The common definition of the psychopath is the inability to recognize others as worthy of compassion. The psychopath (as also the sociopath), do not have feelings for their victims, in turn dehumanizing them into worthless objects. In the 19th century, psychopathology was considered to be "moral insanity". Today it is commonly known as "antisocial personality disorder" or "sociopathology." Although the terms sociopath and psychopath seems to be the same, they are not. A simple way of understanding the difference is that psychopaths are more likely to kill and are less in control, while sociopaths are more of a repressed killer, choosing manipulation and psychological harm as a replacement tool for murder. Sociopaths are very stable and are much harder to detect than psychopaths. Current experts believe that sociopaths are an unfortunate fusion of interpersonal, biological and socio-cultural disasters. Are sociopaths to blame for their actions, or does it go deeper than that? One famous sociopath said publicly “I haven’t failed, society has failed me”, which ended up stunning everyone. Are sociopaths misunderstood? Some sociologists tend to agree with sociopaths and relate to them in terms of society morphing them into who they are today.
In general psychopaths/sociopaths are diagnosed by their purposeless and irrational antisocial behaviour, lack of conscience, and emotional vacuity. They are thrill seekers, literally fearless. Punishment rarely works, because they are impulsive by nature and fearless of the consequences. Incapable of having meaningful relationships, they view others as fodder for manipulation and exploitation. According to one psychological surveying tool (DSM IIIR) between 3 - 5% of men are sociopaths; less than 1% of female population are sociopaths. Sociologists argue that these statistics relate highly to societies structure, and not the individual as such. As one sociologist said “As a percentage it is small, but if you were to calculate that percentage into a number, the results would be shocking. I could understand this to be an individual problem if the number of sociopaths were smaller, but when looking at the statistics one can’t help link it to the social structure and social changes which influence every one of us”. Although criticized for his comments, one can’t help, but to start and see the hidden complexities behind this mainly one-sided story. This opens a big debate; do sociopaths deserve a voice?
Not all sociopaths and psychopaths are murders as most stereotypes lead us to believe; often they are successful businessmen or world leaders. Then again when it is easy to devalue others, and you have had a lifetime of perceived injustices and rejection, murder might seem like a natural choice. Are sociopath’s victims who are lashing out in ways we do not understand? At first glance it is not easy for someone who doesn’t understand this condition to reply that sociopaths are not victims, nor can their actions be accepted as lashing out for their own injustices. But if we start to look at the environmental influences peoples views may change.
The following are environmental factors which psychiatrists/psychologists, say create a sociopath:
Studies show that 60% of psychopathic individuals had lost a parent;
Child is deprived of love or nurturing; parents are detached or absent;
Inconsistent discipline: if father is stern and mother is soft, child learns to hate authority and manipulate mother;
Hypocritical parents who privately belittle the child while publicly presenting the image of a "happy family".
These are just some of the common factors which can lead to sociopathic upbringing. Although they do not compensate for the actions of sociopaths, they do give us a deeper insight to where sociopathic behaviour begins to form. This is just one factor for sociopathic creation, if we look at the genetic, physiological and environmental side we start to unravel a deeper understanding.
Tests are showing that the nervous system of the psychopath is markedly different; they feel less fear and anxiety than normal people. One carefully conducted experiment revealed that "low arousal levels" not only causes impulsiveness and thrill-seeking, but also showed how dense sociopaths are when it comes to changing their behaviour. A group of sociopaths and a group of healthy individuals were given a task, which was to learn what lever (out of four) turned on a green light. One lever gave the subject an electric shock. Both groups made the same number of errors, but the healthy group quickly learned to avoid the punishing electric shock, while sociopaths took much longer to do so. This need for higher levels of stimulation makes the psychopath seek dangerous situations. Perhaps this is the reason for many serial killers seeking to become part of the police force due to the intensity of the job.
Genetics and physiological factors also contribute to the building of a psychopath. One study in Copenhagen focused on a group of sociopaths who had been adopted as infants. The biological relatives of sociopaths were 4 - 5 times more likely to be sociopathic than the average person. Yet genetics don't tell the whole story; it only shows a predisposition to antisocial behaviour. Environment can make or break the psychopathic personality. This environmental factor again relates back to what sociologists were saying, about how the social structure and social influence play a part. The words of the sociopath “I haven’t failed, society has failed me” seems to be more powerful and explanatory than first anticipated.
When a psychopath does inherit genetically-based, developmental disabilities, it is usually a stunted development of the higher functions of the brain. 30 - 38% of psychopaths show abnormal brain wave patterns, or EEGs. Infants and children typically have slower brain wave activity, but it increases as they grow up. Not with psychopaths. Eventually, the brain might mature as the psychopath ages. This may be why most serial killers are under 50. The abnormal brain wave activity comes from the temporal lobes and the limbic system of the brain, the areas that control memory and emotions. When development of this part of the brain is genetically impaired, and the parents of the child are abusive, irresponsible or manipulative, the stage is set for disaster. If this is the case, can psychopaths be successfully treated?
In relation to successful of psychopaths psychiatrists say, "No." Shock treatment doesn't work; drugs have not proven successful in treatment; and psychotherapy, which involves trust and a relationship with the therapist, is out of the question, because psychopaths are incapable of opening up to others. They don't want to change. This bold statement of no hope is being argued by a number psychologist’s, stating that psychopathic behaviour can be treated with the right procedures. Psychologists state that psychotherapy can be successful, but isn’t adopted by most psychiatrists because it takes a long period of time to work. Psychiatrists have been attacked by the psychologists saying “not everything can be fixed quickly through the administering of medication; some things require more time and effort than anything else.”
Due to the lack of treatment available for psychopaths, as well as the demoralising fact that they can not be treated most psychopaths end up in prison, instead of psychiatric hospitals. This sad reality may begin to change with more and more psychologists taking on such cases as well as the advancements in research. Although it will take considerable time for change to occur on a wide spread level, it has already begun with some treatments becoming successful.
