans of his family members, one of the scans indicated that someone in his family had a brain similar to a psychopath. Since the scans had been labelled anonymously, he instructed a technician to break the code to identify the person in his family with psychopathic brain characteristics.

To his surprise, the brain scan was his. After this shocking discovery, Dr Fallon started to research his ancestors, and interviewed friends, colleagues, and family members as to whether they thought any of his behaviours indicated that he was a psychopath. As it turned out, many of his colleagues and family members thought that he had psychopathic tendencies.

Although he had a genetic make-up consistent with that of a psychopath, Dr Fallon attributed his ‘normal life’ and non-violent character to his upper middle-class upbringing, education, and supportive family. Therefore, he is a living proof that environmental factors play significant roles in determining whether a psychopath will develop violent tendencies or not.

Dr James Fallon admitted that while he was not a violent mass murderer, he had a tendency to manipulate and use other people. Since discovering his psychopathic tendencies, Dr Fallon became determined to treat the people around him better, and to control his urges to manipulate others. Dr Fallon is an example of how awareness of psychopathic tendencies can be helpful in treating and self-regulating our behaviour to minimise harm to others.

Dr James Fallon: Psychopath Insight

Watch Dr James Fallon describing his psychopathic mind and the opinions of his colleagues

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/PsychopathInsight.mp4

Available Treatments for Psychopaths

Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center (MJTC) in Wisconsin, USA has developed a programme called Decompression Treatment that has shown encouraging results in the reduction of violent and criminal tendencies in youths who display psychopathic traits and have participated in the program for one year or more.

Until recently, many medical professionals believed that there were no available treatments for psychopaths. To make matters worse, a 1991 study showed that the violent tendencies of psychopaths who were treated in groups were even worse than those who were not treated. However, there are some medical professionals who believe that psychopathy is a condition that can be treated if the persons with psychopathic tendencies realise their condition and choose to seek help.

The Mendota Juvenile Treatment Centre (MJTC) in Wisconsin has developed a programme called Decompression Treatment that has shown encouraging results in the reduction of violent and criminal tendencies in youths who display psychopathic traits and have participated in the program for one year or more.

The MJTC staff who developed the Decompression Treatment acknowledge that individuals with psychopathic tendencies do not respond to punishment. Therefore they concentrate on positive reinforcement and rewards for pro-social behaviour and positive actions. The therapists increase the stakes and rewards as the program progresses, and the longer the participants persevere in their good behaviour, the greater the reward.

Dr Kent Kiehl, a neuroscientist at the University of Mexico, discovered that the brains of people who displayed psychopathic tendencies were wired differently

For example, the participants start by getting a pat on the shoulder and as the individuals advance in their pro-social behaviour, the stakes are increased to having the right to play video games. This treatment has been demonstrated to reduce the probability of people with psychopathic tendencies from committing violent crimes in the first place, although it does not eliminate all the symptoms.

According to Dr Kiehl, only 64% of the youths who participated in the Decompression Treatment programme had another run-in with the law within four years after participating in the treatment, as opposed to 98% of those who had not participated in the programme. Therefore, the MJTC treatment resulted in a 34% reduction in recidivism. In addition, further study revealed that the benefits of Decompression Treatment far outweighed the financial cost. For every USD10,000 that the State of Wisconsin spent on Decompression Treatment, the state government saved USD70,000 in incarceration, not to mention a reduction in the emotional toll on society due to lower crime rates.

Famous Psychopaths

Historical Psychopaths

1. Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed (1560 – 1614)

Left – A painting of Countess Elizabeth Báthory (1560 – 1614)
Right – An illustration of how Countess Elizabeth Báthory bathed in the blood of her victims

Countess Elizabeth Báthory was a Hungarian aristocrat who was obsessed with maintaining her physical youth and beauty. She believed that the method for achieving eternal beauty was by bathing in the blood of young women. She started murdering peasant girls whom she lured with the promise of better pay, to get their blood to bathe in. Eventually, having run out of peasant girls, she began targeting young women from the aristocracy who were entrusted by their families to her. It was only then that her actions were viewed with disgust and something was done to stop her. Prior to the death of aristocratic women, the law turned a blind eye to the frequent disappearances of the peasant girls. As a result of her actions, Countess Báthory became known as ‘The Bloody Countess” and according to her servant girl, Susannah, she killed over 600 girls and young women in her 20-year quest for eternal youth and beauty.

