Psychopathy is generally seen as a personality disorder and has quite a few characteristics. They are very manipulative but can also appear very normal. There personality has many different traits and as a guide you should look at the psychopathy checklist which is available online. There is no specific cure for psychopathy. Having worked with many of them within the prison service I can say that you do see some changes but not a complete cure!!
Original post by joannea16
Psychopathy is generally seen as a personality disorder and has quite a few characteristics. They are very manipulative but can also appear very normal. There personality has many different traits and as a guide you should look at the psychopathy checklist which is available online. There is no specific cure for psychopathy. Having worked with many of them within the prison service I can say that you do see some changes but not a complete cure!!
thank you for your reply but just an additional question; are psychopaths "born evil" or shaped due to their upbringings and childhood etc?
Original post by Ivy.h
Just out of curiosity (I've been watching some crime documentaries), do psychopaths know right from wrong like are they aware of their actions? And is psychopathy a mental illness or just simply evil or malicious acts? Is there a cure for psychopaths?
I believe it's that they understand what is commonly seen as right and wrong, but have their own ideas which they follow. Them knowing the norm means they are able to act normal whilst following their own rules and morals which is what makes them so scary compared to just some random ass.
As far as I am aware it's something born with, but then fed through their life. I think the base part is the brain being set up differently so they don't have the same ability to feel morals and the evil part comes in later as they develop their own ideas and choose to act on them.
I'm not certain, but I believe it could be possible to be born a psychopath, but not act on it for whatever reason so that evil part doesn't necessarily happen.
Most things have components of both nature and nurture. So on a somewhat similar note (in that they are both brain being built differently) somebody is born with a condition like autism, but how they cope with that and how it presents will depend a fair bit on how they are raised and their life experiences.
Psychopaths fall under the ASPD bracket but be aware that not everyone with ASPD is a psychopath. Every psychopath is different so the extent to which they know the difference between right and wrong varies, but they tend to disregard other people's feelings regardless and follow their own desires, no matter how selfish they may be. Robert Hare created a checklist which professionals could use to assess the extent to how psychopathic an individual is, with scores of over 25/30 suggesting the person fits the criteria (25 in the UK, 30 in the US).
lol who the hell thinks whatever they're doing is wrong? Everyone has an excuse for why they do something, not just psychos or Sociopaths.
The thief? "I have to feed me and my family".
The guy who mugs you? "I have to hustle to survive. Hunt or be hunted."
The terrorists in the Middle East? "It's a necessary evil that must be done for the greater good."
The soldiers who invade and destabilise countries "I have to do it to protect my country."
The school shooter? "Everyone bullied me and i was taking revenge and standing up to myself."
The person that beats up their partner? "It must be done to ensure that the relationship remains stable, and that can only be done if it goes my way."
The murderer? "I did them a favour, I rid of them the pain and torture that this cruel world has to offer."
The teacher that discriminates a certain demographic "It's no point wasting my time on them, since they'll grow up to be losers, failures or bad people anyway."
The spouse that cheats on their partner? "I did it because I wasn't getting what I am obliged to have (money, love/attention, sex, etc) therefore I looked outside, I didn't tell him/her because I didn't want to break his/her heart."
The user that insults personally to other people online "It's just words, if they got offended by my words then that means they have bigger problems to worry about that I didn't cause though."
Even if someone is forced to do something "I did it because I was forced/threatened against."
NOBODY thinks they're doing the wrong thing, there's no "wrong" because we decide what's right and wrong, and whenever we have to do something that we before deem is wrong, we make excuses for them "Oh it's not wrong now because..." How can somebody live knowing they did something wrong? They don't, they make excuses and satisify themselves.
This is Professor Shah, signing out.
The thief? "I have to feed me and my family".
The guy who mugs you? "I have to hustle to survive. Hunt or be hunted."
The terrorists in the Middle East? "It's a necessary evil that must be done for the greater good."
The soldiers who invade and destabilise countries "I have to do it to protect my country."
The school shooter? "Everyone bullied me and i was taking revenge and standing up to myself."
The person that beats up their partner? "It must be done to ensure that the relationship remains stable, and that can only be done if it goes my way."
The murderer? "I did them a favour, I rid of them the pain and torture that this cruel world has to offer."
The teacher that discriminates a certain demographic "It's no point wasting my time on them, since they'll grow up to be losers, failures or bad people anyway."
The spouse that cheats on their partner? "I did it because I wasn't getting what I am obliged to have (money, love/attention, sex, etc) therefore I looked outside, I didn't tell him/her because I didn't want to break his/her heart."
The user that insults personally to other people online "It's just words, if they got offended by my words then that means they have bigger problems to worry about that I didn't cause though."
Even if someone is forced to do something "I did it because I was forced/threatened against."
