Psychopathic disorder has been widely represented in media, through movies such as Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs and individuals with this condition are often portrayed as criminals. Psychopathic disorder affects several members of society but has no specific diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of mental disorders, which is used to diagnose a majority of psychological conditions. Roughly one percent of the world’s population, approximately 70 million people, is diagnosed as psychopaths. Given the amount of people diagnosed with psychopathic disorder, there are still many questions left to be answered about what a Psychopath really is. People who live with psychopathic disorder exhibit several behaviors and possess unique personality traits which make a diagnosis possible. Psychologists are able to diagnose individuals with psychopathic disorder through a variety of observable and non-observable differences. An individual with psychopathic disorder will exhibit a specific set of behaviors and unique personality traits, as well as having genetic, environmental and neurological influences which will affect their societal perception.
Psychopathic disorder, while widely known by the general public and accepted within the field of Psychology, does not have its own specific diagnostic category is the DSM, 5th edition. In the DSM, psychopathy is classified as a type of antisocial personality disorder, due to the fact that patients with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and those with psychopathic disorder share various traits, and the diagnostic criteria is very similar. The DSM5 defines antisocial personality disorder as a persistent pattern of “disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since the age of 15, as indicated by three or more…” of a specific set of diagnostic behaviors (American Psychiatry Association, 2013, pg. 659). In order to be diagnosed with ASPD, or psychopathic disorder, the subject in question must also be eighteen years or older, display conduct behaviors before the age of fifteen, and when the behaviors are observed they must not be due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, whose behaviors are similar but not identical to ASPD.
There are several behaviors that a person with antisocial personality disorder, and by extension psychopathic disorder, will exhibit. One of these behaviors is a failure to follow societal standards of law-abiding behavior, which can be seen in the repeated engagement of behaviors that may end in arrest or criminal prosecution. Another behavior exhibited is deceitfulness that allows the psychopath to receive personal gain, personal gratification or pleasure. Extreme impulsivity, irritability and aggression, and irresponsibility are also behaviors that can be observed and may lead to a diagnosis of psychopathic disorders. All these behaviors will be displayed in extremes and may be exhibited in verbal or physical manifestations. Patients with ASPD and psychopathic disorder will also have a blatant disregard for their safety and the safety of others, and will lack remorse for mistakes committed or the effects which their decisions may have on others. In order for an official diagnosis to be determined all of the aforementioned criteria and at least three of the defined behaviors must be met. Not only do those with psychopathic disorder display a specific set of behaviors, they will also possess certain personality traits and characteristics that will influence their behavior and social interactions.
Several researchers and psychologists have dedicated their time in order to better understand the intricate works of the psychopathic disorder, but perhaps one of the most influential psychologists is Mr. Hervey Cleckley. Cleckley, a psychiatrist, identified sixteen personality traits and characteristics, which he observed during his time working with individuals who have a “psychopathic personality” (Barlow et al. pg 454). Through his work, Cleckley developed a list of sixteen personality traits and characteristics, which were modified by Robert Hare, who was also influential in the understanding of psychopathic disorder. The new list, the Cleckley/Hare Criteria includes twenty of these traits, which are seen in interpersonal relations, affective personality, lifestyle, and social relationships
The personality traits in an individual’s interpersonal interactions, or their relationship and communication skills with others (dictionary.com), vary in the way they carry themselves. Interpersonal traits which are seen in people with psychopathic disorder include a superficial, undeniable charm, an enlarged ego and sense of self-worth, as well as pathological lying and manipulation. Someone with psychopathic disorder will also have personality traits that carry into their affective personality, meaning that this disorder affects their moods, feelings and general attitude. The personality traits related to this individual affect include lack of remorse or guilt, short tempers, mood swings and negative attitude towards their peers. Psychopathic persons will also lack empathy towards others, and have an insensitive disregard for others’ thoughts, opinions and beliefs. These people will also be extremely irresponsible, often times having difficulty maintaining stable employment.