2. Vlad The Impaler (1428 – 1476)

Vlad the Impaler (1428 – 1476)

Vlad III, better known as Vlad the Impaler, was a three-time ruler of Wallachia (modern day Romania). Vlad III was famous for his cruelty and his favourite method of torture was impalement, a method of execution in which an object (e.g., pole or hook) was penetrated through the victim’s torso. The legend of his cruelty inspired the creation of a famous fictional psychopathic character, Count Dracula.

Vlad III’s favourite method of torture and execution was impalement.

3. Ivan the Terrible (1530 – 1584)

Ivan the Terrible (1530 – 1584)

Ivan the Terrible was a Russian tsar. He was famous for his cruelty and paranoia. During his lifetime, Ivan the Terrible was prone to uncontrollable rage. The danger and the court intrigue that Ivan was exposed to contributed to his suspicious and ruthless personality. Ivan the Terrible was known for displacing many aristocratic families in Russia, beat his pregnant daughter in law which resulted in a miscarriage, and killed his son and heir, Ivan Ivanovich. During his reign, Ivan the Terrible caused the death of thousands of people to fulfill his ambition to expand his territory.

Modern Day Psychopaths

1. Ted Bundy (1946 – 1989)

Ted Bundy (1946 – 1989)

Ted Bundy was a psychopathic serial killer from Washington, USA. During his lifetime, not only did he kidnap, rape, and kill over 30 women across seven states in the United States, he was also involved in the act of necrophilia with his victims’ corpses. His victims regarded him as handsome and charismatic, and it was these traits that Bundy manipulated to win their trust. His biographer Ann Rule described him as “a sadistic sociopath who took pleasure from another human’s pain and the control he had over his victims, to the point of death, and even after”. Attorney Polly Nelson, a member of his last defense team, agreed, saying that “Ted the very definition of heartless evil.” To this day, Ted Bundy’s name is still synonymous with the term ‘psychopath’. The man who famously called himself “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet” never expressed remorse for his crimes, saying:

“I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.”

Ted Bundy

2. Richard Ramirez (1960 – 2013)

Richard Ramirez (1960 – 2013)

Richard Ramirez, also known as the ‘Night Stalker’, was a serial killer, burglar, rapist, and Satanist from California, USA. He used several types of weapons on his victims, such as knives, handguns, a tire iron, and a hammer. His first known victim was a nine-year old girl, who was found murdered in a hotel basement. She had been beaten, raped, and stabbed to death, and her body was left hanging from a pipe. By the time he was caught, he was known to have carried out 13 murders, 11 sexual assaults, five attempted murders, and 14 burglaries. Sentenced to 13 death sentences, Richard Ramirez was put on a death row. However, due to the lengthy California appeal process, his execution was never carried out. He died of complications from B-Cell Lymphoma in 2013. During his trial and up until he died, he never once expressed remorse for any of his crimes. In fact, after his sentencing, when addressing reporters, Ramirez said, “Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland.” Ramirez in fact almost seemed proud of his crimes, saying:

“We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid control life itself.”

Richard Ramirez

3. John Wayne Gacy (1942 – 1994)

John Wayne Gacy (1942 – 1994)

John Wayne Gacy, also known as ‘The Killer Clown’, was a serial killer from Illinois, USA. He was a well-liked figure in his neighbourhood, and often entertained children in clown costumes. Using his standing in the community allowed him to gain the trust of his eventual victims. However, his reputation was ruined when he was convicted for sexually assaulting two teenage boys, and released on parole several years later. When he was finally caught in the late 1970s, the bodies of 33 young males were found buried under his house. He was given multiple death penalties and life sentences for his crime, and was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994. When Gacy was first arrested and the bodies of his victims were discovered, he was known to have said:

“I should never have been convicted of anything more serious than running a cemetery without a license.”

