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Analysis: Into The Mind Of A Psychopath

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Into the Mind of a Psychopath “Psychopaths are found in every segment of society, and there is a good chance that eventually you will have a painful or humiliating encounter with one. Your best defense is to understand the nature of these human predators” (Hare) The mysteriousness and complexity of psychopathy have a compelling and almost fascinating nature. Psychopaths, often portrayed as geniuses with dark and twisted minds and blunted by the incapacity to feel engage in society, due to sensationalized perspective from the media create a false representation. The lack of knowledge and understanding that surrounds this disorder reflects its complexity. Psychopathy is a more nuanced classification of antisocial personality disorder, encompassing …show more content…

These individuals at their very core, lack the capability to establish emotional connections with other people, the ability to empathize, and have not broken from reality. Researchers continue to investigate the etiology, symptoms, and potentials of treatment in psychopathy. This still remains a diagnostic challenge due to its unique and complex nature. The sensationalized images of serial killers in the media and news portray psychopathy as some sort of debilitating mental illness however, psychopathy under the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is characterized as a type of antisocial personality disorder. The term psychopathy was initially introduce in the late 1800’s from its Greek roots psyche and pathos meaning “sick mind” or “suffering soul”, a time where the condition was initially considered a type of moral insanity. This changed with a major advancement in the 20th century, largely in part due to the work of psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Hervey Cleckley in his book, The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality. Cleckley proposed 16 specific traits characterizing …show more content…

Before considering the different forms of treatment, proper diagnosis is essential in any psychological disorder. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) is a diagnostic tool created by Robert D. Hare, Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost experts in the area of psychopathy, and was initially designed to identify the degree of a person’s psychopathic tendencies. After revision, the checklist is now used for diagnosing psychopathy in individuals for clinical, legal, and/or research purposes. The test lists 20 psychopathy-related characteristics covering interpersonal relationships, emotional involvement, evidence of immoral activity/social defiance, and lifestyle (e.g. grandiose estimation of self, pathological lying, shallow affect, cunning and manipulativeness, parasitic lifestyle, impulsivity). The PCL-R consists of not only a structured interview but a review of the patient’s history as well. Each of the traits are scored at a number 0-2, a score of 30 or higher indicates psychopathic personality traits and is diagnosed as psychopathic. In comparison, a person without these traits would score on average a 5 or 6. The Psychopathy Checklist is rapidly being adopted worldwide as the standard instrument for researchers and clinicians. Although there is no definitive treatment for psychopathy, there are intervention strategies and therapies in efforts to treat but not cure. If the hypothesized theory of the etiology behind the subtypes of

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During the McCoy murder case he was formally diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder, also can be called sociopathy, is a mental condition in which a person constantly shows that they have no regard for right and wrong and ignore the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior. Gacy said that after his first killing

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( Armitage, page 7). In simpler terms, Moriwaki’s has a great lack of emotions and has been labeled a “psychopath”. A psychopath is defined as a person that suffers from a chronic medical disorder and has a violent or abnormal behavior. Psychopathic traits are often associated with criminal behavior. With this in mind, Moriwaki’s lack of emotions and psychopathic personality has lead to the murder of Kurose.

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In the scholarly journal written by Vujosevic (2015) he provides a framework to answer the question as to whether psychopaths have a conscience that is dysfunctional. He states, “according to my account, this means that their reflective capacity for moral self-assessment, which triggers self evaluative emotions, is significantly impaired”(Vujosevic, 2015, p. 2). In both authors’ writings it discusses psychopaths and their inability to feel guilt after committing crimes. This lack of remorse is what leads to repeat offenses, which can sometimes lead into serial killers, such as Dahmer. All individuals are born into different circumstances, therefore experiencing varying teachings of moral and ethic ground roots, biological differences impacting

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A psychopath with a thought out plan was Dr. Herman Mudget, with ASPD AND PSYCHOPATHY 6 the alias of H. H. Holmes (Traxel, 2003). Holmes set up a cheap hotel in Chicago, during the Worlds Fair, when people would rent out and sleep in a room they were unaware that they were in an airtight and soundproof room which had gas jets where Holmes had control of from his office (Traxel, 2003). He killed simply for pleasure and profit and felt no remorse for doing so (Traxel, 2003). That is a red light in separating ASPD from psychopathy, that one can kill for pleasure, feel no remorse, and that they cannot distinguish that what they are doing is wrong, but this is for the murderer section of psychopaths, the side that does not

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Sara Whobrey Professor McCrady English 102 24 January, 2023 The Psychopathy Behind the Columbine Killer, Eric Harris Psychopaths are people who are born unable to feel a strong emotion of humans, empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and feel for others and their feelings. Lack of empathy is only one trait of a psychopath. According to Crego and Widiger, the trait most attributed to psychopathy are antagonism, manipulativeness, dishonesty, and callousness. (Crego and Widiger 1.)

