Re: Sociopaths

a_weisman_at_yahoo.com
Date: 03/26/05 

Date: 26 Mar 2005 07:42:47 -0800

eugeneshapiroisapig wrote:
> I've read (and experienced) extensively on this subject, and would
> like to add some comments.

> First of all, I feel that there are many shades of sociopathy.
We
> all possess our own inner sociopath. It is degree that separates. And
> also volition, because whereas most of us have violent unethical
> vicious fantasies, we do not act them out, but the sociopath seems to
> lack these mental obstacles.

I don't think there are "Shades of sociopathy" and I don't think the
definition of "sociopath" actually includes one's fantasies--it
concentrates on actions first rather than the thought process.

************************************************************************

sociopath - definition of sociopath in Encyclopedia

http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/sociopath
Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which
is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. APD is
generally considered to be the same as, or similar to, the disorder
that was previously known as psychopathic or sociopathic personality
disorder. Approximately 3% of men and 1% of women have some form of
antisocial personality disorder (source: DSM-IV).

Although criminal activity is not a necessary requirement for the
diagnosis, these individuals often encounter legal difficulties due to
their disregard for societal standards and the rights of others.
Therefore, many of these individuals can be found in prisons. However,
it should be noted that criminal activity does not automatically
warrant a diagnosis of APD, nor does a diagnosis of APD imply that a
person is a criminal. It is hypothesized that many high achievers
exhibit APD characteristics.

Research has shown that individuals with APD are indifferent to the
threat of physical pain, and show no indications of fear when so
threatened; this may explain their apparent disregard for the
consequences of their actions, and their lack of empathy for the
suffering of others.

The recent, controversial science of sociobiology attempts to explain
animal and human behavior and social structures, largely in terms of
evolutionarily stable strategies. For example, in one well-known 1995
paper by Linda Mealey, chronic antisocial/criminal behavior is
explained as a combination of two such strategies.

Contents
1 Diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR)

2 Diagnostic criteria (PCL-R test)

3 Fictional psychopaths

4 Corporate Psychopathy

5 External links

Diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR)
The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders
(see also:DSM cautionary statement), defines anti-social personality
disorder as a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the
rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three
(or more) of the following:

failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as
indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest
deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or
conning others for personal profit or pleasure
impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical
fights or assaults
reckless disregard for safety of self or others
consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to
sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing
having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
The manual lists the following additional necessary criteria:

The individual is at least age 18 years.
There is evidence of Conduct Disorder with onset before age 15 years.
The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the
course of Schizophrenia or a Manic Episode.
Diagnostic criteria (PCL-R test)
In contemporary research and clinical practice, APD is most commonly
assessed with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R), which is
a clinical rating scale with 20 items. Each of the items in the PCL-R
is scored on a three-point scale according to specific criteria through
file information and a semi-structured interview. The items are as
follows:

Interpersonal dimension

Glibness/superficial charm
Grandiose sense of self-worth
Pathological lying
Conning/manipulative
Lack of remorse or guilt
Shallow affect
Callous/lack of empathy
Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Affective dimension

Need for stimulation/-proneness to boredom
Parasitic lifestyle
Poor behavioral controls
Early behavioral problems
Lack of realistic, long-term goals
Impulsivity
Irresponsibility
Juvenile delinquency
Revocation of conditional release
Behavioral dimension

Promiscuous sexual behavior
Many short-term marital relationships
Criminal versatility
Score 0 if the trait is absent, 1 if it is possibly or partially
present and 2 if it is present. The item scores are summed to yield a
total score ranging from 0 to 40 which is then considered to reflect
the degree to which they resemble the prototypical psychopath. A score
higher than 30 supports a diagnosis of psychopathy. Forensic studies of
prison populations have reported average scores of around 22 on PCL-R;
control "normal" populations show an average score of around 5.

A note of caution: the test must be administered by a trained mental
health practitioner under controlled conditions for it to have any
validity.

Fictional psychopaths
Svidrigaïlov (Crime and Punishment)
Hannibal Lecter (Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal)
Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)
Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)
"The Caller" (Phone Booth)
Chad (In the Company of Men)
Don Logan (Sexy Beast)
The Punisher (Some versions) (Marvel Comics)
Lieutenant Loren Singer (JAG)
Tom Ripley (The Talented Mr. Ripley)
Jason Dean (Heathers)
Psychopaths in popular fiction and movies generally possess a number of
standard characteristics which are not necessarily as common amongst
real-life psychopaths. The traditional "Hollywood psychopath" is likely
to exhibit some or all of the following traits.

