Psychopathic Personality: The Absence of
Conscience
By
William
L. Smith Ph. D.
Elie Wiesel, the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize winner
and Nazi hunter, said "to defeat them, first we must understand them." For
most of us the idea of a psychopath conjures up images from movies like "Silence
of The Lambs" and characters with names like "Hannibal Lector." However,
characters such as Hannibal is a fantasy, he is the creation of the author.
Serial killers, on the other hand, and individuals involved in ritual torture
are rare, but psychopathic behavior is more prevalent than one may
think.
Historical Background The
psychopathic symptoms itself has been around for centuries wearing labels
like "madness without delirium" and "moral insanity" until the late 1800s
when "psychopath" was coined by a German clinician. However, the term, and
its synonym sociopath, had always been used as a broad-brush, catch-all approach
directed to criminals who seemed violent and unstable. For example, in the
1970s, almost 80% of convicted felons in the United States were diagnosed
as sociopaths. In 1980, Dr. Robert Hare from the University of British Columbia,
created a diagnostic tool called the Psychopathy Checklist; and five years
later was revised became known as the PCL-R. Commonly called "the Hare,"
the PCL-R measures psychopathy on a forty-point scale. With a reliable diagnostic
tool and for the first time in history every clinician who diagnosis "psychopath"
was saying the same thing.
According to some researchers, approximately
one percent of the population are born psychopaths. Therefore, The United
States may be the home of nearly three million psychopaths, and more than
sixty-three million psychopaths worldwide. What is so discouraging, paychopaths
cannot be rehabilitated. Professionals who work with population is on record
stating that; once a psychopath, always a psychopath.
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Breaking up with a sociopath narcissist? Be prepared for the battle
of your life! While you are an emotional basketcase, he is as Cold as Ice!
While you are left holding down the fort and dealing with the real-life
responsibilities, he walks away from everything leaving you to mop off
his stage and pay his bills. He will punish you in ways you couldn't possibly
have ever imagined...
....and not
even acknowledge it to himself! Why? Because he's off charming the socks
off of new women as if your years together didn't even
exist!
The sociopathic
narcissistic ex continually acts in abusive, bewildering and confusing
ways. He is not above committing destructive acts. When the breakup
becomes a reality, it is likely that his 'false persona' will completely
disappear all together and you will most likely experience the most hurtful
of behavior from him. He is completely lacking in empathy, and - since he
is not receiving any admiration from you anymore - he will dismiss you
and discard you as worthless to him, consequently dropping any fake
front that he use to put up in order to keep you in the relationship.
Click here to read 'The Counterfeit
Heart: Breaking Up With a Narcissist - the Sociopath in Your Life' by
Tigress Luv
Psychopath; without heart, conscience,
or remorse Psychopaths think nothing of lying, cheating and stealing.
We are aware of the extreme cases, psychopaths who commits serious crimes
such as; serial rapists and serial killers. However, we are less educated
about psychopaths in the political arena, businessmen who commit whitecollar
crimes, or the psychopath who defraud trusting men and women of their
life-saving. If you believe you can spot a psychopath, please think again.
Psychopaths often assimilate easily into society. They are easy-going,
entertaining, and often the life of the party. They appear to be intelligent,
charming, well-adjusted and likable. For the psychopath this is a role ...
an illusion designed to convince you to give them what they want. One woman
explained her encounter with a psychopath in this manner. "I thought I was
marrying a successful businessman. It turned out I was his business. He took
all my money and left me seriously in debt." Psychopaths are experts at the
art of manipulation. In which case, you must think twice before you give
away your love, money, or your life.
Key Symptoms of Psychopathy
What follows is a general summary of the key traits and behaviors of a
psychopath. However, you should not use these symptoms to diagnose yourself
or others.
Emotion and Interpersonal,
the psychopath is; glib and superficial, egocentric and grandiose, lack of
remorse or guilt, and empathy. The true psychopath is deceitful and manipulative
with very shallow emotions. Social Deviance, the psychopath
is impulsive with poor behavior controls, he needs excitement, but lack sense
of responsibility. The psychopath behavior problems began early in life and
as an adult participates in various antisocial behaviors. Psychopaths views
the rules and expectations of society as inconvenient and unreasonable
impediments their needs, goals, and behavioral expression. Psychopaths make
their own rules, as children and as adults.
Here I feel the need to caution you that individuals
who are not psychopaths may exhibit some of these symptoms. Many individuals
are impulsive, or glib, cold and unfeeling, but this does not mean that they
are psychopaths. Clinically, psychopathy is a syndrome with a cluster of
related symptoms.
Finally, If you believe that you are involved
with a psychopath on any level; Cut your lossess. The personality of psychopaths
is "carved in stone." Too often, victims of psychopaths end up feeling confused
and hopeless, and convinced themselves that they are the blame for the problem.
The more you comply with the demands of the psychopath the more you will
be taken advantage of by the psychopath's insatiable appetite for power and
comtrol.
Read More About It If you are
interested in learning more about the Psychopathic Personality I recommend
that you read Without Conscience: The Disturding World of the Psychopaths
Among Us, by Robert Hare, Ph.D., (Simon & Schuster, 1993).
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