Psychopaths and Sociopaths

Throughout modern history, there has been an abundance of interest regarding the concept of the psychopath and sociopath. Many portrayals of sociopaths seem to be overly romanticized, and fictional characters such as Hannibal Lector or Dexter Morgan (Silence of the Lambs and Dexter respectively) are sources of fascination for an uneducated public. It is difficult when watching such characterizations to discern what is true and what is fantastical about their portrayal, and that is why I began researching psychopaths and sociopaths. While the information I found was educational, it is clear that there is some confusion as to how exactly one can define these mental disorders, even among the scientific community.
The terms sociopath and psychopath are often used interchangeably, and indeed are not explicitly outlined in the DSM-IV.(3) They both fall under the heading of “Antisocial Personality Disorder”, and are characterized by lack of empathy, conscience, and emotion. While there are some differences between psychopaths and sociopaths, the DSM organizes them together, as both exhibiting the following behaviors:
1) failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest
2) deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
3) impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
4) irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
5) reckless disregard for safety of self or others
6) consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
7) lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. (3)
    While it is clear people who exhibit these traits exist, what is shocking is in how great a percentage. Between 3 and 5 percent of the population are sociopaths or psychopaths, with the majority of that number occupied by men. These incarnations of APD have both biological and environmental factors, although there is still controversy as to what extent each plays a role. According to one website, 60% of people with psychopathic tendencies has lost a parent, and an even larger percentage is affected by neglectful or abusive parents.(1) Many people with APD have experienced some type of trauma in early life, and are without a consistent parental role model. However these environmental factors are not thought to be the sole explanation for this affliction, and biology plays a role as well. On the level of the nervous system, psychopaths are different from a “normal” person. They feel less fear or anxiety, meaning that they have low arousal levels, and therefore participate in more risky behavior. They also appear to have difficulty learning from mistakes for this same reason, as they can not utilize fear as a learning tool. Robert Hare has done extensive work in the area of psychopathy, and has created a more in depth description of the social disorder than is in the DSM. He states that psychopathy should be in its own category, and in a reaction to the DSM’s lack of specificity created the “Psycopathy Checklist- Revised”, also known as the PCL-R. While the DSM believes that both psychopathy and sociopathy as terms separate from APD are obsolete, Hare maintains that these syndromes are unique, and should be treated as such. In a write up by Hare published in 1991, he uses several studies to explore the differences in mental function between psychopaths and other criminals. In the studies of Patrick et al. in 1990 “psychopaths, defined wit the PCL-R, gave smaller autonomic responses during fearful imagery than did other offenders and failed to show normal modulation of the blink reflex to an acoustic startle stimulus presented while slides with affective content were viewed.” This study suggests that there is a clear difference in the mental processes of psychopaths, and also explains psychopaths’ apparent lack of fear or anxiety. (7)
While studies like the one mentioned prove that there are differences between psychopaths and non psychopaths, there is still very little known about the actual differences in brain function. A study done last year at the Institute of Psychology: Kings College London, used brain scans to measure activity in the brains of psychopaths. The study was small with only six psychopathic participants and nine normal ones. However their results did prove useful, as it showed clear differences in brain activity. When showed images of faces displaying fear, the psychopaths had significantly lower brain activity than their healthy counterparts. Both groups showed an increase in function when shown happy faces, but the psychopaths displayed significantly less activation. This suggests that the lack of empathy displayed by many psychopaths is in fact related to their neural pathways. Without the ability to recognize fear in others, it becomes harder to understand the connection between personal emotions and the emotions of others. While the biological factors that lead to psychopathy are still unclear, advanced technologies are bringing scientists closer to the truth. (4)
As of right now there is no way to successfully treat psychopaths, and while therapy is often used it is rarely successful. Because of a basic difference in processing, it is hard to create significant change in someone afflicted with this disorder.
Because the average person’s entire world is made up of feelings and emotions, it is incredibly difficult for most people to imagine not having them. As mentioned in the beginning of my paper there is a certain kind of myth surrounding the psychopath: he has become a subject of fear and hatred, and morbid fascination. However with up to 5% of the population exhibiting strong psychopathic and sociopathic traits, it is clear that they are not serial killers or murderers. The hysteria surrounding the disease is one that seems to me incredibly closed minded and uneducated, and incredibly harmful. Books are published that describe how to spot and avoid a sociopath, and essays describe them as evil. If anything I think that psychopaths prove there are no clear answers when it comes to morality; rather it is a sliding scale on which all factors need to be measured. The existence of psychopaths also brings the brain/mind dichotomy discussed earlier this year to mind (or brain). I think the fact that there is physical proof of a disorder in the brains of those with APD is a strong argument for the side that everything stems from organic origins, and that morality and empathy are physical processes of the brain, rather than proof of a spiritual presence. If seen as an organic problem it becomes easier to treat psychopaths rather than judge them, and while as of yet there is no real treatment plan besides therapy, hopefully in the future there will be a way to fully integrate them into mainstream society, rather than forcing them to live a half life in which they must pretend to be what they are not.

References

1) http://www.sociopathic.net/rants/sociodevelopment.htm

2) http://groups.msn.com/NarcissismSupportGroupMoralandSpiritualStruggle/silenceofthelambs.msnw

3) http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/antisocialpd.htm


4)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6198704.stm

5) http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:75512

6) http://books.google.com/books?id=OuNdrmHcJlgC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=study+psychopaths+low+arousal&source=web&ots=mvZ51JpIp5&sig=PST5gD0aB_Tl9c6zz-u3cVxidHY&hl=en#PPA42,M1

7) http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/peterson/psy430s2001/Hare%20RD%20Psychopathy%20JAP%201991.pdf