Beyond Good and Evil: The Psychopath Personality

1. 1 Beyond Good and Evil: The Psychopath Personality

2. 2 The Psychopath Personality

3. 3 Definitions of a Psychopath "A person with antisocial personality disorder, especially one manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior."� The American Heritage Dictionary �Intraspecies predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Robert Hare, Ph.D. An individual with ��the instinct of destruction, of mastery, the will to power .� Sigmund Freud

4. 4 Brief History of Psychopathy Term derived from the Greek psych (mind) and pathos (suffering), and was once used to denote any form of mental illness. Recognized for centuries, wearing evocative labels such as "madness without delirium" and "moral insanity." In 1801, Phillipe Pinel, the founder of French Psychiatry, identified such individuals as behaving crazily without actually being crazy. In 1812, Benjamin Rush, the first American psychiatrist, described them as patients with �innate preternatural moral depravity. In 1886, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche writes Beyond Good and Evil, proclaiming �God is dead� and advocating the psychopathic personality as the individual�s legitimate right to becoming an �Ubermensch� or �Superman.�

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6. 6 �There is No Law�

7. 7 Brief History of Psychopathy In 1910, Freud proposes that the psychopathic personality emerges when the war between the Id�s instinctual drives (Eros/Libido and Thanatos/Aggression), is won by the latter, resulting in an �instinct of destruction, of mastery, the will to power� and an �I see, I want, it�s mine� orientation to the world. In 1915, Emil Kraepelin first used the term �psychopathic personality� to describe amoral vs. immoral criminal types. In 1941, H. Cleckley writes The Mask of Sanity, describing the characteristics of the psychopathic personality. Psychopaths are human in every respect � but it is a lack of "soul quality" that makes them very efficient "machines." In 1980, psychologist Robert Hare creates the diagnostic tool called the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL).

8. 8 incidence

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10. 10 �Let the World Beware�

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12. 12 �For me, a life without murder is like a life without food for you.� Alexander Pichushkin Confessing to over 60 murders

13. 13 ~~Attachment~~

14. 14 Phineas gage

15. 15 Nature nurture

16. 16 The Genetics of Psychopathy A 1993 study identified 14 men in an extended family that had all been identified with psychopathic behaviors Scientists reported that all had an identical aberrant form of a gene on a chromosome that makes an enzyme called MAOA. Normal MAOA breaks down serotonin and noradrenalin; aberrant gene caused low enzyme activity. Low MAOA in animals associated with severe aggression Scientists posited they had found the �Violence Gene�

17. 17 Can Our Software Change Our Hardware?

18. 18 The Environment and Psychopathy A 2002 study followed 442 men with low-activity form of the MAOA gene Not more likely to engage in psychopathic behaviors (cruelty, severe aggression, criminal violence, etc.) unless abused and/or neglected Long term exposure to stress & violence produces high level of fear hormone, cortisol, altering brain chemistry Conclusion: Environment can alter brain circuitry

19. 19 �His Trees Will Be Frightful�

20. 20 Early/adolescent onset

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23. 23 You shall not covet your neighbor�s house. You shall not covet your neighbor�s spouse, or their manservant, or their cattle or anything that is your neighbor�s. Exodus 20:17 The Ten Commandments are declared in Exodus 20 of the ancient Jewish Scriptures. Written nearly 3,500 years ago. The Ten Commandments are used as social and legal principles governing most cultures.

24. 24 �We Covet What We See�

25. 25 Inside the Brain of the Psychopath

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29. 29 Frontal brain

30. 30 Brain serotonin

31. 31 Psychopath brain

32. 32 Comparisons in the Frontal Lobe of a Normal Brain to the Brain of a Killer

33. 33 Stroop color word test

34. 34 Doomed to Poor Judgments �The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.� �People who live in glass houses shouldn�t throw stones.� �Strike while the iron is hot.�

35. 35 Lionel Tate Sentenced to LIFE at age 14 for a murder he committed when he was 12. Once the youngest person in modern U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 killing of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. After his life sentence was thrown out in 2004, a plea deal gave him probation. Tate violated his probation when he was arrested for Robbery with a gun after he robbed a pizza deliveryman. He is now serving a 30-year sentence for the murder and is facing charges for the robbery.