High intelligence, and a preference for intellectual stimulation
(music, fine art etc.)
A somewhat vain, stylish, almost "cat-like" demeanor.
Prestige, or a successful career or position.
A calm, calculating and always-in-control attitude.
It is this last feature which is probably most at odds with the typical
real-life psychopath: an individual with APD is much more likely to be
impulsive, disorganised and short-tempered rather than the
smooth-talking, self-disciplined character portrayed by Anthony Hopkins
or Kiefer Sutherland.

In popular culture, "psychopath" is often used interchangeably with
"serial killer" (such as the characters in slasher films) though the
terms are not synonymous. It is, however, true that 90% of serial
killers are psychopaths.

Corporate Psychopathy
The Corporation, a documentary exploring the psyche of the corporation,
came to the conclusion that if the corporation can be regarded as a
legal person, as it is under United States law, its personality would
meet all of the DSM-IV requirements for being a psychopath (such as
conning others for profit and recklessness).

External links
Definition from PsychCentral.com
(http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx7.htm)
Another opinion (http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p960239.html)
The Sociobiology of Sociopathy, Mealey, 1995
(http://www.bbsonline.org/Preprints/OldArchive/bbs.mealey.html)
Antisocial personality disorders frequent in 'core' STI transmitters,
says US study
(http://www.aidsmap.com/news/newsdisplay2.asp?newsId=2514)
Article: Psychopath in a suit
(http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/20/1045638423969.html)
USC Study Finds "Faulty Wiring" In Psychopaths
(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040311072248.htm)
Mental Health Matters: Antisocial Personality Disorder
(http://www.mental-health-matters.com/disorders/dis_details.php?disID=8)

Psych Forums: Antisocial Personality Forum
(http://www.psychforums.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=128)
Antisocial Personality Disorder in serial killers
(http://samvak.tripod.com/serialkillers.html)
"Psychopaths in Suits" on Australia's ABC Radio
(http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s1158704.htm)

***********************************************************************
Antisocial Personality, Sociopathy and Psychopathy
http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/428/428lect16.htm

ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY, SOCIOPATHY, AND PSYCHOPATHY
"When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better." (Mae West)

    People who cannot contain their urges to harm (or kill) people
repeatedly for no apparent reason are assumed to suffer from some
mental illness. However, they may be more cruel than crazy, they may be
choosing not to control their urges, they know right from wrong, they
know exactly what they're doing, and they are definitely NOT insane, at
least according to the consensus of most scholars (Samenow 2004). In
such cases, they usually fall into one of three types that are
typically considered aggravating circumstances in addition to their
legal guilt -- antisocial personality disorder (APD), sociopath, or
psychopath -- none of which are the same as insanity or psychosis. APD
is the most common type, afflicting about 4% of the general population.
 Sociopaths are the second most common type, with the American
Psychiatric Association estimating that 3% of all males in our society
are sociopaths. Psychopaths are rare, found in perhaps 1% of the
population.

    Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) is practically synonymous
with criminal behavior. It's so synonymous, in fact, that practically
all convicted criminals (65-75%) have it, with criminologists often
referring to it as a "wastebasket" category. Antisocials come is all
shapes and sizes, but psychologists consider the juvenile version of it
to be a juvenile conduct disorder. The main characteristic of it is a
complete and utter disregard for the rights of others and the rules of
society. They seldom show anxiety and don't feel guilt. There's really
no effective treatment for them other than locking them up in a secure
facility with such rigid rules that they cannot talk their way out. A
full list of APD traits would include:

List of Antisocial Personality Disorder Traits

Sense of entitlement; Unremorseful; Apathetic to others; Unconscionable
behavior; Blameful of others; Manipulative and conning; Affectively
cold; Disparate understanding; Socially irresponsible; Disregardful of
obligations; Nonconforming to norms; Irresponsible

    whereas the DSM-IV "clinical" features of Antisocial Personality
Disorder (with a person having at least three of these characteristics)
are:

Clinical Symptoms for an Antisocial Personality Disorder Diagnosis

1. Failure to conform to social norms; 2. Deceitfulness,
manipulativeness; 3. Impulsivity, failure to plan ahead; 4.
Irritability, aggressiveness; 5. Reckless disregard for the safety of
self or others; 6. Consistent irresponsibility; 7. Lack of remorse
after having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another person