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Through the case study of Robert P. Hanssen, we can highlight that psychopathy is still

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Traits of psychopaths: Superficial charm, pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, unrealistic goals, early behavioral problems, a feeling of being above the law. One psychopath that sticks out in U.S history is H.H Holmes. If you have ever heard of the “Murder Castle” then you know of him. Dr. H.H. Holmes is considered America's first serial killer. The number of victims is estimated to be 27, and later discoveries of corpses revealed as many as 200.

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However, a serial killer suffering from psychopathy cannot control his or her impulses, identify with others and feel empathy, and cannot conform his or her behavior to social norms. Thus, proving he or she cannot possibly be completely competent and responsible for their actions, no matter how heinous” (Gay). However, there is a difference between someone diagnosed with psychopathy and someone with anti-social personality disorder. “Unlike serial killers with psychopathy, those with anti-social personality disorder should not be allowed to plead guilty by reason of insanity. They lack empathy but otherwise understand what they are doing.

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A lack of empathy for others, routine lying or deceit, and disdain for other people's rights are characteristics of antisocial personality disorder. It is crucial to understand that receiving a diagnosis in no way excuses or justifies engaging in dangerous or illegal activity. Based on his life history and behaviors, it is believed that Charles Manson satisfied the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality

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The Mexican Revolution was one of many battles and blood and seized the lives of around 3 million people, mostly combatants. This revolution, however, also ended the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and restored the rights of farm workers and citizens. Mexicans from all classes were completely dissatisfied with Diaz’s rule, who concentrated power and wealth to a select few, leaving the lower and working-class with no power to express themselves. Citizens decided to be the change that they wanted to see and risked many things, including their lives. Emiliano Zapata and Francisco “Pancho” Villa are the main revolutionaries remembered.

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As a result, these individuals are incapacitated if their behavior related to crime is untreatable. The biological theory argues that individuals engage in crime due to genetic, neurological as well as biochemical deficits (Lionell & Rawlins, 2005). This way, Charles Manson’s criminal behavior could be explained by this theory since he is mostly emotionally withdrawn, skeptical, materialistic, over sensitive and inconsistent in attitudes and decisions. Psychological theories points out those individuals engage in crime due to personality disparities, which develops in early childhood. Reflecting to Manson’s case, he could be termed as clinically insane.

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Psychopath a person suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. They have a sense of self worth. They are often pathological liars and routinely engage in acts manipulation. If they do something wrong, they are without remorse. Their emotional responses are typically shallow, and they commonly display a high degree of callousness and a lack of empathy.

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This quote shows the most basic characteristics used to describe a psychopath - someone having no emotion and not being able to connect with others on a personal level. But, there’s more to understanding psychopaths than meets the eye. Specific purpose: To inform my audience about psychopaths Central Idea: The characteristics, the theories regarding psychopathy, and different ways to identify a psychopath.

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In many cases, mirroring the society it portrays, psychopathic behaviour is simply equated with criminal behaviour, since criminality itself is seen as the litmus test of whether someone is “demented” enough to conduct criminal activity, which some would see as totally unnatural and outside of their scope of life. Other groups, and even sub-cultures within a larger culture, might see criminal activity as “normal”, since they grow up in a neighborhood where crime is an everyday occurance, and people in their own families may be involved. So behaviour that shocks one group of people may seem normal to another

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Introduction I. Look around this school and think about exactly how many students are here daily. How would you feel if I told you that one out of every twenty five people are sociopaths(Pratt 2006).The fact of the matter is that not everyone who is a sociopath is a serial killer but oddly enough it has been proven that all serial killers are sociopaths. II. I have chosen serial killers that I found intriguing and that I thought not many people would know a lot about.

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