Psychopathy
Articles
Psychopathy,
also known as sociopathy, is a personality disorder afflicting
up to 1 in 25 people in the United States (about 4% of the total
population), though percentages vary from one study to the next,
and some authorities on the subject offer a more conservative
estimate at 1%. Unlike psychotics, psychopaths do not suffer
hallucinations or delusions and they understand the difference
between right and wrong actions.
I
became interested in psychopathy after someone I knew had received
the diagnosis. I disagreed, and was curious to learn more about
the disorder to discover whether or not my own assessments of
this individual were justified.
I
started with Robert Hare's groundbreaking work, Without
Conscience, and I soon became curious as to why so many
people are not psychopaths. Operating without the limitations
of guilt or empathy would seem to confer advantages to the individual,
at least in the short term, so why have a conscience at all?
Do nice guys finish last? Or does having a conscience provide
benefits to the individual as well as to those around him? This
led me to read not only about the causes of psychopathy, but
also the origins of altruism and a number of works on evolutionary
psychology. While I don't believe that evolutionary psychology
explains all aspects of human behaviour, it does offer some
interesting insights into the possible origins of certain personality
traits.
The
articles below are relatively brief,
providing a general overview of common psychopathic personality
traits, behaviours, causes of psychopathy, differences between
psychopaths and other criminals, and the value of a conscience.
For broader, deeper coverage of the topic, please see the resource
list.
Articles
Personality
Traits of a Psychopath
Behavioural
Traits of Psychopaths
Causes
of Psychopathy
Protecting
Yourself from Psychopaths
How
Psychopaths Exploit Others
Media
Glamorization of the Psychopath
How
Psychopaths Differ from Other Criminals
Why
Most People Are Not Psychopathic
The
Social Psychology of War and Genocide
Disclaimer:
These articles provided for general informational purposes only
and are not intended as psychiatric, medical, or diagnostic
advice. While it's tempting, I wouldn't recommend diagnosing
difficult people based on brief trait lists.
As
with all personality afflictions, psychopathy is probably a
continuum rather than a tidy "either-or" situation,
so there will be many people who manifest some psychopathic
traits or behaviours, particularly in response to certain stressors
or due to substance abuse, who are not psychopathic.
Without
Conscience
- Dr. Robert Hare's website
Reference
List of Psychopathy Literature - Dr. Robert Hare
"What
Psychopath Means" - Scientific American online
"The
Origins of Violence - Is Psychopathy an Adaption?"
by Ian Pitchford Ph.D. CBiol MIBiol
The
Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout, PhD.
"Why
Altruisim Paid off for Our Ancestors" - Robert Fisher,
NewScientist
Kindness
in a Cruel World: The Evolution of Altruism by Nigel
Barber
Nature
via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes Us Human by Matt
Ridley