Patients with psychopathic disorder also have personality traits that manifest themselves in their day to day lifestyles. They have a constant need and desire for stimulation and depending on the varying personalities, psychopathic subtypes will vary. These individuals also heavily rely on others to stimulate their needs, and often times exploit the kindness and attention of those around them. Psychopaths will also lack the ability to set realistic, attainable goals and often lack the ability to plan for long term situations. Their inability to make plans often times means that this person is also impulsive, typically engaging in dangerous and irresponsible activities. Psychopathic individuals also lack control over their own behavior and are problematic from an early age, with some individuals having been entered into the criminal justice system as juvenile delinquents. Because of their behavioral problems, when these individuals get arrested and released from jail or prison on probation, they often get their probation or parole revoked due to their inability to stay out of trouble.
While there is a general defining criteria of a psychopath, as defined by the DSM’s classification of antisocial personality disorder, there are also varying types of psychopaths who apart from possessing the same personality traits and exhibiting the same behaviors as a general model psychopath, vary in their motives and characteristics. The “Unprincipled Psychopath” shares similar characteristics as an individual who may have a narcissistic personality in that they have an excessive interest in themselves and their appearance. Unprincipled psychopaths have a grandiose sense of self-worth and have no regard for others. They seek to be highly regarded by others and will typically exploit and manipulate people in order to get what they desire, despite the impact it may have on others. The Disingenuous Psychopath typically comes off as friendly and sociable upon first impressions. This type of psychopath tends to have bad relationships with family and close friends due to their unreliability, impulsivity, and mood swings. They seek attention and affection, which they often get in romantic relationship, which they are unable to hold on to due to their unreliability, chaotic mood swings and immature thrill seeking behaviors. Because they make such good impressions through deceiving others upon initial interaction, their actions tend to deceive even themselves, often times believing that they are well like because of their own plotting and scheming, rather than of the person’s judgement or character (Millon et al. pgs. 162-163).
The “risk taking psychopath” is characterized by their need and desire to engage in risky behavior in order to be stimulated and feeling alive. Rather than engaging in risky behavior for personal gain or the suffering of others, they engage in such behaviors in order to feel excitement, often times irresponsibly and blatantly disregarding their own safety. The covetous psychopath, or a person who desires things that typically do not belong to them (dictionary.com), feel like life has not given them things that they think they deserve. They also believe that they have been deprived of the affection, support and material items that they feel entitled to, often believing that they were not as fortunate as others or that they their fortune was taken by those who cause envy (Millon et al. pg. 164). Because they feel deprived, covetous psychopaths are often motivated by jealously and revenge and will steal the things they want, or deceive others into giving them what they want. For those whose covetous psychopathic tendencies are severe, they find pleasure in taking things from others rather than in having those things for themselves.
Another type of psychopath is the spineless psychopath. These psychopaths have a heightened flight or fight response, which causes them to engage in deceiving, malignant behavior in an attempt to be protected from potential harms or threats. These patients tend to have the perception that they are up against the world of potential harm. Similar to the spineless psychopath, the abrasive psychopath, will try to protect themselves from others that they feel pose a threat to their opinions or ideas. Unlike the spineless psychopath however, the abrasive psychopath will become verbally and psychically aggressive against their “threats” The Explosive psychopath is often compared to a child, in that they throw unprovoked tantrums and fits when things don’t go their way. Explosive personalities also engage in random fits of rage and aggression, violence and hostility usually directed towards family and friends. Researchers believe the reason for this explosive personality is a coping mechanism to cope with fear or frustration (Millon et al. pg. 166).
The malevolent psychopath is vengeful, hostile and defiant towards conventional social norms. They lack trust and spend their time expecting to be betrayed or punished and therefore developed a cold-blooded and ruthless personality that they use aggressively against others who they fear will cause mistreatment, real or not. These psychopaths are affected by traumas they may have experienced as children (Millon et al. pg. 168). Malignant psychopaths are afraid of losing their sense of self, independence and social status and will become vindictive against those who they believe put this in jeopardy. On the other end of the social standing spectrum is the tyrannical psychopath. These individuals have a “holier than thou” mentality and go out of their way to cause weakness and insecurity in others in order for their victims to fail and reassure their confidence. Due to the complexity of psychopathic and antisocial personality disorders, many researchers have conducted studies whose data may indicate genetic markers in psychopathic behavior.
