Friday, February 27, 2015

What makes a Psychopath?



            Many films such as American Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have painted an image that a psychopath is an extraordinarily violent person who is scarily skilled in manipulating people. However, what makes someone a psychopath has proven to be a very difficult and complex task. According to James Fallon in his book The Psychopath Inside, he states that the most accurate definition for what psychopathy is would be Antisocial Personality Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Fallon stated that the DSM explains this disorder as a person who cannot mold to social norms and demonstrating irresponsibility, deceitfulness, recklessness, disregard for others, and aggression. Not all diagnosed psychopaths or sociopaths are serial killers or murders of any kind, as proven by James Fallon himself. Fallon’s brain scan matches the patterns of a stereotypical psychopath that include decreased activity around the amygdala and in the orbital cortex. The decrease in activity of these areas result in reduced empathy and increases compulsive behavior. Fallon is an example of someone who proves that a psychopath is not always a rabid killer. He describes himself as someone who can easily manipulate/charm people and is always looking for new adventures and social situations. There is a genetic underlying cause for how someone’s character develops which could determine whether or not someone with psychopathic brain patterns might be more or less aggressive.
            In the article “Can You Make a Sociopath—Either Through Brain Injury or Other Types of Trauma?” by Scientific American discusses that environmental factors can also play a role in the development of psychopathy and whether or not a person would be on the violent or manic (as in Fallon’s case) side of the spectrum. A person with a genetic predisposition to psychopathy who was raised in a home where they were abused or some sort of negative environment is more likely to develop the traits of a psychopath compared to someone raised in a loving and caring home. Also, damage to the brain can cause someone to develop the same characteristics. In the article it states that if the amygdala or frontal lobe is harmed during an accident that the person can develop the same brain patterns of a psychopath. As Fallon mentions in his book, so many factors can play a role in the development and form of psychotic disorders. The Scientific American article supports this and demonstrates why it is difficult to define psychotic disorders such as psychopathy. Since Fallon was raised in a supportive and caring home, it could be the reason why he is not on the violent side of the psychopathic spectrum.

References:

Fallon, J. (2013). The psychopath inside: a neuroscientist's personal journey into the dark side of the brain. New York, NY: The Penguin Book.


Daly, C. (2012). Can You Make a Sociopath—Either Through Brain Injury or Other Types of Trauma?. In Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-you-make-sociopath-through-brain-injury-trauma/

No comments:

Post a Comment