    Sociopathy is chiefly characterized by something wrong with the
person's conscience. They either don't have one, it's full of holes
like Swiss cheese, or they are somehow able to completely neutralize or
negate any sense of conscience or future time perspective. Sociopaths
only care about fulfilling their own needs and desires - selfishness
and egocentricity to the extreme. Everything and everybody else is
mentally twisted around in their minds as objects to be used in
fulfilling their own needs and desires. They often believe they are
doing something good for society, or at least nothing that bad. The
term "sociopath" is frequently used by psychologists and sociologists
alike in referring to persons whose unsocialized character is due
primarily to parental failures (usually fatherlessness) rather than an
inherent feature of temperament. Lykken (1995), for example, clearly
distinguishes between the sociopath (who is socialized into becoming a
psychopath) and a "true" psychopath (who is born that way). However,
this may only describe the "common sociopath", as there are at least
four (4) different subtypes -- common, alienated, aggressive, and
dyssocial. Commons are characterized mostly by their lack of
conscience; the alienated by their inability to love or be loved;
aggressives by a consistent sadistic streak; and dyssocials by an
ability to abide by gang rules, as long as those rules are the wrong
rules. Some common sociopathic traits include:

List of Common Sociopathic Traits

Egocentricity; Callousness; Impulsivity; Conscience defect; Exaggerated
sexuality; Excessive boasting; Risk taking; Inability to resist
temptation; Antagonistic, deprecating attitude toward the opposite sex;
Lack of interest in bonding with a mate

    Psychopathy is a concept subject to much debate, but is usually
defined as a constellation of affective, interpersonal, and behavioral
characteristics including egocentricity; impulsivity; irresponsibility;
shallow emotions; lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse; pathological
lying; manipulativeness; and the persistent violation of social norms
and expectations (Cleckley 1976; Hare 1993). The crimes of psychopaths
are usually stone-cold, remorseless killings for no apparent reason.
They cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please without
the slightest sense of guilt or regret. In many ways, they are
natural-born intraspecies predators who satisfy their lust for power
and control by charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence. While
almost all societies would regard them as criminals (the exception
being frontier or warlike societies where they might become heroes,
patriots, or leaders), it's important to distinguish their behavior
from criminal behavior. As a common axiom goes in psychology, MOST
PSYCHOPATHS ARE ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITIES BUT NOT ALL ANTISOCIAL
PERSONALITIES ARE PSYCHOPATHS. This is because APD is defined mainly by
behaviors (Factor 2 antisocial behaviors) and doesn't tap the
affective/interpersonal dimensions (Factor 1 core psychopathic
features, narcissism) of psychopathy. Further, criminals and APDs tend
to "age out" of crime; psychopaths do not, and are at high risk of
recidivism. Psychopaths love to intellectualize in treatment with their
half-baked understanding of rules. Like the Star Trek character, Spock,
their reasoning cannot handle any mix of cognition and emotion. They
are calculating predators who, when trapped, will attempt escape,
create a nuisance and danger to staff, be a disruptive influence on
other patients or inmates, and fake symptoms to get transferred,
bouncing back and forth between institutions. The common features of
psychopathic traits (the PCL-R items) are:

List of Common Psychopathic Traits

Glib and superficial charm; Grandiose sense of self-worth; Need for
stimulation; Pathological lying; Conning and manipulativeness; Lack of
remorse or guilt; Shallow affect; Callousness and lack of empathy;
Parasitic lifestyle; Poor behavioral controls; Promiscuous sexual
behavior; Early behavior problems; Lack of realistic, long-term goals;
Impulsivity; Irresponsibility; Failure to accept responsibility for own
actions; Many short-term marital relationships; Juvenile delinquency;
Revocation of conditional release; Criminal versatility

    In addition to these most well-known types, there have been
criminologists who have put forward additional constructs. They are
only mentioned here because of their relevance to serial criminals, and
the interesting similarity in the way they compare to the FBI's
"disorganized - organized" typology.

