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Empathy Dysfunctions in Psychopaths

‘You’re psycho!” How many times in our daily conversation do we use this phrase to poke fun at those near and dear to us? Of course it’s all in good humor; no one ever really sits down and analyzes the one million and one things that statement entails. Psychopathy, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, falls somewhere between antisocial disorder and personality disorder, thus making it extremely difficult to assess and diagnose. Externally, psychopaths may appear completely ‘normal,’ as Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas or Frank Booth from Blue Velvet. However, one hallmark characteristic of psychopathy is the lack of empathy and remorse individuals exhibit, and neuroscientists fond scientific evidence that illustrates empathy dysfunction in the brains of psychopaths using fMRI techniques in the brains of prison inmates.

James Fallon, author of The Psychopath Inside, is a renowned neuroscientist and researcher who specializes in neuroscience. Known to his family and friends as a confident, ambitious, social, and laid back kind of a guy, one wouldn’t think that Fallon was a borderline psychopath, something affirmed later by his clinical scores as well. Shocked by his own brain scan results, he asked the people closest to him to describe him in the time they’ve known him in any way they could. 2 particular responses that really put perspective on his psychopathy were letters from his sister and daughter. In their individual letters, both women expressed the numerous times Fallon has disappointed them, caused them pain, and straight up ignored them, claiming they felt like he never cared enough about them. Some of his closest friends claimed they were never able to trust him because they wouldn’t know if he would be there for them if things got rough. Though this just illustrates one particular characteristic, it reinforces the notion that the individuals don’t always openly express these traits.

To shed light on the phenomenon of empathy formation, Dr. J. Decety and her colleagues examined empathy in relation to its origin in different areas of the brain using fMRI methodology. In their study, they assessed 121 incarcerated males classified as high, intermediate, and low psychopaths. Their brain activity was scanned while they viewed visual scenarios that depicted individuals in physical pain. They were then told to imagine themselves and then somebody else in these scenarios while their level of evoked empathy in particular areas of the brain was measured. The results indicated that the highly psychopathic prisoners were sensitive to the thought of pain when displacing that pain onto themselves, thus regions of the brain that are associated with empathy for pain, such as the anterior insula, anterior midcingulate cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the right amygdala, were highly active. When asked to imagine others in pain, however, these very regions showed little to no activity. On the contrary, the brain region involved in pleasure was activated, indicating that these individuals felt pleasure rather than empathy of pain when others experienced pain.

Psychopathy is characterized by a multitude of traits that may or may not be present in an individual. While society and media exaggerate their version of psychopathy, Fallon argues that only a small percentage of the population in reality exhibit these murderous, aggressive, blood-hungry characteristics. One commonly shared characteristic among most psychopaths is the lack of empathy, and it’s interesting to see how that processes from a neurological platform. What is more interesting is the cortical connection within the brain that link visual stimuli of pain and pleasure! As interesting as it is, further research needs to be done to clearly and effectively target and diagnose psychopaths.

Decety, Jean et al. "Neurological Basis for Lack of Empathy in Psychopaths." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web.

Fallon, James H. The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain. New York: Current, 2013. Print.