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What’s the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath? Less than you might think

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-watt-1486350">Bruce Watt</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katarina-fritzon-402205">Katarina Fritzon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p>Articles about badly behaved people and how to spot them are common. You don’t have to Google or scroll too much to find headlines such as <a href="https://psychologyeverywhere.com/articles/7-signs-your-boss-is-a-psychopath/">7 signs your boss is a psychopath</a> or <a href="https://www.elephantjournal.com/2022/08/how-to-avoid-the-sociopath-next-door-erica-leibrandt/">How to avoid the sociopath next door</a>.</p> <p>You’ll often see the terms psychopath and sociopath used somewhat interchangeably. That applies to perhaps the most famous badly behaved fictional character of all – Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal serial killer from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/">The Silence of the Lambs</a>.</p> <p>In the book on which the movie is based, Lecter is described as a “pure sociopath”. But in the movie, he’s described as a “pure psychopath”. Psychiatrists have diagnosed him with <a href="https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2002.56.1.100">something else</a> entirely.</p> <p>So what’s the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath? As we’ll see, these terms have been used at different times in history, and relate to some overlapping concepts.</p> <h2>What’s a psychopath?</h2> <p>Psychopathy has been mentioned in the psychiatric literature <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059069/#:%7E:text=The%20term%20psychopathy%20comes%20from,which%20literally%20means%20suffering%20soul.">since the 1800s</a>. But the latest edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (known colloquially as the DSM) <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">doesn’t list</a> it as a recognised clinical disorder.</p> <p><a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/about-dsm/history-of-the-dsm#section_5">Since the 1950s</a>, labels have changed and terms such as “sociopathic personality disturbance” have been replaced with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546673/">antisocial personality disorder</a>, which is what we have today.</p> <p>Someone with antisocial personality disorder has a persistent disregard for the rights of others. This includes breaking the law, repeated lying, impulsive behaviour, getting into fights, disregarding safety, irresponsible behaviours, and indifference to the consequences of their actions.</p> <p>To add to the confusion, the section in the DSM on antisocial personality disorder mentions psychopathy (and sociopathy) traits. In other words, according to the DSM the traits are part of antisocial personality disorder but are not mental disorders themselves.</p> <p>US psychiatrist <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-37736-001">Hervey Cleckley</a> provided the first formal description of psychopathy traits in his 1941 book <a href="https://gwern.net/doc/psychology/personality/psychopathy/1941-cleckley-maskofsanity.pdf">The Mask of Sanity</a>. He based his description on his clinical observations of nine male patients in a psychiatric hospital. He identified several key characteristics, including superficial charm, unreliability and a lack of remorse or shame.</p> <p><a href="https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/robert-hare/">Canadian psychologist</a> Professor <a href="http://www.hare.org/">Robert Hare</a> refined these characteristics by emphasising interpersonal, emotional and lifestyle characteristics, in addition to the antisocial behaviours listed in the DSM.</p> <p>When we draw together all these strands of evidence, we can say a psychopath manipulates others, shows superficial charm, is grandiose and is persistently deceptive. Emotional traits include a lack of emotion and empathy, indifference to the suffering of others, and not accepting responsibility for how their behaviour impacts others.</p> <p>Finally, a psychopath is easily bored, sponges off others, lacks goals, and is persistently irresponsible in their actions.</p> <h2>So how about a sociopath?</h2> <p>The term sociopath first appeared <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059069/#:%7E:text=The%20term%20psychopathy%20comes%20from,which%20literally%20means%20suffering%20soul.">in the 1930s</a>, and was attributed to US psychologist George Partridge. He <a href="https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ajp.85.6.1053?journalCode=ajp">emphasised</a> the societal consequences of behaviour that habitually violates the rights of others.</p> <p>Academics and clinicians often used the terms sociopath and psychopath interchangeably. But some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059069/#:%7E:text=The%20term%20psychopathy%20comes%20from,which%20literally%20means%20suffering%20soul.">preferred the term sociopath</a> because they said the public sometimes confused the word psychopath with psychosis.</p> <p>“Sociopathic personality disturbance” <a href="https://www.turkpsikiyatri.org/arsiv/dsm-1952.pdf">was the term</a> used in the first edition of the DSM in 1952. This aligned with the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/0306624X01453005">prevailing views</a> at the time that antisocial behaviours were largely the product of the <em>social</em> environment, and that behaviours were only judged as deviant if they broke <em>social</em>, legal, and/or cultural rules.</p> <p>Some of these early descriptions of sociopathy are more aligned with what we now call antisocial personality disorder. Others relate to emotional characteristics similar to Cleckley’s 1941 <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26618655/">definition</a> of a psychopath.</p> <p>In short, different people had different ideas about sociopathy and, even today, sociopathy is less-well defined than psychopathy. So there is no single definition of sociopathy we can give you, even today. But in general, its antisocial behaviours can be similar to ones we see with psychopathy.</p> <p>Over the decades, the term sociopathy fell out of favour. From the late 60s, psychiatrists used the term antisocial personality disorder instead.</p> <h2>Born or made?</h2> <p>Both “sociopathy” (what we now call antisocial personality disorder) and psychopathy have been associated with a wide range of developmental, biological and psychological causes.</p> <p>For example, people with psychopathic traits have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/may/12/how-to-spot-a-murderers-brain">certain brain differences</a> especially <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-01001-014">in regions</a> associated with emotions, inhibition of behaviour and problem solving. They also appear to have differences associated with their <a href="https://www.psypost.org/psychopathic-women-exhibit-low-cardiac-defense-responses-study-finds/">nervous system</a>, including a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051123001345?via%3Dihub">reduced heart rate</a>.</p> <p>However, sociopathy and its antisocial behaviours are a product of someone’s social environment, and tends to <a href="https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/19-1415-FinalReport.pdf">run in families</a>. These behaviours has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4801766/#:%7E:text=Childhood%20abuse%20is%20a%20risk,and%20psychopathic%20traits%20remain%20unclear">associated with</a> physical abuse and parental conflict.</p> <h2>What are the consequences?</h2> <p>Despite their fictional portrayals – such as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs or Villanelle in the TV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7016936/">Killing Eve</a> – <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/making-evil/201902/what-we-get-wrong-about-psychopaths#:%7E:text=Most%20psychopaths%20are%20not%20offenders,extreme%20violence%20or%20serial%20killing.">not all people</a> with psychopathy or sociopathy traits are serial killers or are physically violent.</p> <p>But psychopathy <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059069/">predicts</a> a wide range of harmful behaviours. In the criminal justice system, psychopathy is strongly linked with re-offending, particularly of a violent nature.</p> <p>In the general population, psychopathy is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160252709000028?casa_token=5lSd35qRO7oAAAAA:CTu-KkDXxsoYEPvpceItex9go1Fn_YlfBQSW9O9_MwNEX6NxlZ23GRcWnS5YYV_kAig24E4Ahdj7">associated with</a> drug dependence, homelessness, and other personality disorders. Some research even showed psychopathy predicted <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8250605/">failure to follow</a> COVID restrictions.</p> <p>But sociopathy is less established as a key risk factor in identifying people at heightened risk of harm to others. And sociopathy is not a reliable indicator of future antisocial behaviour.</p> <h2>In a nutshell</h2> <p>Neither psychopathy nor sociopathy are classed as mental disorders in formal psychiatric diagnostic manuals. They are both personality traits that relate to antisocial behaviours and are associated with certain interpersonal, emotional and lifestyle characteristics.</p> <p>Psychopathy is thought to have genetic, biological and psychological bases that places someone at greater risk of violating other people’s rights. But sociopathy is less clearly defined and its antisocial behaviours are the product of someone’s social environment.</p> <p>Of the two, psychopathy has the greatest use in identifying someone who is most likely to cause damage to others.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226714/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-watt-1486350">Bruce Watt</a>, Associate Professor in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katarina-fritzon-402205">Katarina Fritzon</a>, Associate Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-a-psychopath-and-a-sociopath-less-than-you-might-think-226714">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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5 things you didn’t know about psychopaths