EPISODIC AGGRESSION AND SOCIOPATHY COMPARED

Disorganized Episodic Aggression:
 Organized Sociopathic Hatred:

Ritualistic behavior Superficial charm and "good" intelligence
Attempts to conceal mental instability Absence of delusions and other
signs of irrational behavior
Compulsivity Absence of "nervousness" or psychoneurotic manifestations
Periodic search for help unreliability
Severe memory disorders and an inability to tell the truth
untruthfulness and insincerity
Suicidal tendencies lack of remorse or shame
History of committing assault inadequately motivated antisocial
behavior
Hypersexuality and abnormal sexual behavior poor judgment and failure
to learn by experience
Head injuries; injuries suffered at birth pathological egocentricity
and incapacity for love
History of chronic drug or alcohol abuse general poverty in major
affective reactions
Parents with history of chronic drug or alcohol abuse specific loss of
insight
Victim of childhood physical or mental abuse unresponsiveness in
general interpersonal relations
Result of an unwanted pregnancy fantastic and uninviting behavior with
and sometimes without drink
Product of a difficult gestation for mother suicide rarely carried out
Unhappiness in childhood resulted in inability to find happiness sex
life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated
Extraordinary cruelty to animals failure to follow any life plan
Attraction to arson without homicidal interest
Symptoms of neurological impairment
Evidence of genetic disorder
Biochemical symptoms
Feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy

    The patterns of episodic aggressive behavior scale is derived from
Joel Norris (1990) Serial Killers, London: Arrow Books and also
reproduced in Brian Lane & Wilfred Gregg (1992) The Encyclopedia of
Serial Killers, NY: Berkeley Books. This particular sociopathic
checklist is found in numerous places but extensively featured in both
of Samenow's works in the 1970s on criminal personality (thinking
errors).

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

    The diagnosis of APD has long been controversial. The criteria for
it seem to change with each and every new edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I 1968; DSM-II 1976;
DSM-III 1980; DSM-III-R 1987; DSM-IV 1994). The diagnosis was
substantially changed with DSM-III when the APA decided to distinguish
between child and adult characteristics, and essentially substituted
behavioral criteria (like truancy or law violations) for personality
criteria (like callousness and selfishness). In the DSM-III-R (R for
Revised), the focus was on violence and a list of violent acts
(fighting, cruelty to others, cruelty to animals). The current DSM-IV
approach essentially says that anything which is not sociopathy,
psychopathy or dyssocial personality disorder is antisocial personality
disorder, but there is considerable overlap. The diagnostic
possibilities are endless; there are at least 3 million possible
variations of symptoms on at least 62 different measurable items.

    Ongoing research is quite prolific into the factor or principal
components analysis of APD characteristics. Most forensic experts
believe there are 3-4 factors (groupings of symptoms). One factor
involves symptoms that cluster around what might be called a Lack of
Planning (promiscuous, irresponsible, impulsive traits and behavior).
Another factor clusters around the notion of Disregard for Others. A
third factor is clearly related to Adult Criminality. A fourth factor
is clearly related to Juvenile Delinquency. Impulsivity appears to be a
prototypical (core) feature, but it can take many forms. Definitions of
impulsivity are numerous -- a tendency to act without reflection;
dysfunctional information processing; a tendency for risk taking;
sensation seeking; and an inability to sustain attention. Rating scales
are easily available to measure these.

    The incidence of APD is twice as high for inner-city residents than
in small towns or rural areas, and five times higher in males than in
females. It affects people in all social classes, but if someone with
APD is born into a family of wealth and privilege, they will usually
manage to eek out a successful business or political career. Poorer
people with APD tend to wind up in state prison systems. Since
African-Americans are seven times more likely to be represented in
state prison systems, it's tempting to speculate the incidence of APD
among African-Americans is high. However, there are most likely other
causes of crime among African-Americans (like unemployment and racism).
The fact is that most of the current prison population, white or black,
shares the APD diagnosis. All it takes is a juvenile record, an adult
offense career, aggressivity, impulsivity, a checkered work history,
and/or lack of demonstrable repentance. These can be easily found in
almost any prison inmate's dossier.

    One of the things closely related to APD is the comorbidity of
alcoholism and narcotic addiction. Some of the criteria for a substance
abuse disorder are very similar: theft, hazardous behavior, failure to
fulfill role functions in home, school, and work. A strong correlation
exists between substance abuse and factor 2 (antisocial behaviors) of
the psychopathy construct. APDs with a drug addiction have some serious
substance abuse problems -- the kind that lead to death by overdose or
accident within five years. Are APD and narcotic addiction part of the
same disorder, does one lead to the other, or are they are spuriously
linked together? From what little research there is, it appears that
most of the time, APD precedes narcotic addiction, although some of the
time, addiction leads to APD behaviors. People with such comorbid
characteristics also usually have undiagnosed other Axis I and Axis II
disorders.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIOPATH

    From the wild Irish slums of the 19th Century Eastern seaboard to
the riot-torn anomic neighborhoods of Los Angeles, our society has
always produced sociopaths who are quite often the products of
illegitimacy, broken homes, and a lack of any bonding with male or
societal authority. Some 70% of sociopaths come from fatherless homes.
Father absence produces many consequences similar to the symptoms of
sociopathy -- early, precocious sexuality; antagonistic, deprecating
attitude toward the opposite sex; lack of interest in bonding with a
durable, stable mate; aggressive acting-out; excessive boasting; and
risk-taking behavior. Some 30% of children today are born
out-of-wedlock, and another 30% live in divorced homes. These
conditions - a problem of unsocialization - produce sociopathy.
Furthermore, sociopaths tend to reproduce themselves, that is, they
produce more than own their share of illegitimate offspring themselves.

