9 Signs to Spot a Psychopath

Today, we’re going to think a bit about antisocial behavior. The term “psychopath” is older; but in general, this nomenclature has changed. Nowadays, we talk about people with antisocial personality disorder, but I’m going to use the name “psychopath” here because I think it’s more popular.

Psychopaths have serious difficulty feeling empathy: they don’t understand their own feelings or those of others. They lie, manipulate without guilt and feel no remorse for their violent actions. They have no desire to change their behavior and infringe early in life, being more violent and more frequent than other people.

Psychopaths also have superficial emotions, don’t mind abusing people and are not loyal. They easily break off friendships in which there was manipulation rather than genuine affection. They have difficulty making a correct judgment about moral and ethical values and can enter the world of crime without difficulty, getting involved in counterfeiting, theft, robbery and even murder.

Aren’t these characteristics – or at least some of them – similar to those we see in some politicians, who cynically claim to be innocent and remain corrupt?

In a scientific study, neuroscientists Kiehl and Buckholtz state that psychopaths reoffend four to eight times more often than non-psychopaths. ¹⁾Kiel & Buckholtz. Mind Brain, year XX, n. 254, p. 34.

A psychopath is generally a good-looking person; he’s not a monstrous individual, as we might imagine. They don’t have a weird appearance that frightens you. On the contrary, they are engaging. The neuroscientists I mentioned found that young, inexperienced psychologists who interviewed psychopathic inmates didn’t realize how damaged their character was and thought they might have been arrested by mistake. These graduate students thought this at least until they read the inmates’ files, which listed crimes such as exploitation of women, drug trafficking, fraud, theft and other offenses.

Many psychopaths have a false appearance of normality. In general, they don’t show psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, nor sadness or high anxiety. Nor are they disoriented in time and space, or confused about their identity – common characteristics in some mental illnesses. Socially, they appear normal, can be students or professionals in various fields, and are generally quite intelligent.

Electroencephalography studies have compared normal people and psychopaths. The results showed that unusual brain waves appeared in the scans of psychopaths and remained practically the same when exposed to words with strong emotional meaning. In normal people, on the other hand, the brain waves changed dramatically when they read a word with strong emotional content.

But is psychopathy acquired or is a person born with it? Neuroscientists say that both factors play a role. Genetics can explain up to 50% or 60% of this condition; the rest is learned. Some psychopaths are influenced by a complicated childhood, but others are “black sheep” in stable families.

It’s worth investing in treating these people as early as possible, even from a financial point of view. Did you know that, in the United States, for every $10,000 used to treat these people, $70,000 is saved that would have been spent on keeping an individual in jail?

A person with psychopathy, or antisocial personality disorder, must demonstrate a pattern of disrespect and violation of the rights of others from adolescence onwards, with at least three of the following nine criteria:

1. Failure to conform to social norms related to ethical behavior, repeatedly committing acts that constitute grounds for social disapproval or imprisonment (such as crimes).
2. Predominant impulsivity or inability to follow plans for the future.
3. Irritability and aggression, with a constant history of bodily fights or violent verbal assaults.
4. Irresponsible disregard for their own safety or that of others.
5. Consistent irresponsibility, with repeated failure to maintain appropriate behavior at work or to honor financial obligations.
6. Absence of remorse, showing indifference or rationalization for having manipulated, hurt, mistreated or robbed another person.
7. A tendency to deceive, lying compulsively, distorting facts or misleading others in order to gain credibility, personal advantage or pleasure – something we might associate with corrupt people, right?
8. Inability to live with pets or show appreciation for their feelings.
9. Altered family interactions, marked by disrespect and contempt.

For a person to be diagnosed with antisocial disorder, there must be evidence of conduct disorder beginning before the age of 15. In addition, this condition cannot be explained by schizophrenia or a manic crisis of bipolar disorder.

It is difficult to treat psychopaths because their character is so compromised, in addition to possible brain alterations. In treatment, you can try medication, psychoeducation to teach them how to deal with problems, psychotherapy and social skills training. Spiritual support and counseling are also useful tools.

A major challenge is that these individuals are generally not interested in treatment for their character changes. It’s best to intervene early, in childhood, even before school, if there are significant signs of difficulties or changes in the child’s interaction with their family and social relationships.

To prevent this serious behavioral problem, children should be taught good social skills, encouraged to develop coherent, non-aggressive thoughts, and encouraged to express feelings such as compassion, forgiveness, regret, affection and respect. It is also essential to teach limits. Keep an eye out for those signs, because it pays to begin treatment early in life.