Sometimes it happens that certain terms of academic or scientific origin are used colloquially and their original meaning ends up being lost, confusing the common people about what is really meant when talking about any of them.
In some sense, this has happened with the characterization of a person as a “psychopath,” which has sometimes been used interchangeably with terms such as “psychotic” or “crazy.” But psychopathy has a real and specific meaning. I will try to explain that in this article.
Sometimes a psychopath has been defined as an individual incapable of feeling empathy. However, a psychopath can empathize in the sense that he can understand if another person is happy, scared or angry; That is, he can read the emotions or feelings of the other.
Many times, the psychopath can use this information to manipulate or take advantage of others but do not empathize in the sense of feeling what the other person feels: you will not be sad to see that another person is suffering.
One of the main differences between a psychopath and an ordinary person is that while the latter may feel compassion, guilt or regret when understanding how their actions can impact the lives of others, the former will not care: The psychopath sees others as an object, as a means to an end
Are all psychopaths criminals?
A conclusion that can be drawn, logically, after understanding the psychopathic nature, is that there must be some direct link between this type of personality and criminality. Well, this link is real. But That doesn’t mean all psychopaths are criminals nor that all criminals are psychopaths (even violent ones).
First, a psychopath may be a highly functioning individual who understands that committing crimes can increase his or her chances of suffering negative consequences, relative to others. live a legal or at least peaceful life In fact, this is the case for the majority of psychopaths: it is estimated that they are around 1% of the population.
These subjects will simply be people that one surely does not want to have as a boss or as a partner, but who in many cases do not present major problems for society.
Besides, Many violent criminals can exhibit antisocial or violent behavior without necessarily being psychopathic, since violence has many causes, and those who carry out violent criminal acts do not always have the same psychological profile. While these behaviors are not excusable, they do not necessarily mean that the person performing them completely lacks compassion or meaningful connections with other subjects.
There is, however, a type of criminal where psychopaths are overrepresented: serial killers
A serial killer is a person who, following a certain characteristic modus operandi, pursuing a certain type of victim target (people of a certain sex, occupation, age and/or ethnicity, for example), dedicates themselves to calming their murderous instincts.
A multiple murderer is not the same as a serial killer If a criminal kills one person in cold blood to rob him, and two others in a bar fight, this does not make him a serial killer. Serial killers are, for the most part, psychopaths (although there have also been cases in which the perpetrator presented a psychotic profile).
Does psychopathy have a cure?
At the moment there is no known “cure” for this type of disorder. The fact that there are organic differences with the rest of the people is a fact to take into account: using a brain scan we can notice that There is less connection between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (area of the brain responsible for feelings such as guilt or empathy) with the amygdala (responsible for fear or anxiety).
This is one of the reasons why it is considered practically impossible to make these types of people function in the same way as the rest of human beings: they are biologically incapable of doing so. In addition to this, research shows that psychopathy is something innate, although cultural aspects may define, in part, how this disorder manifests itself. In any case, as said before, not all psychopaths are criminals and, even less so, violent criminals.
In the case of the latter (serial killers or not), the hope of obtaining an effective treatment for this condition is placed on scientific advances: it is possible that at some point some type of drug can be administered to this type of people who reduce their most problematic impulses and allow them to live peacefully in society.
This treatment model may make one remember the plot of A Clockwork Orange, where Álex, the protagonist (a dangerous criminal), is part of a violence aversion therapy, administering certain types of drugs that make him feel pain every time. that these impulses appear.
In any case, it remains to be seen what type of pharmacological (or other) treatment appears, if any, in the coming years to treat this disorder.