    So what is a sociopath? You won't find criteria in the DSM IV or
official psychiatric nomenclature, but the construct refers to the
largest subgroup of APDs. Most are males, but an increasing number are
female. They have otherwise normal temperaments (as opposed to
psychopaths who have abnormal temperaments). Some are aggressive,
fearless sensation seekers, and others are Machiavellian manipulators.
A Machiavellian is a personality type who is a cross between an
antisocial personality and a narcissist, and someone who also has an
extremely high sense of entitlement. The one thing that all sociopaths
have in common is that they are "too much" to handle for their parents
or anyone else. It's common to refer to them as unsocialized, but the
dyssocial sociopath does socialize to the mores and values of a
dyssocial outgroup, like a gang. Let's explore the four (4) subtypes of
sociopaths:

    COMMON SOCIOPATHS are the largest subtype and have a weak or
unelaborated conscience. They are not ashamed by the same things as you
or I would be ashamed of. They are like feral children grown up, taking
pleasures and gratifying impulses at every opportunity or temptation.
They especially enjoy and take pride in bending or breaking the rules.
As teenagers, they are often runaways. As adults, they are often
geographically mobile, living in shelters, or taking advantage of
welfare systems. They are experienced shoplifters. They have quite
active sex lives. They are usually of average intelligence, but don't
do well in school and never seem to break out of low-paying dead-end
jobs. Nevertheless, they seem genuinely happy with their lives,
unburdened by any sense of negative self-worth or the fact that they
have not been a functional, contributing member of society.

    ALIENATED SOCIOPATHS have never developed the ability to love,
empathize, or affiliate in real life with another person. They will
show more emotion toward their pet or a personal artifact than toward a
person. Or, they may hate animals and live out their emotional life by
watching TV (identification with soap opera characters is a common
pattern). Dating and marriage relationships will be very barren and
empty. They won't get along with the neighbors. They live in a shell.
They have a cold, callous attitude toward human suffering or any social
problem in the society they live in. They just don't care because it's
outside their range of empathy. Most will believe they are justified in
this because they feel they were cheated in some way themselves by
society, and a few will be more than happy to rant and rave about it to
anyone who listens. They are chronic complainers, and underneath it
all, they would like to see nothing better than all of society
destroyed.

    AGGRESSIVE SOCIOPATHS derive strong, yet nonperverse gratification
from harming others. They like to hurt, frighten, tyrannize, bully, and
manipulate. They do it for a sense of power and control, and will often
only drop subtle hints about what they are up to. They polish their
aggressive, domineering manner in such a way to disguise any
intimidation others might feel. They seek out positions of power, such
as parent, teacher, bureaucrat, supervisor, or police officer. Their
style is one of passive aggression as they systematically go about
sabotaging the ideas of others to get their ideas in place. In their
spare time, they like to hunt or occasionally do sadistic things like
find stray dogs and cut them up. They are usually effective at getting
their way, and are especially vindictive if resisted or crossed. They
don't follow the social norm of reciprocity like others do.

    DYSSOCIAL SOCIOPATHS identify and hold an allegiance with a
dyssocial, outcast, or predatory subculture. Any subculture will do, as
long as it runs counter to established authority. They are capable of
intense loyalty, and even a feeling of guilt and shame, within such
limited circles. They seem to continually fall upon bad luck and bad
companions, however. While they will constantly complain that none of
this is their fault, behind it all is a kind of self-defeating
mechanism in the poor choices they made themselves.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE PSYCHOPATH

    Psychopaths cannot be understood in terms of antisocial rearing or
development. They are simply morally depraved individuals who represent
the "monsters" in our society. They are unstoppable and untreatable
predators whose violence is planned, purposeful and emotionless. The
violence continues until it reaches a plateau at age 50 or so, then
tapers off. Their emotionlessness reflects a detached, fearless, and
possibly dissociated state, revealing a lower autonomic nervous system
and lack of anxiety. It's difficult to say what motivates them -
control and dominance possibly - since their life history will usually
show no bonds with others nor much rhyme to their reason (other than
the planning of violence). They tend to operate with a grandiose
demeanor, an attitude of entitlement, an insatiable appetite, and a
tendency toward sadism. Fearlessness is probably the prototypical
(core) characteristic (the low-fear hypothesis). It's helpful to think
of them as high-speed vehicles with ineffective brakes. Certain organic
(brain) disorders and hormonal imbalances mimic the state of mind of a
psychopath.