John Wayne Gacy

4. Dennis Nilsen (1945)

Dennis Nilsen (1945 – …)

Dennis Nilsen was a Scottish homosexual serial killer. After breaking up with his boyfriend in the mid-1970s, his life went into a downward spiral. In December 1978, he executed his first killing after meeting a man in a pub and had a sexual encounter with him. To prevent the man from leaving, Nilsen strangled him with a tie and drowned him in a bucket of water. He kept the corpse for seven months under his floorboards before burning the decaying remains in his back garden. By 1981, Dennis Nilsen was known to have killed 12 men. He lured each one to his home with promises of food, alcohol and shelter. By the time of his arrest in the mid-1980s, he admitted to killing 15 young men. When asked if he felt remorse for his actions, Nilsen famously said:

“I wished I could stop but I could not. I had no other thrill or happiness… I don’t lose sleep over what I have done or have nightmares about it.”

Dennis Nilsen

Famous Psychopaths in Movies and TV Series

One of the ways we can learn about how psychopathic individuals live is through their portrayals in movies and on TV. Although the majority of these are dramatised for the audience, more often than not their portrayals are based on real-life examples or scientific theories. The following are some well-known films and TV series that revolve around psychopathic characters:

Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street investment banker is obsessed with himself, his success, social standing, and style. His narcissism is consistent with his psychopathic tendencies, as he is pictured to have murdered a string of people, including colleagues, prostitutes, a security guard, and several more to satisfy his psychopathic tendencies. However, in the end, it is not clear whether the murder spree actually happened, or the entire event was only the product of Bateman’s violent imagination. The movie proved to be so popular that it has been announced a TV series is in development, reconnecting with Patrick Bateman in his 50s training up an apprentice.

Dexter was a popular TV series about Dexter Morgan, a good-looking serial killer who conducted his murders based on a code of honour taught by his foster father. He only murdered other killers or criminals. Dexter learned to adapt to regular social life and had a job as a forensic expert in the Miami Police Department, which he used to his advantage to cover up his crimes. At one point he also had a wife and a baby but his life took a drastic turn when another serial killer murdered his wife. It was only then people around him started to suspect his double lifestyle.

Silence of the Lambs was an Oscar-winning film about an FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and her quest to stop a psychopathic serial killer, Buffalo Bill, with the help of psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter, who was also a violent psychopath. The movie had several real-life inspirations. The charismatic and smooth-talking Dr Hannibal Lecter was based on the serial killer Ted Bundy who, like Lecter, evaded capture by charming those who worked with him.

The psychopathic serial killer Buffalo Bill was based on the crimes of several real-life serial killers, including Ed Gein, Jerry Brudos (a.k.a. the Lust Killer), Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway (a.k.a. the Green River Killer), Edmund Kemper and Gary M. Heidnik. The movie proved to be so popular that a sequel titled Hannibal was subsequently released, followed by two prequels titled Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising.

These are just some of the more prominent and well-known examples of films based on psychopathic individuals. There are countless more movies, TV series and documentaries focused on the actions of these individuals, and every year new material emerges. The undying popularity of this genre is a clear reflection that humans continue to be fascinated by the exploits of individuals who engage in antisocial behaviours so far removed from what is deemed acceptable in society. Yet as media coverage of this disorder increases, so too does research into the causes of psychopathy, thus increasing the hopes that a cure, treatment or effective method of managing the symptoms will one day soon be found.

Documentaries on Psychopaths

These are just some of the many documentaries that exist on psychopathic behaviour. While some may say there is a tendency to dramatise, nevertheless documentaries provide the general public with some insight into a condition and disorder that not many understand.

Psychopaths (Crime Psychology Documentary) – Real Stories

Professor Robert Hare reveals stunning new evidence
behind psychopathic behaviour

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Psychopaths.mp4

The Psychopath Next Door

Not all psychopaths are violent serial killers.
In fact, they may be our next door neighbours.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/PsychopathNextDoor.mp4

Sources:

• Kiehl, Kent A. and Buckholtz, Joshua W. Inside the Mind of a Psychopath; Scientific American Mind. 2010
• Brown, Sandra L. and Leedom, Liane. The Psychopath, the Mask of Sanity
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• https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/life-as-a-nonviolent-psychopath/282271/
• https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8gdevk/dr-james-fallon-makes-being-a-psychopath-look-like-fun-110
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