Characteristics of a Psychopath

Characteristics of a Psychopath

Brain activity of psychopaths is different, from birth (adult brain scans shown above to illustrate differences). A true psychopath has a different brain structure than a more-normal person. A definitive diagnosis of psychopathy can sometimes be made from an F-MRI exam. A psychopathic brain does not feel emotions such as nervousness.

A psychopath will use people for excitement, to build their self-esteem and they invariably value people in terms of their material value (money, property, comfort, etc..).

To date there is no checklist of behavior and symptoms that will tell you with certainty whether or not a person is a psychopath. But there are warning signs.

The warning signs of a Psychopath are:

Superficial charm
Self-centered and self-important
Need for stimulation and prone to boredom
Deceptive behavior and lying
Conning and manipulative
Little remorse or guilt
Shallow emotional response
Callous with a lack of empathy
Living off others and predatory
Poor self-control
Promiscuous sexual behavior
Early behavioral problems
Lack of realistic long term goals
Impulsive lifestyle
Irresponsible behavior
Blaming others for their actions
Short term relationships
Juvenile delinquency
Breaking parole or probation
Varied criminal activity.

The idea that psychopaths eat people is a myth. In reality, a person with a psychopathic personality can lead what appears to be an ordinary life. They can have jobs, get married and they can break the law like anyone else. But their jobs and marriages usually don’t last and their life is usually on the verge of personal chaos.

A psychopath is usually a manipulator. They do this by playing to the emotions of others. They typically have high verbal intelligence, but they lack what is commonly referred to as “emotional intelligence”. There is always a shallow quality to the emotional aspect of their stories. In particular they have difficulty describing how they felt, why they felt that way, or how others may have felt and why.

Psychopaths with low intelligence or a poor education seem to end up in jail more than ones with a higher education. The lack of emotional insight is the first good sign you may be involved with a psychopath. The second best sign is a history of criminal behavior in which a person does not seem to learn from their experience, but merely thinks about ways to not get caught. So what happens to these poor kids if they don’t learn right from wrong? Parents with a child like this usually end up angry and frustrated. The child is always in trouble and doesn’t seem to learn. In a case like this, many parents resort to punishment. But what these children need is guidance, instruction, training, choices, consequences and supervision.

Severe and repeated punishment alone is the worst thing you can do. Letting a child like this run around unsupervised with violent and antisocial children is almost as bad. And child abuse is a sure way to create a social misfit or a monster. There is a growing discussion among researchers to suggest there may be a genetic influence that creates a psychopathic personality.

Some sociologists believe that a sexually promiscuous psychopath who can live off others is a survivor and may represent one of many genes for survival in the human species. Even more surprising has been the observation that many adult psychopaths do not seem to benefit from traditional counseling or therapy and may in fact commit crimes again and sooner because of it. Research using brain scanning technology has revealed that the brain of a psychopath functions and processes information differently.

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