    There are four (4) different subtypes of psychopaths. The oldest
distinction was made by Cleckley back in 1941 between primary and
secondary. However, we'll explore the other two subtypes first:

    DISTEMPERED PSYCHOPATHS are the kind that seem to fly into a rage
or frenzy more easily and more often than other subtypes. Their frenzy
will resemble an epileptic fit. They are also usually men with
incredibly strong sex drives, capable of astonishing feats of sexual
energy, and seemingly obsessed by sexual urges during a large part of
their waking lives. Powerful cravings also seem to characterize them,
as in drug addiction, kleptomania, pedophilia, any illicit or illegal
indulgence. They like the endorphin "high" or "rush" off of excitement
and risk-taking. The serial-rapist-murderer known as the Boston
Strangler was such a psychopath.

    CHARISMATIC PSYCHOPATHS are charming, attractive liars. They are
usually gifted at some talent or another, and they use it to their
advantage in manipulating others. They are usually fast-talkers, and
possess an almost demonic ability to persuade others out of everything
they own, even their lives. Leaders of religious sects or cults, for
example, might be psychopaths if they lead their followers to their
deaths. This subtype often comes to believe in their own fictions. They
are irresistible.

PRIMARY PSYCHOPATHS do not respond to punishment, apprehension, stress,
or disapproval. They seem to be able to inhibit their antisocial
impulses most of the time, not because of conscience, but because it
suits their purpose at the time. Words do not seem to have the same
meaning for them as they do for us. In fact, it's unclear if they even
grasp the meaning of their own words, a condition that Cleckley called
"semantic aphasia." They don't follow any life plan, and it seems as if
they are incapable of experiencing any genuine emotion.

    SECONDARY PSYCHOPATHS are risk-takers, but are also more likely to
be stress-reactive, worriers, and guilt-prone. They expose themselves
to more stress than the average person, but they are as vulnerable to
stress as the average person. They are daring, adventurous,
unconventional people who began playing by their own rules early in
life. They are strongly driven by a desire to escape or avoid pain, but
are unable to resist temptation. As their anxiety increases toward some
forbidden object, so does their attraction to it. They live their lives
by the lure of temptation.

    Hare's PCL-R 20-item checklist is based on Cleckley's 16-item
checklist, and the following is a discussion of the concepts in the
PCL-R:

1. GLIB and SUPERFICIAL CHARM -- the tendency to be smooth, engaging,
charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the
least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything. A psychopath
never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social
conventions about taking turns in talking, for example.

2. GRANDIOSE SELF-WORTH -- a grossly inflated view of one's abilities
and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart.
Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human
beings.

3. NEED FOR STIMULATION or PRONENESS TO BOREDOM -- an excessive need
for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and
doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have a low
self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they
get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of
time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or
routine.

4. PATHOLOGICAL LYING -- can be moderate or high; in moderate form,
they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form,
they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous,
manipulative, and dishonest.

5. CONNING AND MANIPULATIVENESS- the use of deceit and deception to
cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from
Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is
present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and
suffering of one's victims.

6. LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT -- a lack of feelings or concern for the
losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned,
dispassionate, coldhearted, and unempathic. This item is usually
demonstrated by a disdain for one's victims.

7. SHALLOW AFFECT -- emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of
feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open
gregariousness.

8. CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY -- a lack of feelings toward people
in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless.

9. PARASITIC LIFESTYLE -- an intentional, manipulative, selfish, and
exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of
motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete
responsibilities.

10. POOR BEHAVIORAL CONTROLS -- expressions of irritability, annoyance,
impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control
of anger and temper; acting hastily.

11. PROMISCUOUS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR -- a variety of brief, superficial
relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual
partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a
history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or
taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests.

12. EARLY BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS -- a variety of behaviors prior to age 13,
including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity,
fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home.

13. LACK OF REALISTIC, LONG-TERM GOALS -- an inability or persistent
failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic
existence, aimless, lacking direction in life.