<p>In the hit BBC TV show, <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7016936/">Killing Eve</a></em>, Villanelle, a psychopathic assassin, tells Eve, a security service operative, “You should never call a psychopath a psychopath. It upsets them.” She then pouts her lip in an imitation of someone feeling upset.</p> <p>Most people think they know what a psychopath is: someone who has no feelings. Someone who probably tortured animals for fun when they were little. But here are five things you probably didn’t know about psychopaths.</p> <p><strong>1. There’s a bit of a psychopath in all of us.</strong> Psychopathy is a spectrum, and we are all somewhere on that spectrum. If you’ve ever shown a lack of guilt or remorse, or not felt empathy with someone, or you’ve charmed someone to get what you want (remember that last job interview?), then you’ve displayed a psychopathic trait. Maybe you’re fearless in certain situations or you’ve taken big risks – also psychopathic traits.</p> <p><strong>2. Psychopaths are not all “psycho”.</strong> Patrick Bateman in <em>American Psycho</em> and Hannibal Lecter in <em>Silence of the Lambs</em> are typical portrayals of psychopaths in popular culture. While it’s true that most serial killers are psychopaths, the vast majority of psychopaths are not serial killers. Psychopaths comprise <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(14)00771-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982214007714%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">about 1%</a> of the general population and can be productive members of society.</p> <p>Their lack of emotions, such as anxiety and fear, helps them to stay calm in frightening situations. Experiments have shown that they have a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2242355/">reduced startle response</a>. If someone gave you a fright while you were watching a horror movie, you would probably show an “exaggerated startle response” – in other words, you’d jump out of your skin. Psychopaths react far less intensely in such fear-evoking situations. If anything, they remain calm. This can be a useful trait if you’re a soldier, a surgeon or in the special forces.</p> <p>Psychopaths can also be very charming (even if only superficially) and they have the ability to confidently take risks, be ruthless, goal-oriented and make bold decisions. This makes them well suited to environments like Wall Street, the boardroom and parliament. Here, psychopaths are more likely to be making a killing than killing.</p> <p><strong>3. Psychopaths prefer <em>Sex in the City</em> to <em>Little House on the Prairie</em>.</strong> Psychopaths are more likely to be found in towns and cities. They prefer what psychologists call a <a href="http://aglenn.people.ua.edu/uploads/1/4/1/8/14182546/glenn_avb_2011.pdf">“fast life history strategy”</a>. That is, they focus on increasing their short-term mating opportunities and number of sexual partners rather than investing a lot of effort in long-term mating, parenthood and life stability. This strategy is linked to increased risk taking and selfishness. Also, cities offer psychopaths better opportunities for finding people to manipulate. They also offer greater anonymity and hence a reduced risk of being detected.</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> <strong>Female psychopaths are somewhat different.</strong> Although male and female psychopaths are similar in many ways, some studies have found differences. For example, female psychopaths appear to more prone to <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/pdf/10.1521/pedi_2016_30_237">anxiety, emotional problems and promiscuity</a> than male psychopaths.</p> <p>Some psychologists argue that female psychopathy is sometimes diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, instead – characterised by poorly regulated emotions, impulsive reactions and outbursts of anger. This might explain why most studies show that rates of psychopathy are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19042020">lower in females</a>.</p> <p>Our <a href="http://conference.unizd.hr/ecp19/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/07/Program.pdf">latest research</a> shows that female psychopaths seem to prefer to date non-psychopathic men in the short-term, perhaps as a plaything or to allow easy deception and manipulation. But for long-term relationships, a female psychopath will be looking for a fellow psychopath. Eventually, birds of a feather, flock together.</p> <p><strong>5. Psychopaths do have feelings … well, some feelings.</strong> While psychopaths show a specific lack in emotions, such as anxiety, fear and sadness, they can feel other emotions, such as happiness, joy, surprise and disgust, in a similar way as most of us would. So while they may struggle to recognise fearful or sad faces and are less responsive to threats and punishments, they can identify happy faces and they do respond positively when getting rewarded.</p> <p>However, while winning a fiver might make you happy, a psychopath would need a bigger reward to perk them up. In other words, they can feel happy and motivated if the rewards are high enough. Of course, they can also get angry, especially in response to provocation, or get frustrated when their goals are thwarted. So Villanelle is right, to some extent. You can hurt a psychopath’s feelings, but probably different feelings and for different reasons.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103865/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nadja-heym-561659">Nadja Heym</a>, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/nottingham-trent-university-1338">Nottingham Trent University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-psychopaths-103865">original article</a>.</em></p>

