However, violence is only one possible manifestation of psychopathology (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009; Schmalleger, 2009). Individuals such as Bundy and Dahmer also represent the classic antisocial personality disorder which is not necessarily true of the vast majority of psychopaths, most of whom do not act out in criminally violent ways (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009. Schmalleger, 2009).
In principle, what is most relevant about individuals like Bundy and Dahmer is not the depravity of their crimes; rather, it is the overwhelming evidence of their ability to perpetuate a completely normal, even charming, false external personality. Dahmer, while a loner, was socially skilled enough to appeal to a large number of victims and maintained a perfectly ordinary lifestyle from every other perspective (Innes, 2007; Schmalleger, 2009). Bundy, in particular, demonstrates the manner in which psychopaths can manifest very high level of social functioning and professional achievement even while violating the most basic and fundamental societal rules and morals, and utterly without the remorse or fear that are typically associated with acts violence when they are committed by non-psychopathic individuals (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009; Innes, 2007; Schmalleger, 2009).
Examples of Psychopathic Personality in Contemporary Media and Society
Contemporary examples of psychopathic behavior in the media without the violent or criminal component would include individuals such as Jesse James, John Edwards, and Bernie Madoff. Jesse James, for instance, conducted illicit sexual affairs behind the back of his high profile celebrity actress wife in a manner that is difficult to understand from the perspective of anybody who genuinely hoped not to get caught. The casually duplicitous manner in which he appeared with is wife at public events and also conducted extramarital sexual affairs, reportedly, even while she was present in another room of his mechanic shop demonstrate the recklessness typically associated with psychopathic personalities.
Similarly, former Democratic presidential primary candidate John Edwards conducted an illicit affair simultaneous with his campaigning for the Democratic nomination and while his wife was publicly battling her cancer. Ultimately, it was widely reported that Edwards fathered a child with his mistress during this time and that he may have bought the silence of various individuals in the aftermath. The extremely casual nature of is disregard of the moral issues, as well as of the obvious certainty of exposure by virtue of his notoriety are both consistent with a psychopathic...
Psychopaths Discussion on "Without a Conscience" by Robert D. Hare The Psychopathic Characteristics Scientific Reasons of Psychopathy Psychopathic Behavior and Forensic Psychology Violence and Psychopaths Most people would be terrified as well as perhaps intrigued by the word psychopath and visualize images of cold blooded and remorseless murderers or offenders that are depicted in TV serials or films. However Dr. Robert D. Hare, arguably the most well-known researcher of psychopath, describes such people as those who
In the final results of their study, women psychopaths scored higher in the categories "Superficial," "deceitful," "impulsive," and "poor behavioral controls." Men scored higher on "lacks remorse," "lacks goals," "adolescent antisocial behavior," and "adult antisocial behavior." The psychopathic men and women in prison scored about the same on the Hale PCL ratings in "Grandiose," "lacks empathy," "doesn't accept responsibility," and "irresponsible." These results and data must be understood in the context
Sociopath or Psychopath Psychology - Disorders Personality disorders have been the interest of psychologists since long time. There are many personality disorders identified by the psychologists, and this paper sheds light on the most important among those disorders i.e. Psychopath and Sociopath. In general, these people use these two terms interchangeably but the fact is that these two conditions may be interrelated, but the symptoms and the behaviors of the individuals suffering
The psychopath must be made to realize that his behavior is useless and disadvantageous. And the therapist should find and use a vantage point to encourage socially acceptable behavior in the psychopath. Over and above, the therapist should invest enormous patience, time and money to the whole effort. Thorne believes it will require an investment of $15,000 every year for up to 10 years to obtain satisfactory result. However,
Psychology Discussion: Psychopathology Read the introduction to Reading 1: Beaver, Rowland, Schwartz & Nedelec (2011). The genetic origins of psychopathic personality traits in adult males and females: Results from an adoption-based study. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 426-432. Characterise psychopathy: What are the defining features? Psychopathy is a disorder of the personality that based on three prongs of traits: affective, behavioral, and interpersonal. Perhaps because they are so striking, are observed early in
Nonetheless, Bill never hurts other people simply because he thinks that it is irrational to hurt others. He thinks that any rational person would be like him and not hurt other people. Does Bill really understand that hurting others is morally wrong? (Nichols, 2002, p. 285)." This presents some interesting directions of thought. However, it is time to go into the relationship between serial murderers and forensic psychology as it
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