14. IMPULSIVITY -- the occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated
and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation,
frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the
consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless.

15. IRRESPONSIBILITY -- repeated failure to fulfill or honor
obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on
loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to
honor contractual agreements.

16. FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS -- a failure to
accept responsibility for one's actions reflected in low
conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic
manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate
others through this denial.

17. MANY SHORT-TERM MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS -- a lack of commitment to a
long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and
unreliable commitments in life, including marital.

18. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY -- behavior problems between the ages of
13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of
antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous,
ruthless tough-mindedness.

19. REVOCATION OF CONDITION RELEASE -- a revocation of probation or
other conditional release due to technical violations, such as
carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear.

20. CRIMINAL VERSATILITY -- a diversity of types of criminal offenses,
regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them;
taking great pride at getting away with crimes.

INTERNET RESOURCES
The Antisocial Personality Disorder Homepage
Can Criminal Psychopaths be Identified?
Dr. Hare's Psychopathy/Antisocial Personality Confusion article
Dr. Stanton Samenow's Home Page
The Internet Danger Zone: Psychopaths or Sociopaths

PRINTED RESOURCES
Black, D. & Larson, L. (2000). Bad Boys, Bad Men: Confronting
Antisocial Personality Disorder. NY: Oxford Univ. Press.
Cleckley, Hervey (1903-1984). The Mask of Sanity, Fifth Edition, 1988.
Previous editions copyrighted 1941, 1950, 1955, 1964, 1976 by St.
Louis: Mosby Co.
Fishbein, D. (2000). (ed.) The Science, Treatment, and Prevention of
Antisocial Behaviors. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.
Giannangelo, S. (1996). The Psychopathology of Serial Murder. Westport:
Praeger.
Hare, R. (1991). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Toronto:
Multi-Health Systems.
Hare, R. (1996). Psychopathy: A clinical construct whose time has come.
Criminal Justice and Behavior 23:25-54.
Hare, R. (1999). Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the
Psychopaths among us. NY: Guilford Press.
Jenkins, R. (1960). The psychopath or antisocial personality. Journal
of Nervous and Mental Disease 131:318-34.
Lykken, D. (1995) The Antisocial Personalities. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
McCord W. & J. (1964). The Psychopath: An Essay on the Criminal Mind.
Princeton: Van Nostrand.
Meloy, J. Reid. (1995). The Psychopathic Mind: Origins, Dynamics, and
Treatment. NY: Jason Aronson.
Millon, T., E. Simonsen, M. Birket-Smith & R. Davis. (1998).
Psychopathy: Antisocial, Criminal, and Violent Behavior. NY: Guilford
Press.
Robins, L. (1978). Aetiological implications in studies of childhood
histories relating to antisocial personality. In R. Hare & D. Schalling
(eds) Psychopathic Behavior. Chichester: Wiley.
Reid, W., Walker, J., & Dorr, D. (Eds.) (1986). Unmasking the
Psychopath: Antisocial Personality and Related Syndromes. NY: Norton.
Rogers, R., R. Salekin, K. Sewell & K. Cruise. (2000). Prototypical
analysis of antisocial personality disorder. Criminal Justice and
Behavior 27(2) 234-55.
Samenow, S. (2002). Straight Talk about Criminals: Understanding and
Treating Antisocial Behavior. NY: Jason Aronson.
Samenow, S. (2004). Inside the Criminal Mind. NY: Random House.
Sher, K. & Trull, T. (1994). Personality and disinhibitory
psychopathology: Alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology 103:92-102.
Toch, H. & K. Adams. (1994). The Disturbed Violent Offender.
Washington: APA.
Wolman, B. (1999). Antisocial Behavior: Personality Disorders from
Hostility to Homicide. NY: Prometheus Books.

Last updated: 01/08/05
Syllabus for JUS 428
Syllabus for JUS 415 (Forensic Psychology)
MegaLinks in Criminal Justice

***********************************************************************

> I'm not sure I would agree with the statement that sociopaths
make
> good warriors. This is a blanket characterization. Most pure
sociopaths
> are selfish cowards whose only loyalty is to themselves. I wouldn't
> want a sociopath next to me in battle. He's just as liable to shoot
me
> in the back and switch sides if the situation dictates, or run away
and
> leave me hanging.

I think the important point about sociopaths is the lack of conscience.

> I think psychiatry is really in the dark ages when it comes to
> this area.

I think it is in the dark ages period.