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What is a psychopath?

<p>Millions recently flocked to the <a href="https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Joker-(2019)#tab=summary">cinema</a> to watch Joker, the origin story of Batman’s notorious nemesis. Many have commented that the film is a portrait of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/28/he-is-a-psychopath-has-the-2019-joker-gone-too-far">a textbook psychopath</a>. But perhaps the bigger question is how many among the audience have similar traits? Indeed, is it possible that you are a psychopath yourself?</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t433PEQGErc?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>To answer this question, we need to examine the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy presented in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Cooke2/publication/232570257_Evaluating_the_Screening_Version_of_the_Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist-Revised_PCL_SV_An_Item_Response_Theory_Analysis/links/00b4951bb1ac064411000000.pdf">PCL-R</a>, which was developed by Robert Hare in the 1970s.</p> <p>Thanks to Hare, experts can use the PCL-R to assess whether an individual is exhibiting any of the criteria for psychopathy. Estimates suggest that <a href="https://www.livescience.com/16585-psychopaths-speech-language.html">about 1% of the population qualifies</a> – although the percentage is thought to be far higher among <a href="https://www.livescience.com/16585-psychopaths-speech-language.html">the prison population (25%)</a> and company <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2016/09/16/gene-marks-21-percent-of-ceos-are-psychopaths-only-21-percent/">chief executives (21%)</a>.</p> <p>The absolute or prototypical psychopath would produce a maximum score of 40 from Hare’s 20-item checklist, while a score of zero would indicate someone with no psychopathic tendencies. Those with a score of 30 or over should qualify for further assessment and indications of psychopathy, while many criminals score between 22 and 30. Consequently, psychopathy is perhaps best seen as a spectrum, with all of us exhibiting some traits at some point in our lives.</p> <p>Ultimately, we cannot assume that nurture – a hard upbringing, for example – will make us psychopathic. The debate between nature versus nurture has been long discussed in relation to psychopathy and there has yet to be a clear answer. But it has been suggested recently that while a genetic predisposition is essential for a person to exhibit traits of psychopathy, some environmental factors, such trauma, abuse and rejection by loved ones, could determine the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/1359178995000100">course of the disorder</a>.</p> <p>Nor should we assume that a person matching some PCL-R criteria is a psychopath. We must also keep in mind that not all psychopaths are criminals. Many are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721415580297">successful professionals</a>, so a high PCL-R score does not necessarily make us dangerous or murderous. Patrick Bateman, the blood-spattered anti-hero of Brett Easton Ellis’s infamous 1991 novel <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/10/american-psycho-bret-easton-ellis-irvine-welsh">American Pycho</a>, certainly is a psychopath – but not all psychopaths are Patrick Bateman.</p> <p>Nevertheless, psychopaths are clearly relatively common – so how can we spot one? After all, if a person is a psychopath, they will rarely accept it or advertise the fact.</p> <h2>The psychopath test</h2> <p>The first characteristic of a psychopath according to the PCL-R is glib and superficial charm. Of course, this can be an apparently positive characteristic. This is not a trait motivated by a genuine interest or empathy for others, however, but allows psychopaths to charm and <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-is-an-example-of-psychopathic-charm">manipulate those around them</a>, from work colleagues to <a href="https://theconversation.com/worried-you-are-dating-a-psychopath-signs-to-look-for-according-to-science-106965">romantic partners</a>. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/communication-success/201810/7-characterisitics-the-modern-psychopath">Gaslighting</a> – whereby others are led to question their own actions and beliefs – may be a favoured strategy.</p> <p>Another key characteristic is a grandiose sense of self-worth. Of course, this profound sense of confidence or self-belief may explain why so many psychopaths appear to thrive in the cutthroat world of business. Unfortunately for their colleagues and “friends”, however, psychopaths also tend to make themselves look better by <a href="http://parenting.exposed/dating-and-relationships-after-leaving-a-psychopath/">belittling those around them</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Cooke2/publication/232570257_Evaluating_the_Screening_Version_of_the_Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist-Revised_PCL_SV_An_Item_Response_Theory_Analysis/links/00b4951bb1ac064411000000.pdf">may lie pathologically</a>. Keep an eye out for <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/communication-success/201810/7-characterisitics-the-modern-psychopath">narcissists</a>.</p> <p>Other criteria on the PCL-R checklist include a lack of remorse or guilt, callousness, a parasitic lifestyle and <a href="https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/personality-types-most-likely-to-cheat-and-why-they-do-it">promiscuous sexual behaviour</a>. Psychopaths, in short, tend to be <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/psychopaths-cheat-and-take-risks-due-to-impaired-social-understanding.html">risk takers</a> and may be less likely to show, or feel, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2242355/">fear</a>.</p> <p>But they’re not always cool operators. One characteristic that is both obvious and common is poor behavioural control, which is perhaps linked to psychopaths being more likely to have a history of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Cooke2/publication/232570257_Evaluating_the_Screening_Version_of_the_Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist-Revised_PCL_SV_An_Item_Response_Theory_Analysis/links/00b4951bb1ac064411000000.pdf">juvenile delinquency</a>. Psychopaths tend to have a good eye for seeing and emulating how others behave, but they may also have outbursts of antisocial behaviour.</p> <p>Based on the above, my thought is that the Joker – or at least Arthur Fleck, the man behind the makeup – is only a borderline psychopath, with other mental health problems that would warrant further investigation first. There are certainly more real-life psychopaths that would score higher in Hare’s test.</p> <p>The key question is, based on the above, whether you might be one of them and how you intend to use these traits and skills.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125660/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Calli Tzani-Pepelasi, Lecturer in Investigative Psychology, University of Huddersfield</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-psychopath-125660" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