36. 36 DC Number:�L24475Name:�TATE, LIONEL

37. 37 We perceive our worlds totally differently. The way a psychopath thinks and acts just doesn�t make and sense to most people.

38. 38 �It�s Nothing Personal�

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40. 40 Characteristics of a Psychopath Grandiose sense of self worth Need for stimulation Pathological lying Conning Lack of remorse or guilt Shallow emotional response Callous/lack of empathy Manipulative Impulsivity Prone to boredom Early behavioral problems No realistic long term goals Not responsible for actions Promiscuous sexual behavior Many short term relationships Poor behavioral controls Juvenile delinquency Revokes of conditional release Criminal versatility Parasitic lifestyle

41. 41 Meet the Psychopath: Inmate Interviews

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44. 44 Treatment of Psychopaths Treatment literature suggests that nothing has worked in treating psychopaths Significant portion of those committed under Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) legislation likely to be psychopaths (Hare, 2000) Treatment should NOT focus on personality change, developing empathy or sense of conscience Focus on developing pro-social ways to satisfy their needs by capitalizing on their strengths and abilities Medications for acute aggression and very close control both during and after incarceration (Wong and Hare, 2005)

45. 45 Treatment Caveats The psychopath, will interpret caring as a weakness to be exploited. When psychopaths are placed in a mental health treatment environment, they prey upon the mentally ill and mimic their symptoms to manipulate their environment. Psychopath�s who participate in traditional psychotherapy become better psychopaths and are more likely to victimize others.

46. 46 When asked how he selected his victims, Danny Rolling, the Gainesville serial murderer replied, �Predators look for vulnerabilities.�

47. 47 Dealing with the Psychopath

48. 48 TOXIC PEOPLE Avoid being around antisocials and psychopaths as much as possible. Don�t hang out with people who have little regard for others or the law. Don�t be in places where you are likely to find such people. If you think you are in the presence of a psychopath, get away.

49. 49 Keep Your Eyes Open Don�t be blind to the psychopath�s need to control through deception. Be on guard against flattering statements, feigned concern, and phony kindness. Lying and deceit are natural talents of the psychopathic offender. They will do whatever is necessary to gain a psychological advantage to get what they want.

50. 50 Try Not to be Influenced by �Props� Be aware that psychopaths are masters of using �props� such as a winning smile, soothing voice, or an emotionless gaze. Understand that nonverbal mannerisms are really sleight-of-hand efforts to influence and distort your judgment. Be aware that an offender�s riveting eye contact is not necessarily an indication of concern or interest, but rather a �prop� to establish dominance and control.

51. 51 Know What You are Dealing With Everyone, including the experts, can be taken in, manipulated, and conned. Your best defense is to understand the nature of these predators. Be careful about sharing personal information about yourself, family or friends. Remember, if crime was the job description, the psychopath would be the perfect applicant.

52. 52 Know Thy Self Psychopaths are extremely skilled at detecting and ruthlessly exploiting your weak spots. If you are a sucker for flattery, feel unappreciated, feel lonely or alone, you are vulnerable. Be wary of anyone who tries to limit your contact with your social support system. The wolf will isolate the prey. The best defense is to understand what your weak spots are and to be extremely wary of anyone who zeros in on them. Self-examination, frank discussions with people you trust will be a helpful defense against the psychopath�s ability to distort our reality.

53. 53 Interviewing the Psychopath is� �A Dance with the Devil�

54. 54 �The Dance with the Devil�

55. 55 Good: That which promotes life and liveliness. Evil: That which seeks to kill life or liveliness.

56. 56 A Cure for Evil ? �One can not study a disease without the intention to heal it.� M.S. Peck Perhaps we can diminish it�s impact, it�s force in the world.

57. 57 The End�.Or is It?