> Too often there is a rush to condemn a criminal as a
> sociopath. Blowing up frogs with firecrackers as a child is a fucked
up
> thing to do, and does indicate a lack of empathy, but it doesn't mean
> that person is going to turn into ted bundy. Conversely, a ted bundy
> may have never blown up frogs or tortured animals. Jeffrey Dahmer was
a
> freak in a lot of ways, but I see him as vastly different from ted
> bundy or say a white collar sociopath like donald trump. Jeffrey
Dahmer
> may have had an uncontrollable desire to rape young men and then boil
> their organs in a stew, but did he ever steal money from anyone?
> Perhaps his pathology is better viewed as an obsessive disorder.

Well not all sociopaths exhibit the exact same behaviors but are
characterized as described above.

Not all are identical but they do share commonalities.

Any label tends to be overgeneral and specific cases differ in their
details.

Please note that someone might be psychotic but not sociopathic and
vice versa:

************************************************************

Psychotic - definition of Psychotic in Medical
http://medical.laborlawtalk.com/Psychotic

Psychotic: This term has historically received a number of different
definitions, none of which has achieved universal acceptance. The
narrowest definition of psychotic is restricted to delusions or
prominent hallucinations, with the hallucinations occurring in the
absence of insight into their pathological nature. A slightly less
restrictive definition would also include prominent hallucinations that
the individual realizes are hallucinatory experiences. Broader still is
a definition that also includes other positive symptoms of
Schizophrenia (i.e., disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or
catatonic behavior). Unlike these definitions based on symptoms, the
definition used in DSM-II and ICD-9 was probably far too inclusive and
focused on the severity of functional impairment, so that a mental
disorder was termed psychotic if it resulted in "impairment that
grossly interferes with the capacity to meet ordinary demands of life."
Finally, the term has been defined conceptually as a loss of ego
boundaries or a gross impairment in reality testing. Based on their
characteristic features, the different disorders in DSM-IV emphasize
different aspects of the various definitions of psychotic.

*****************************************************************

Psychosis involves more of a lack of appreciation of reality rather
than an inability or unwillingess to conform which is more sociopathy.

Both might produce abberant behavior. But sociopaths generally
recognize reality but it doesn't stop them--they have a lack of
conscience. Psychotics tend not to recognize reality.

> In the town I inhabit, we had an incident a few years back where
> the DA, who was a very pro-death penalty conservative republican that
> nancy grace probably would have sexual fantasies about, was suddenly
> caught red-handed having embezzled over $100,000 from his office and
> even pawned off the ceremonial gun which is given to the holder of
his
> office, all to pay for improvements to his house, vacations in Maui,
> etc. After getting out of the federal pen, he morphed into a preacher
> at a local evangelistic church. And then used that conversion to try
to
> get his law license back (it hasn't worked so far). So we have
examples
> of this sort of sociopath, those who decieve us like chameleons and
> seek positions of trust within a community, you know, the jimmy
> swaggart type. And the best sociopaths, the most intelligent, never
> get caught. Many politicians, IMO.

There might be other more accurate diagnoses rather than sociopathy for
the politician you describe above.

Manic depression might be a better diagnosis for example rather than
sociopathy or psychosis.

> I don't know if this has ever been done, but it would be
> interesting if someone were to write a book called "sociopaths on
> sociopaths" wherein various criminals commented on their perceptions
of
> the acts of other criminals.

LOL Yeah for example here what the Unabomber says after reading
KathLOON's writings:

"That woman sure is crazy!"

> BTK comments on ted bundy and ed gein. David lee roth, who I've
always
> felt was a soft sociopath, comments on the green river murderer. Etc.
> Etc.

David Lee Roth? LOL

What about Ashlee Simpson?

> One reason I think there is so little understanding of these
> disorders (if they are disorders, some have philosophized that the
> sociopath is more highly evolved and represents a reaction to the
> stressors of society) is when something really fucked up happens,
> people freak out and see things in terms of black and white.

Yes and overgeneralize.

> People
> like that nancy grace bitch on court TV,

HATE HER!

>whose reaction is simply to
> say "you're a monster...get ready to fry" and then get all weepy
about
> how horrible this person is.

I've only seen her weepy when someone is found not guilty even when
they're clearly INNOCENT rather than simply "not guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt" OR over victims she gets weepy.

> While understandable, such a reaction
> tends to contribute to a lack of true understanding of the
perpetrator.
> The idea that you either have a conscience or do not is simplistic,
> antediluvian, and highly subjective.

There is a great deal of oversimplification yes.

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