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The most chilling psychopaths in history

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These killers performed murders you’d think could only happen in horror movies.</span></p> <p><strong>Ed Gein </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Norman Bates (from Psycho), Leatherface (from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Buffalo Bill (from Silence of the Lambs) are three of the most iconic fictional horror characters of all time – and they’re all loosely based on one man: Ed Gein. Also known as the Butcher of Plainfield, Gein collected women’s bodies through grave-robbing and murder from around 1945 to 1957, when he was finally caught. He used the women’s remains to decorate his isolated Wisconsin farm and to make various items of clothing. Gein passed away in 1984 in a mental institution.</span></p> <p><strong>Charles Manson</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most infamous ringleaders in history, Charles Manson used psychopathic manipulation to gain his cult followers in the 1960s. Not only did he murder people on his own, but he convinced his deepest admirers to commit the same brutal acts he did, resulting in some of the most notorious murders of celebrities and entertainment industry heads, including director Roman Polanski’s wife, Sharon Tate, as well as coffee heiress Abigail Folger. Manson and his cronies were sentenced to death, but California abolished the death penalty afterward; they’ve spent their lives in prison instead.</span></p> <p><strong>Ted Bundy</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ted Bundy is one of those names that is practically synonymous with “serial killer” and “psychopath.” He was known to be very sly and charming, which was the shiny veneer he used to lure his many victims. He killed at least 30 people across the United States, but it took years for the authorities to catch him, because no one was able to believe such an “upstanding” young man could do such horrible things. He is most famous for his necrophiliac tendencies, and his own lawyer described him as a “heartless evil.”</span></p> <p><strong>Ivan Milat, AKA the backpack killer</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Known as one of Australia’s most cold-blooded killers, on 27 July 1996, Ivan Milat was convicted of the ‘backpacker murders’, the serial killings of seven young people that took place in New South Wales between 1989 and 1993. The bodies of the victims – five of whom were foreign backpackers, the other two Australian travellers from Melbourne – were discovered partially buried in the Belanglo State Forest, 15 kilometres south-west of the New South Wales town of Berrima. Police believe Milat may have been involved in more attacks or murders than those for which he was convicted. Now terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, Milat is expected to soon die in prison where he is currently serving seven consecutive life sentences.</span></p> <p><strong>Richard Ramirez</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to thoughtcatalog.com, Ramirez’s victims ranged in age from nine to eighty-three, and he did not have a particular preference for gender. He ravaged Los Angeles in the ’80s with his brutal, Satanic killings, simply because he was fascinated by it. That’s not to say it had nothing to do with his upbringing, however. When he was just 11-years-old, he witnessed his cousin murder his wife – and was asked to participate in the clean-up afterward.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Taylor Markarian and Zoe Meunier. Republished with permission of</span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/lifestyle/the-most-chilling-psychopaths-in-history.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Wyza.com.au.</span></a></em></p>

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Signs you are dating a psychopath

