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Psychopathy is a developmental disorder characterized by the presence of emotional deficits and an increased risk of antisocial behavior.

Psychopathy is not equivalent to the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, whose primary focus is the increased likelihood of antisocial behavior, but not the specific causes of the behavior—in other words, the decreased empathy and lack of guilt that lead to emotional deficits.

Individuals who meet criteria for psychopathy when assessed by standard methods will also meet the requirements for antisocial personality (personality) disorder.

However, many people with antisocial personality disorder do not meet the criteria for psychopathy.

Antisocial personality disorder refers to broad behavioral patterns that are based on clinical observations, while the term "psychopathy" encompasses not only specific behavioral tendencies but also measurable cognitive, emotional, and neuropsychological differences.

In other words, psychopathy defines both character and behavior.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that is characterized by the presence of behavioral, affective, and interpersonal deficits, such as superficial emotions, reduced interest in social norms, lack of guilt, remorse, and empathy.

The brain turns into reality what we believe most strongly

The psychopath develops as an asocial and amoral personality who is usually unable to adjust to society's standards.

This type of person is often extremely selfish, living for immediate gratification without considering the consequences of their behavior.

Individuals who do not fall into the category of psychopaths often make sacrifices to secure possible future gains and are willing to delay certain gratifications until a later stage.

A psychopath can almost always distinguish between right and wrong and is somewhat familiar with the demands of society and religion, but does not wish to be governed or restricted by these laws.

In fact, some individuals may even say that they are not interested in the ethical side of things.

Basically, the only interest for them is breaking the law with impunity,

Very often, the only person a psychopath thinks about is himself, and he is surprisingly callous and apathetic to the rest of the world, including his own family members.

Here are 15 more interesting facts about psychopathy:

Fact 1

Psychopathy is a condition marked by multiple traits, including callousness, lack of guilt, dishonesty, apparent charm, self-centeredness, and poor impulse control.

Fact 2

Psychopathy should not be confused with antisocial personality disorder, although the symptoms of these two conditions overlap.

The former is defined primarily as personality-based, and the latter as behavior-based.

Fact 3

Although psychopathy is a risk factor for violence, this increased risk appears to be moderately large.

Fact 4

Psychopathy is more common among men than women, but both sexes can suffer from the personality disorder.

Fact 5

Despite some clinical findings to the contrary, psychopathy is not associated with an absolute lack of emotional responsiveness.

Fact 6

According to recent evidence from a number of studies, psychopathy is at one end of the spectrum and normality at the other.

Additionally, psychopathy as a whole appears not to be a homogeneous condition, but rather a heterogeneous category that includes at least two potentially overlapping subtypes.

Fact 7

Despite the claims of clinicians, questionnaires can help identify many of the core features of a personality disorder.

Fact 8

Criteria for psychopathy are not unique or unparalleled in their ability to predict violence, although they are useful in this regard.

The relationship between psychopathic criteria and future physical aggression appears to arise from the fact that one of the psychopathy criteria includes past physical aggression, rather than from the unique characteristics of psychopathy.

Fact 9

The notion that psychopaths are born, not made, is an oversimplification, as environmental factors play a key role in the development of the condition.

Physical abuse and the presence of parental neglect may contribute to an increased risk of the personality disorder.

Fact 10

The long-standing clinical view that psychopaths are incurable cases is not supported by the results of recent research.

Fact 11

If you've ever shown a lack of guilt or remorse, failed to empathize with someone, or used your charm to manipulate others (remember your last job interview), then you've exposed your psychopathic traits.

You may also have shown fearlessness in a given situation or taken a great deal of risk—both behaviors that count as psychopathic tendencies.

Fact 12

Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs are the typical examples of pop culture psychopaths.

It is true that most serial killers are psychopaths, but a large proportion of psychopaths are not serial killers.

People with psychopathic tendencies make up about 1% of the population and can be productive members of society.

The absence of emotions such as anxiety and fear helps psychopaths remain calm during crisis situations.

Previous research has shown that this group of people shows a reduced response to surprising events.

If someone startles you while you're watching a horror movie, it's likely to cause you to react in a certain way - scream, turn back, etc.

Psychopaths react to similar fear-inducing situations in a less intense way.

What's more, they manage to stay calm.

In fact, a reduced response to situations that produce fear and anxiety may prove to be a useful trait for individuals who work as soldiers or surgeons.


Also, psychopaths can be extremely charming (even if only in appearance) and have the ability to make bold and high-risk decisions, as well as display unscrupulous and purposeful behavior.

This makes them the perfect candidates for jobs that require similar qualities.

Fact 13

Individuals with psychopathic characteristics are most likely to be found in cities and metropolises, as this group of people prefers to implement the so-called fast life history strategy, which is associated with a greater frequency of risk-taking and selfishness.

An additional bonus is the anonymity and reduced risk of being noticed in the large population.

Fact 14

Although male and female psychopaths have much in common, representatives of the fairer sex are more prone to promiscuity (indiscriminate choice), emotional problems, and anxiety.

Some psychologists argue that some women with psychopathic personality traits are misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which is characterized by impulsivity, outbursts of anger, and a lack of emotional regulation.

This statement may explain (at least in part) why, in most studies, levels of psychopathy are much lower in women.

Fact 15

Although individuals with psychopathic personality traits report the absence of certain specific emotions from their repertoire such as anxiety, fear, and sadness, they still experience happiness, joy, surprise, and disgust like other people.

Although psychopaths have difficulty recognizing fearful and sad faces, and respond more moderately to threats and punishment, they can successfully identify happy faces and respond positively when rewarded.

However, it should be borne in mind that receiving a small reward, which is likely to make the average person happy, will not be enough for an individual with psychopathic tendencies.

They need much more substantial rewards to feel satisfied.

In other words, they can experience joy, satisfaction, and motivation, but only when the reward is large enough.

Of course, they can also get angry when someone provokes them, or get frustrated when their efforts fail.

Source: jneuropsychiatry.org;

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, theconversation.com, cited by framar.bg