NOBODY thinks they're doing the wrong thing, there's no "wrong" because we decide what's right and wrong, and whenever we have to do something that we before deem is wrong, we make excuses for them "Oh it's not wrong now because..." How can somebody live knowing they did something wrong? They don't, they make excuses and satisify themselves.
This is Professor Shah, signing out.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Sufyaan65
lol who the hell thinks whatever they're doing is wrong? Everyone has an excuse for why they do something, not just psychos or Sociopaths.
The thief? "I have to feed me and my family".
The guy who mugs you? "I have to hustle to survive. Hunt or be hunted."
The terrorists in the Middle East? "It's a necessary evil that must be done for the greater good."
The soldiers who invade and destabilise countries "I have to do it to protect my country."
The school shooter? "Everyone bullied me and i was taking revenge and standing up to myself."
The person that beats up their partner? "It must be done to ensure that the relationship remains stable, and that can only be done if it goes my way."
The murderer? "I did them a favour, I rid of them the pain and torture that this cruel world has to offer."
The teacher that discriminates a certain demographic "It's no point wasting my time on them, since they'll grow up to be losers, failures or bad people anyway."
The spouse that cheats on their partner? "I did it because I wasn't getting what I am obliged to have (money, love/attention, sex, etc) therefore I looked outside, I didn't tell him/her because I didn't want to break his/her heart."
The user that insults personally to other people online "It's just words, if they got offended by my words then that means they have bigger problems to worry about that I didn't cause though."
Even if someone is forced to do something "I did it because I was forced/threatened against."
NOBODY thinks they're doing the wrong thing, there's no "wrong" because we decide what's right and wrong, and whenever we have to do something that we before deem is wrong, we make excuses for them "Oh it's not wrong now because..." How can somebody live knowing they did something wrong? They don't, they make excuses and satisify themselves.
This is Professor Shah, signing out.
The thief? "I have to feed me and my family".
The guy who mugs you? "I have to hustle to survive. Hunt or be hunted."
The terrorists in the Middle East? "It's a necessary evil that must be done for the greater good."
The soldiers who invade and destabilise countries "I have to do it to protect my country."
The school shooter? "Everyone bullied me and i was taking revenge and standing up to myself."
The person that beats up their partner? "It must be done to ensure that the relationship remains stable, and that can only be done if it goes my way."
The murderer? "I did them a favour, I rid of them the pain and torture that this cruel world has to offer."
The teacher that discriminates a certain demographic "It's no point wasting my time on them, since they'll grow up to be losers, failures or bad people anyway."
The spouse that cheats on their partner? "I did it because I wasn't getting what I am obliged to have (money, love/attention, sex, etc) therefore I looked outside, I didn't tell him/her because I didn't want to break his/her heart."
The user that insults personally to other people online "It's just words, if they got offended by my words then that means they have bigger problems to worry about that I didn't cause though."
Even if someone is forced to do something "I did it because I was forced/threatened against."
NOBODY thinks they're doing the wrong thing, there's no "wrong" because we decide what's right and wrong, and whenever we have to do something that we before deem is wrong, we make excuses for them "Oh it's not wrong now because..." How can somebody live knowing they did something wrong? They don't, they make excuses and satisify themselves.
This is Professor Shah, signing out.
Anyone with a conscience will know what they're doing is right or wrong, regardless of whether it's considered a societal norm or a stigma. I think your generalised statement of 'nobody thinking we're doing the wrong thing' is false mainly due to the fact that we are actually aware of our actions and the consequences that follows.
For example, stealing is considered wrong because that's what law and the society deems it to be, so therefore we know it's 'wrong'. However, you are accurate in saying that we can never truly decide right and wrong because morality is a human invention. But this sense of morality, of knowing right from wrong, will be etched in our society depending on how or where we're brought up and educated.
So coming back to the point on stealing, we know that it's wrong because it's simply a fact (based on the grounds of morality). So yes, we can be aware and live knowing that we have done something 'wrong' despite the justifications that our guilty mind/conscience makes up.
Original post by Ivy.h
Just out of curiosity (I've been watching some crime documentaries), do psychopaths know right from wrong like are they aware of their actions? And is psychopathy a mental illness or just simply evil or malicious acts? Is there a cure for psychopaths?
There is no cure, most psychopaths are not killers contrary to popular belief. They may not know how to socialise due to having been neglected severely as children.
Original post by Ivy.h
Just out of curiosity (I've been watching some crime documentaries), do psychopaths know right from wrong like are they aware of their actions? And is psychopathy a mental illness or just simply evil or malicious acts? Is there a cure for psychopaths?
Psychopaths are aware of their actions, they just don't care.
As mentioned above the Hare list gives a guide.
You've probably worked/lived/met plenty of Psychopaths and like the rest of us not realised in a few cases. The vast majority aren't murderers or other glamourised crimes. They are often leaders or middle managers, self employed or other roles.