<p>It may sound like a scene straight out of a horror movie, but statistically you are not that unlikely to end up on a date with a psychopath. It is estimated that about <a href="https://www.livescience.com/7859-psychopath-answers-remain-elusive.html">1 in 100 people</a> are psychopaths – similar to the number of people <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/if-the-uk-were-a-village-of-100-people-1754307.html">who are teachers</a>.</p> <p>And while we may associate psychopaths with horrifying criminals such as the American serial killer, rapist and necrophile <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/ted-bundy-9231165">Ted Bundy</a>, the majority of psychopaths aren’t actually criminals, but live fairly ordinary lives in our midst. So how do you know if you happen to be dating a psychopath and what should you expect? Luckily, there’s research on the topic.</p> <p>Despite this type of personality disorder being well established and researched, there is some controversy <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jopy.12115">around exactly how it should be diagnosed</a>. However, researchers do agree that psychopathy involves <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/development-and-psychopathology/article/triarchic-conceptualization-of-psychopathy-developmental-origins-of-disinhibition-boldness-and-meanness/172BC63ED5C4C4C295C47DDCB01E838D">persistent antisocial behaviour</a>, impaired empathy and remorse, boldness, emotional resiliency, meanness, impulsivity and extremely egotistical traits.</p> <p>Psychopaths also have certain positive traits, however, such as paying attention to detail, being good at reading people and engaging in conversation with ease. Their ability to be precise and creative means psychopaths <a href="https://listverse.com/2016/04/22/10-unexpected-benefits-to-being-a-psychopath/">can be successful</a> professionals.</p> <p><strong>Romantic problems</strong></p> <p>The first trait that might become apparent when dating a psychopath is <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-015-7856-1_2">pathological lying</a>. Psychopaths are likely to repeatedly attempt to deceive their partners and will lie about anything under any circumstances in order to conceal their behaviour and achieve their goals – whatever they may be.</p> <p>Unfortunately, it can be difficult to catch a psychopath lying as they often strategically plan deceitful stories. They often also tend to have a superficial charm that may have got their partner addicted in the first place – this could make their other half <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-is-an-example-of-psychopathic-charm">doubt their suspicions</a>.</p> <p>Their perception of self worth is typically extremely high. Even if you are a successful, confident professional, you are likely to feel worthless in comparison. And if you don’t, a psychopath partner may set out to crush your self esteem in order to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3560578/">have more control over you</a>. Research shows that psychopaths often use a technique called gas lighting in order to achieve this – gradually eroding a “victim’s” confidence and sense of reality by confusing, misdirecting, deceiving and persuading them – leading to extreme <a href="http://parenting.exposed/dating-and-relationships-after-leaving-a-psychopath/">self doubt</a>.</p> <p>The reason psychopaths are good at manipulating is that they typically study people’s behaviour and skilfully use it to control them. If you are in a relationship with a psychopath and manage to resist their manipulation, they will often throw a <a href="https://www.mentalhelp.net/advice/please-explain-how-it-is-that-psychopaths-can-manipulate-people-if-they-have-no-empathy/">toddler’s tantrum full of frustration</a>, anger, nagging or repetitive conversations – and of course the pity puppy eyes as a final attempt – to make you feel sorry for them and give in to their wishes.</p> <p>The lack of guilt or remorse is particularly hard to deal with. But don’t expect it to change – research suggests the brains of psychopaths are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14789949.2014.943798">wired in this way</a>. A recent brain scanning study of psychopaths in prison showed that the higher levels of psychopathy people had, the more likely they were to cheat – and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/13/8/797/5048611">not feel bad about it</a>. This was associated with reduced activity of the <a href="https://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp121">anterior cingulate cortex</a>, which is thought to play a role in morality, impulse control and emotion among other things. Other studies have discovered that psychopaths have structural and functional differences in <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-55325-001">several brain areas</a>, including the prefrontal cortex, which plays a crucial role in personality development and planning.</p> <p>It is clearly also exhausting to be in a relationship with someone who <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/5/1/59/1731641">struggles to feel empathy</a>. However, some studies have indicated that psychopaths may actually have the ability to feel empathy – both on an intellectual and emotional level – but <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23431793">can choose to disregard it</a>, as if they have an emotional off switch. Similarly, it seems psychopaths <a href="http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorders/hidden-suffering-psychopath">are often aware</a> of the wrongfulness in their negative behaviour, but act in that way in any case due to their lack of self control.</p> <p>Romantic partners of psychopaths will therefore soon realise it is hard work to keep up with their partners’ continuous need for stimulation and unrealistic long-term goals. Their lack of self control can also get partners in trouble. For example, a psychopath may be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160252717300523">rude to their partner’s colleagues</a> or embarrass them at a party.</p> <p>Psychopaths also tend to show traits of sociopathy and narcissism, and both traits <a href="https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/personality-types-most-likely-to-cheat-and-why-they-do-it">have been been correlated with infidelity</a>. A <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0265407517734068">recent study</a> that examined how psychopathic traits play out in romantic relationships also found that manipulation to gain sex may be a common approach.</p> <p>While many of these traits are off-putting, men and women seem to struggle with different things when living with a psychopathic partner. Women are more likely to resent their partner’s behaviour and gradually end the relationship, while men are more likely to experience <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.08.014">an increased fear of rejection</a> due to their partner’s impulsive behaviour.</p> <p><strong>Dealing with rejection</strong></p> <p>People who find the strength to get unhooked from a romantic relationship with a psychopath may find that their other half actually feels sorry – but that’s most likely to be because they <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/113/50/14438">are no longer able to own</a>, control and use them anymore.</p> <p>And if you dump a psychopath and later try to get them back you are unlikely to be successful. Their lack of empathy means that they will take no responsibility for what went wrong in the relationship and offer to change going forward. Instead, they will most likely <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1468-5930.00062">blame the outcome on you</a> or anyone else but themselves. This attitude comes from their belief that, if you are feeling hurt, then it is your responsibility and your problem – in other words, <a href="http://philosophycommons.typepad.com/flickers_of_freedom/2015/01/psychopaths-and-moral-responsibility-the-state-of-the-debate.html">you let this happen to you</a>.</p> <p>However, if their next romantic partner is not as challenging, interesting and fruitful as they hoped for, they might come right back to you full of deceitful apologies and new-found meaning in your relationship – along with promises of love. That is because psychopaths tend to live a <a href="http://psychogendered.com/2014/06/bloodsucker-the-parasitic-psychopath/">parasitic lifestyle</a>, feeding off others and taking more than they give. That means they may want to have your friends, resources and even your financial status back as their own.</p> <p>That said, psychopaths do appreciate their relationships in their own way. They do suffer pain, feel loneliness, have desires and feel sadness if they do not receive affection. Clearly dating a psychopath is not for everyone. But some people can see beyond the negative traits and accept a psychopath partner as they are – ultimately having greater chance of seeing the relationship succeed.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106965/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Calli Tzani-Pepelasi, Lecturer in Investigative Psychology, University of Huddersfield</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/worried-you-are-dating-a-psychopath-signs-to-look-for-according-to-science-106965" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