According to researchers, there may be few genetic and neurological components that contribute to psychopathic tendencies (Millon et al. pg. 215) Researchers have conducted studies on twins in their biological families and in adopted families and found behaviors that may be attributed to genetics and may have a minimal influence on ASPD and criminality. A study conducted in 1974 looked at children who were adopted, whose biological mothers were convicted felons. These children were compared to other adopted children who had “normal” biological mothers. All the children in this study had been separated from their biological mothers at birth, thus never having the environment of that parent to affect the study. Researchers found that the children whose mothers had been convicted felons had “significantly higher rates of arrests, conviction and antisocial personality” when compared to their “normal mother” counter parts (Barlow et al. pg. 456). This finding showed that there was at least a partial genetic influence. During this study, researchers also found that there may be a correlation between genetics and the environment. They noticed that the children of felon mothers who had higher rates of criminal activity had spent longer periods of time in foster homes, than the children of felon mothers who were adopted into permanent homes earlier in their childhood and higher rates in general than the children of non-felon mothers. This find allowed researchers to determine that genetics may cause a vulnerability and predisposition to psychopathic behavior, but the development of the criminal activity and aggression may be heavily influenced by the environment of the individual (Barlow et al. pg. 456).
Unfortunately, even though this disorder affects millions of people worldwide, there is not one specific genetic or neurological indicator of the disorder but researchers are working on narrowing down the neurological markers that mat be seen in a psychopathic patient. Based off animal research scientists have discovered that traits such aggression and emotional instability may be genetically influenced. In animal studies conducted on rats, researchers found that there are a triad of genetic markers that might be attributed to aggression and “emotionality” (Millon et al. pg. 216). While there has not been a discovery that specifically indicates the exact genetic cause of aggression and emotional instability, researchers believe the answer may lie in the monoamine oxidase A gene (MOA-A). The MOA-A gene is one of two genes that assist the cellular development of enzymes such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Research has shown that a mutation in this gene may be related to an increase in aggression, although there has not been enough research to prove the correlation between this genetic mutation and the effects it has on the aggression and instability that psychopaths exhibit. (Millon et al. pg. 225) While there is yet no certainty in the genetic causes of psychopathic disorder, psychologists have developed two theories that may explain the psychopathic personality.
The under-arousal theory, which attempts to explain the fearlessness and thrill-seeking tendencies seen in psychopaths, looks at neurological arousal in patients’ brains. According to the arousal theory, psychopaths engage in thrill- seeking and risky behaviors due to extremely and persistently low levels of arousal (Barlow et al, pg. 458). The second theory developed is the fearlessness theory. In the fearlessness theory, psychologists believe that psychopaths have a higher fear threshold than normal, non-psychopathic individuals. Due to the fearlessness that psychopaths possess, they then exhibit all the other behaviors and personality traits that have been clear diagnostic indicators of the disorder. Researchers believe that the low levels of arousal may be tied to the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), which is responsible for people’s abilities to stop activities that may dangerous (Barlow et al, pg. 458).
The BIS is thought to be in charge of the serotonin arousal in the brain, which may explain the low levels of arousal in psychopaths. In a psychopath’s brain, there are low levels of serotonin release, which is an enzyme responsible for mood regulation, social behaviors, and sexual desires amongst other functions (Barlow et al, pg. 458). It is also believed that the “rewards system” in the brain may have an effect on the way pleasure is perceived. The rewards system is in charge of our behavior and the positive awards associated with our behaviors. Scientists and psychologists believe that this rewards system likely involves the dopamine release in the brain (Barlow et al. pg. 458). In short, psychologists believe that the reason that psychopaths feel the need to engage in risky behaviors to stimulate arousal, is because they do not experience dopamine and serotonin arousals while doing non-extreme activities the way that non-psychopathic people experience these chemical releases.