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Essay / Inside the Mind of a Psychopath
Table of ContentsIntroductionBodyConclusionReferencesIntroductionPsychopathy refers to a mental disorder in which individuals develop amoral and unethical behavior that typically violates society's norms, values, and beliefs. The characteristics are similar to those of someone diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, where traits such as lack of empathy, remorse, guilt and shame, as well as increased aggression and superficial charm, are displayed (Linden, 2019). People with this developmental disorder exhibit emotional deficits, which researchers say are more likely to engage in criminal behavior. In this article we will discuss how psychopathy is defined and its relationship to criminality proposed by psychological theories and studies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBodyVarious hypotheses and perspectives can be used to explain what causes an individual to develop a psychopathic personality disorder that influences unbalanced ways and deviant. To try to explain a correlation between childhood trauma and antisocial behavior, researchers studied a sample of young men and women and their experiences of parental neglect and abuse. Researchers suggest that physical violence among juvenile offenders leads to more aggressive and violent behavior, inducing the development of emotional deficits such as decreased sympathy and lack of impulse control (Krischer & Sevecke, 2008). The candidate sample participated in a series of questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Psychopathy Checklist – Youth Version (PCL-YV). Gender differences played a role in supporting the hypothesis that victimization is considered a crucial factor in the aggressive behaviors observed in deviant females. Researchers found that physically abused male offenders who scored higher on the PCL-YV test demonstrated poorer anger control, increased irresponsibility, and greater criminal behavior ( Krischer and Sevecke, 2008). Based on the study findings, childhood trauma faced by the sexes discussed plays a role in different influential factors that cause the progression of psychopathy-related traits. The procedure called the Psychopathy Checklist was established in 1980, as a reliable method used to assess psychopathy. in individuals. The twenty-item checklist of traits and behaviors, including pathological lying, manipulation, and insensitivity, was used to identify a psychopath. The checklist also checks whether a specific offender may pose a potential risk to other institutionalized offenders or those in psychiatric units. The results of the investigation were used by prosecutors to determine the length of a sentence and whether treatment or rehabilitation may be necessary. The revised checklist introduced in 1991 includes two factors. According to Vitale and Newman (2006), dismissal of an individual is examined for the emotions and rights of others, while including lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse. The second factor assesses antisocial behavior as well as early delinquency and criminal adaptability (2006). As research in criminology develops, the checklist has been questioned as to itsreliability and validity in today's society. Reviewing previous data and conducting research with female samples, Vitale and Newman (2006) examine the validity and current status of the PCL-R assessment. As the study's researchers mentioned, because previous data focused primarily on the behavior of white men, it is difficult to use the results to generalize to more diverse samples. Study results show that the PCL-R is a reliable instrument for assessing samples of institutionalized and non-institutionalized women, although the overall simplistic picture of validity remains more unclear (Vitale & Newman, 2006). The researchers of this study suggest that the PCL-R should continue to be used as an approach to understanding psychopathy until there is sufficient evidence to modify it. People with a psychopathic diagnosis are characterized as individuals with a manifestation of antisocial tendencies, demonstrating high egocentrism and lacking an engaging conscience. Previous research has purported to provide evidence demonstrating psychopaths' immunity to treatment. However, more recent studies suggest that rehabilitation should be investigated and considered as a possibility among diagnosed psychopaths. Larsen (2019) states that people who scored very high on the PCL-R have previously been interpreted as "incurable" when results are unsuccessful, which is a practice that researchers believe expresses significant clinical pessimism. Additionally, the PCL-R manual also highlights that those who have been determined to be psychopaths have shown that treatment fuels a countereffect by making them more antisocial and can influence recidivist behavior (2019). The data collected by the researchers explains that psychopaths fall into a complex category that distinguishes them from other offenders. In other words, there is nothing “bad” about them that the assessment could correct. Despite other findings, Larsen (2019) suggests that although there is compelling evidence demonstrating successful rehabilitation, there is little support for the hypothesis that psychopaths remain unresponsive to psychiatric intervention. Instead of assuming that psychopathy directly produces a despicable and callous murderer, it should be challenged to dispel the myths that portray people with psychopathic personality disorder as emotionless or unalterable. An important conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that treatment may be too optimistic and that professionals should instead focus their studies on managing the antisocial patterns seen in people diagnosed with this disorder, rather than attempting to reshape the underlying characteristics of antisocial personality. Psychoanalytic theory developed from the research of Sigmund Freud states that the personality is composed of three parts: the id, the ego and the superego. Freud believed that the id controls biological drives, that the ego directs id impulses, and that the superego indicates an individual's conscience and ability to reason morally (Linden, 2019). An imbalance between these elements can cause an individual to succumb to deviant responses. To explain it more simply, Freud compared the theory to an iceberg showing the three distinct parts that make up a personality correlating with the satisfaction of one's own unconscious needs. According to Linden (2019), the tip of the iceberg would reflect consciousness where parts of the ego and superego are usually displayed. As the submerged part of the iceberg is reached, it is theorized that itrepresents most people's personality, including identity, with unrefined desires and impulses (2019). Practitioners believe the theory suggests that criminal behavior occurs when the ego and superego are unable to contain the hostile and antisocial forces of the id. Juvenile misbehavior is thought to be linked to an individual's unsuccessful development during their early years, usually linked to the inability to identify with parental figures, leaving the superego weak or deficient. Psychoanalytic researchers have proposed that during an infant's early years, a stable attachment to a mother primes children to display affectionate and sympathetic behavior toward others (Linden 2019). Lack of attachment generally results in the child's inability to express affection, and therefore the ability to inflict harm on others without feelings of remorse or guilt. Linden (2019) states that it is well recognized that trauma and neglect experienced at a young age contribute significantly to the development of criminal and antisocial behavior. Hans Eysenck's personality theory of crime states that negative behaviors are easy to identify and evaluate. According to Linden (2019), this theory is affiliated with classical conditioning where a specific stimulus is linked to another that evokes a particular response. For example, when a child is punished, they may feel fear or pain, so if they consider the act again, this will be associated with the initial distress felt when the punishment was received. It has been suggested that those who perform criminal behavior do not develop this conditioned response due to lack of exposure to effective conditioning routines (Linden, 2019). In an effort to further study Eysenck's theory of crime, two different samples were examined to look for a new approach using cluster analysis to illustrate the assortment of personality types. Methods for obtaining these results included administering the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire to a sample of inmates serving short-term sentences and to a group of students participating in classes at a local college. According to McGurk and McDougall (1981), the results of the study showed that high scores in the categories of extraversion and neuroticism distinguished in the delinquent sample support Eysenck's theory that antisocial behavior is more common in these individuals. The study also supports the idea that criminals will also score high in the psychoticism category. The overall importance of Eysenck's theory is to establish the connection between psychological and social factors that play a role in identifying the likelihood of an individual participating in criminal behavior. Using distinctly similar theoretical perspectives, psychopathy should be revisited to determine the direct relationship with crime and violence. , and methods to avoid such behavior. Empirical evidence shows that there is a significant correlation between childhood trauma and neglect that ultimately manifests as delinquent behavior. Children who are victims of emotional or physical abuse tend to exhibit violent acts due to their inability to distinguish right from wrong. The effects can lead to the development of attributes similar to those characterized by antisocial personality disorder, in which individuals may withdraw from societal behaviors and act on aggressive and malicious instincts, due to traumatic experiences of misplaced hostility. By using the..8.1.117