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How to tell if a child is a future psychopath

<p>We hear about psychopaths all the time – on the news, in movies, books and TV – and while we’ve been told <a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2017/09/scientists-reveal-6-signs-to-spot-a-psychopath/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">how to identify one as an adult</span></strong></a>, how many of us know when to spot one as a child?</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</span></strong></a> (DSM-5) rules that people under the age of 18 cannot be labelled “psychopaths”, but instead, according to a 2013 decision by the American Psychiatric Association, those between the ages of 12 and 18 can suffer a condition known as “conduct disorder with callous and unemotional traits”.</p> <p>And this condition is more prevalent than you might think. In 2001, a report published in the journal American Family Physician found that six to 16 per cent of boys and two to nine per cent of girls meet the criteria for conduct disorder, however only a fraction display the “callous and unemotional” traits that are seen as a predictor for adult psychopathy.</p> <p>Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old charged with 17 counts of murder after the recent Florida School Shooting, allegedly showed classic signs of the disorder as a child, including harming animals.</p> <p>“Psychopaths don’t just appear when they are 20,” psychology professor at the University of New Mexico and author of <em>The Psychopath Whisperer</em>, Kent Kiehl, told <a href="https://nypost.com/2018/03/07/how-to-tell-if-your-child-is-a-future-psychopath/" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The New York Post</span></em></strong></a>. “They are always different from an early age.”</p> <p>According to the Hare Psychology Checklist Youth Version (the “gold standard” for testing for psychopathy), characteristics to look out for in children include:</p> <ul> <li>Lack of empathy</li> <li>Lack of guilt and regret</li> <li>Pathological lying</li> <li>Grandiose self-worth</li> <li>Failure to accept responsibility for antisocial behaviour (fighting, bullying)</li> </ul> <p>“Individuals who score high on those traits are more likely to produce further violence,” Kiehl explained. “If they are sanctioned but continue on the same path, it’s not a perfect indicator, but it’s enough to cause concern.”</p> <p>There is no “cure” for psychopathy, however, early intervention from the ages of two or three can reduce their harmful potential.</p>

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Your answer to this question could reveal if you’re a psychopath

<p>Are you a psychopath? Even if you were, the answer to that question would probably be “no”, so luckily, there’s a more definitive test available.</p> <p>Enter the “trolley problem”. If you haven’t already heard of it, the trolley problem is a thought experiment developed by philosopher Philippa Foot that issues us with an ethical dilemma.</p> <p>Here’s how the problem goes, <a href="http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Courses/thomsonTROLLEY.pdf" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">in the words of philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson</span></strong></a>:</p> <p>“Suppose you are the driver of a trolley. The trolley rounds a bend, and there come into view ahead five track workmen, who have been repairing the track. The track goes through a bit of a valley at that point, and the sides are steep, so you must stop the trolley if you are to avoid running the five men down. You step on the brakes, but alas they don't work.</p> <p>“Now you suddenly see a spur of track leading off to the right. You can turn the trolley onto it, and thus save the five men on the straight track ahead. Unfortunately, there is one track workman on that spur of track. He can no more get off the track in time than the five can, so you will kill him if you turn the trolley onto him. Is it morally permissible for you to turn the trolley?”</p> <p>That is to say, should you do nothing and allow the trolley to remain on the same track, letting it kill the larger group, or should you make the conscious decision to switch tracks and kill just one person, sacrificing his life to save five?</p> <p>Well, if you answered the latter, we’ve got some bad news. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027711001351?via%3Dihub" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">According to a study</span></strong></a> published in the scientific journal <em>Cognition</em>, those who choose to kill one to save five have higher scores on measures of psychopathy, Machiavellianism and life meaningless.</p> <p>But don’t get too worried about that “psychopath” label just yet. Co-author of the study, Professor Daniel Bartels from Columbia University conceded that there was an inherent flaw in the trolley problem.</p> <p>“These methods fail to distinguish between people who endorse utilitarian moral choices because of underlying emotional deficits (like those captured by our measures of psychopathy and Machiavellianism) and those who endorse them out of genuine concern for the welfare of others.”</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, what would you do if you were faced with the trolley problem? </p>

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Can women be psychopaths too?

