Psychopathy is a disorder in which the individual does not feel remorse in situations that he would be expected to feel or when causing harm to others However, there are different degrees of psychopathy, and types of personality traits associated with this phenomenon.
Depending on the type of psychopathy, Ronald Blackburn proposed 4 types of psychopaths: the primary psychopath can be very extroverted, impulsive, hostile and aggressive; introvert with the same previous traits, which is called a secondary psychopath. On the other hand, there is someone who has a great need for control, is always on the defensive, has high self-esteem and keeps his anxiety at low levels, which is why he is called a controlled psychopath. Someone who is withdrawn, shy, anxious and has a low level of self-esteem is called an inhibited psychopath.
On the other hand, within the classification of personalities, there are some that, due to their characteristics, have a high relationship with psychopathic behaviors. Each one is described below:
1. Paranoid personality
They tend to be distrustful, suspicious, suspicious and resentful. They may interpret external signals as hostile or threatening even if they are not intended that way. If someone hurts them, they seek revenge. When they feel threatened, they choose to attack before they are attacked; use reactive violence This personality is highly related to crimes of passion.
They are usually isolated people, may be considered by others as “strange” They avoid interacting with others and if they have to establish contact, this represents discomfort for them. They tend to be apathetic and insensitive. This personality is related to highly violent crimes, since they use instrumental violence, so they have time to plan the crime with a “cool head” and are 100% focused on doing harm.
3. Antisocial personality
This personality can be observable from childhood, since children with it tend to frighten others and mistreat animals. They easily break rules, they seek immediate satisfaction in their actions; They use reactive violence. They tend to blame their victims, as if they had provoked them and forced sexual relations.
Two variants of criminal psychopathy
Within criminal psychopathy a classification can be made of:
organized criminal
He is the one who plans his behavior, thinks about everything; on how to catch, how to commit the crime, where, what to do with the victim. He uses instrumental violence, he takes pleasure in both the execution and the damage caused, he gets excited about the crime to commit.
He carefully chooses his victims, since these mean something within the crime fantasy, they must meet certain characteristics. It is possible to identify a modus operandi, the crime scene can be modified to represent something. Neurobiologically, there is a high degree of activation in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, which allows for planning of their actions.
Disorganized criminal
One who does not regulate his behavior, is impulsive when faced with the stimulus that causes him discomfort or anger It employs reactive violence, which means it “acts hot.” He has a great need to act so he does not choose his victim, it can be anyone, therefore they are usually called “crimes of opportunity.” It’s just looking for a way to download. It is difficult to find a pattern unlike the organized criminal.
In the neurobiological aspect, unlike the previous one, there is little or no activity in the orbitofrontal cortex so there is no inhibitory control. He is hypersensitive to social and emotional issues, there is a distortion in his social cognition. And, like the organized one, there is high activation in the amygdala.
What to do to intervene psychologically?
Although there is no specific treatment for psychopathy, there are suggestions for intervention. It is recommended that behavioral therapies be given one must work with awareness of the consequences of the actions carried out by the person, control over oneself, self-observation and not seek immediate rewards.
It is important to promote critical thinking, the meaning of emotions, feelings and own perceptions. Work on the external locus of control. Within the psychopharmacological treatment, aggressiveness and/or impulse-inhibiting medications are used.