<p>Dr Xanthe Mallett is a Forensic Criminologist at the University of Newcastle and the author of Mothers who Murder.</p> <p>Hear the word psychopath and most of us think of violent, dominant men. There are lots of male psychopathic monsters from movies to illustrate this point. Think Alex in <em>A Clockwork Orange</em>, or Patrick Bateman in <em>American Psycho</em>.</p> <p>But we do have some female examples: Annie Wilkes in <em>Misery</em>, and who could forget Alex Forrest’s bunny-boiling character in <em>Fatal Attraction</em>? These frightening fictional femme fatales stay with us – I’ve heard the term “bunny boiler” used to signify a woman behaving irrationally and violently – but they are unusual. We largely expect psychopaths to be men.</p> <p>Research indicates <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14999013.2014.951105" target="_blank">there are likely</a></strong></span> to be fewer female psychopaths than male. This may well be true. However, a compounding factor leading to the underestimation of the true occurrence rate of psychopathy in women could be behavioural differences that cause them to slip under society’s radar. This is important to acknowledge as female psychopaths can be just as dangerous as their male counterparts.</p> <p><strong>What is psychopathy?</strong></p> <p>Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterised by a number of abnormal behavioural traits and emotional responses. These include lack of empathy, guilt or remorse, and being manipulative and deceitful. People with psychopathy are often irresponsible and have a disregard for laws or social conventions.</p> <p>Psychopaths often get away with these behaviours because they can be superficially quite charming. They are true observers of human behaviour, often <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-015-0012-x" target="_blank">being able to mimic</a></strong></span> love, fear, remorse and other emotions well enough to go undetected.</p> <p>Current thinking suggests psychopaths’ behaviour patterns result from variations in the structure of their brains at birth. A <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170705123121.htm" target="_blank">recent study</a></strong></span> from Harvard University indicated their brains are wired in a way that can lead to violent or dangerous actions.</p> <p>Researchers used MRI scans to determine if activity and connections between areas of the brain associated with impulsivity and assessing the value of choices differed between those who scored highly for psychopathy and those who didn’t. The scans showed psychopaths make more short-sighted, impulsive decisions based on short-term gain, when compared to non-psychopaths, and that it is the structure of their brains that leads them to make these kinds of poor decisions.</p> <p>Add this to their lack of empathy and it means if violence or dangerous behaviour will help a psychopath achieve a short-term goal, that is the path they will take. There is also <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933872/" target="_blank">evidence genetics</a></strong></span> are at least partly responsible for the development of psychopathic traits. In essence, psychopaths are born, not made.</p> <p><strong>Case studies</strong></p> <p>Certain case studies show how women psychopaths present in the real world. “Amy” is a 20-year-old female <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14999013.2012.746755" target="_blank">serving a life sentence</a></strong></span> for murder. She has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder with psychopathic traits.</p> <p>Amy fits the description of having extreme psychopathic tendencies. She was showing antisocial behaviour in her teens, including running away from home and engaging in substance abuse. Before her conviction for murder, Amy had numerous convictions for fraud and assault.</p> <p>The authors who assessed her case described Amy as deceitful and boastful, with a strong sense of self-entitlement. She was also described as having an extreme lack of empathy and remorse, while taking no responsibility for her actions.</p> <p>Amy is physically and verbally violent to those around her, preying on vulnerable prisoners through bullying behaviours. Perhaps most striking is that Amy is noted to be very domineering, predominantly seeking power and control over others, sometimes using sexual charm to get what she wants.</p> <p><strong>Female psychopaths</strong></p> <p>Research, limited though it is, suggests female psychopaths are manipulative and controlling, cunning, deceitful, don’t take responsibility for their actions, are exploitative and, of course, they lack empathy. Studies of incarcerated women suggest psychopathic females <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14999013.2014.951105" target="_blank">commit crimes at a younger age</a></strong></span> compared to women without psychopathic traits.</p> <p>They can have a history of being bullied and their behavioural traits <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-00292-006" target="_blank">tend to develop</a></strong></span> (or at least express themselves) in their teenage years.</p> <p>Female psychopaths commit crimes across multiple categories – robbery, drug crimes, assault. Other female inmates largely have only one offence type in their history. And psychopathic offenders’ crimes are more often motivated by power, dominance or personal gain than for non-psychopathic females. Female psychopaths are also <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-00292-006" target="_blank">more likely</a></strong></span> to repeat-offend than those without psychopathic tendencies.</p> <p>Many of these traits apply to male psychopaths too. But there are differences. In terms of occurrence rates, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3379858/" target="_blank">studies show</a></strong></span> female inmates with psychopathy make up 11 to 17 per cent of the overall prison population, compared to their male counterparts at 25 to 30 per cent.</p> <p>This may be because female psychopaths are likely to be more <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14999013.2014.951105" target="_blank">relationally or verbally aggressive</a></strong></span> than physically violent, and therefore commit less violent crimes than male psychopaths. This might help explain the initially surprising fact that women with psychopathy are found to be less likely to commit murder than non-psychopathic women.</p> <p>Female psychopaths can also be <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=LSiBsdxcGigC&amp;pg=PA175&amp;lpg=PA175&amp;dq=hare+parasitic+lifestyle&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=noR2Be9f-V&amp;sig=5eueM48iI3ssLNgQk_yK0F62HOc&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiQ2dTB3oXXAhXEX5QKHemFDqEQ6AEIMTAC#v=onepage&amp;q=hare%20parasitic%20lifestyle&amp;f=false" target="_blank">jealous and parasitic</a></strong></span>, meaning they feel entitled to live off other people, using threat and coercion to get support.</p> <p>So, while female psychopaths are not all like Glenn Close’s character in <em>Fatal Attraction</em>, they certainly exist and can be as violent, cunning and calculated as their male counterparts. But they more often express their psychopathy in more covert and manipulative ways, meaning their true natures are rarely identified.</p> <p><em>Written by Xanthe Mallett. Republished with permission of <a href="http://theconversation.com/The%20Conversation" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation</span></strong></a>.</em><img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84200/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/></p>

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Your favourite song could reveal if you are a psychopath

<p>A new study by New York University has found that there is a correlation between music preference and psychopathic traits.</p> <p>The study compared volunteers’ tastes in music with their scores on a personality test to see if there were any trends.</p> <p>The researchers at the university played 260 songs for 200 people and discovered that respondents with the highest psychopathic scores were fans of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”.</p> <p>Those who had the lowest psychopathic scores were fans of The Knack’s “My Sharona” and Sia’s “Titanium”.</p> <p>The study is aiming to find a way to easily identify psychopaths without them knowing. Researchers say this identification could help make sure they don’t get into a position where they can physically or emotionally abuse others.</p> <p>“The media portrays psychopaths as axe murderers and serial killers, but the reality is they are not obvious; they are not like The Joker in Batman,” head researcher Pascal Wallisch <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/26/playlist-of-the-lambs-psychopaths-prefer-rap-over-classical-music-study-shows" target="_blank">told The Guardian</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>“They might be working right next to you and they blend in. They are like psychological dark matter.”</p> <p>Approximately one per cent of the population fits the description of a psychopath and on average one in five prisoners are identified as having the psychological disorder.</p> <p>The volunteers used in the study were all young and educated but came from different ethnic and economic groups.</p> <p>The volunteers completed the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, a widely accepted personality test designed in 1995 to identify psychopathy.</p> <p>Wallisch highlighted that the study is preliminary and unpublished but hopes the initial findings will be a launchpad for a larger study.</p>

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11 ways cats are like “psychopaths”

<p>If the internet has taught us anything is that cats are crazy. They’ve been so many video, picture and stories of cats acting a little psychotic that we’re beginning to think they’re actually psychopaths wrapped in a fluffy feline exterior. Here are 11 pictures that are definitive proof cats are “psychopaths”.</p> <p><strong>1. They’re always sneaking around.</strong></p> <p><img width="516" height="225" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2F12yBKshqZ28MRG%2Fgiphy.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=28349d6c648b51b70125ba99d3c326ca"/></p> <p><strong>2. They can strike at any second.</strong></p> <p><img width="516" height="294" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fassets-animated.rbl.ms%2F2057500%2F980x.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=56a5e51f01f980f6eeca711797eef1aa"/></p> <p><strong>3. And will wait until the perfect moment to do it.</strong></p> <p><img width="516" height="466" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fassets-animated.rbl.ms%2F2081548%2F980x.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=d5ec02ec8327637188295437d973a80a"/></p> <p><strong>4. Sometimes they’ll go into hiding with no explanation. And they will only be found when they want to be found.</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="235" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10956/4_500x235.jpg" alt="4 (101)"/></strong></p> <p><strong>5. They’re ALWAYS paying attention (even if they appear not to be).</strong></p> <p><img width="508" height="183" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FjHwFN5FUldEvS%2Fgiphy.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=22a948769a26c1e7283288da1839b729"/></p> <p><strong>6. Cats have absolutely no consideration for the feelings of others.</strong></p> <p><img width="507" height="311" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FwaIb4gha3r6PS%2Fgiphy.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=e4fe85022e8d33a64d7623ef12a378e5"/></p> <p><strong>7. Or any of your things.</strong></p> <p><img width="513" height="289" src="http://f12-distractify.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FYrL6i2ADGf52E%2Fgiphy.gif?crop=faces&amp;w=750&amp;ixlib=js-0.2.1&amp;s=434cff26b18570a93e2d8c9c8f6fcfc6"/></p> <p><strong>8. They rule all other pets.</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="375" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10957/8.jpg" alt="8 (78)"/></strong></p> <p><strong>9. Cats randomly decide to do inexplicable things like this.</strong></p> <p><img width="524" height="222" src="http://meowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/running-around-like-crazy.gif" alt="Running around like crazy" class="attachment-full wp-post-image"/></p> <p><strong>10. They can do the seemingly impossible.</strong></p> <p><img width="500" height="503" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10958/10_500x503.jpg" alt="10 (48)"/></p> <p><strong>11. And just this. We’ll leave you with this.</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="499" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10959/11_500x499.jpg" alt="11 (22)"/></strong></p>

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