They may lie, cheat, and steal, but they may also be friendly, smart, and basically unremarkable. In other words, impossible to pick out of a crowd. Although severe psychopathy affects just about 1% of people, some research suggests that close to 30% of us have some level of psychopathic traits.
2 percent and 2 percent of the population fit the criteria for a psychopath, and it is well-documented that men are much more likely to have psychopathic characteristics than women. This means that out of 100 people you know, one is fairly likely to be a psychopath.
(Hint: He's probably not the crazy-eyed guy in the black trench coat walking down the abandoned street.) Research suggests that 1 percent of the population meets the criteria for psychopathy. That may not sound like a lot, but it means that 1 in every 100 people you know is a psychopath.
Martha Stout, psychologist and clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, tells us in her book The Sociopath Next Door. That means one out of every 25 human beings has no conscience, no sense of right or wrong, no empathy, no ability to understand emotion–no soul.
“Our findings suggest that although absolute preferences for psychopathic traits are low on average, individuals with marked psychopathic features and [personality disorders] features more generally are more inclined than others to endorse a romantic preference for psychopathic individuals, at least in the abstract,” ...
Psychopaths cannot love another person fully but there's an exception: their children! Because many psychopaths lack empathy, they can't love other people. Their children are seen as being just like them. That makes it possible for their parents to have strong emotions about their children.
Incidence. Hare reports that about 1 percent of the general population meets the clinical criteria for psychopathy. Hare further claims that the prevalence of psychopaths is higher in the business world than in the general population. Figures of around 3–4% have been cited for more senior positions in business.
About 1.2% of U.S. adult men and 0.3% to 0.7% of U.S. adult women are considered to have clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits. Those numbers rise exponentially in prison, where 15% to 25% of inmates show these characteristics (Burton, B., & Saleh, F. M., Psychiatric Times, Vol. 37, No. 10, 2020).
A true sociopath is rare. Only 6% of the male and 2% of the female population meet the diagnostic criteria. According to the research, this personality disorder is at least three times more common in men than women, but it is still quite unusual to encounter a true sociopath.
There are some areas where psychopaths may experience normal emotions and grief is one such area. In response to death of a person with whom there is a bond, some psychopaths can experience sadness and this may even bring about feelings of guilt which are otherwise impossible to feel. Crying may be a part of this.
They speak slowly and quietly.
Researchers suspect they craft a calm demeanor intentionally because it helps them gain more control in their personal interactions.
Like healthy people, many psychopaths love their parents, spouse, children, and pets in their own way, but they have difficulty in loving and trusting the rest of the world.
Some of the most common signs of psychopathy include a lack of empathy for others, a shallow range of emotions, a lack of guilt and remorse, and a willingness to break rules for personal gain.
The only clinical condition associated with an increased risk for instrumental aggression, psychopathy, is also at elevated risk for reactive aggression [12,13]. Notably, the clinical description of psychopathy emphasizes an individual with reduced empathy but intact or possibly exaggerated anger [14].
Key traits
“But there are some things to watch out for - like pathological lying, and people who lie without knowing why. “They have no empathy, they manipulate, they actually don't feel the same way that we do. “They have a lack of fear - they don't feel stressed out when they are in risky situations.
It has been estimated that approximately 1 percent of males and 0.3-0.7 percent of females could be classified as psychopaths. An individual may show elevated levels of multiple traits associated with psychopathy without qualifying as a psychopath according to a measure such as the Hare checklist.
Psychopathy is diagnosed using an assessment tool that scores individuals against a series of criteria. Those above a certain threshold are officially classified as psychopaths – although psychopathy is a spectrum and most psychopaths are not violent criminals (in fact, some are very successful in the business world).
When a psychopath becomes involved with another psychopath, however, neither partner is able to provide this type of emotional support. Manipulative and unfeeling, both members of the couple lie whenever it's convenient to do so and take advantage of opportunities for personal gain.
What is considered “excessive” is somewhat subjective, but considering that between a quarter and a third of murderers appear to be clinical psychopaths, despite the latter making up about 1% of the population, it does not seem too much of a stretch to say that murderers tend to be psychopathic.
Famous psychopaths have included: Theodore (Ted) Bundy, Clyde Barrow, Bernie Madoff, Chuck Yeager, James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. The authors presented their work in a Personality Disorders: Theory, Research and Treatment paper.
High-functioning psychopaths may be fully aware of their condition and perceive exactly how they differ from the general populace. Some psychopaths may realize that their emotions are “blunted” or “turned down” and they cannot feel joys or sorrows as much as others.
You can hurt a psychopath's feelings, but probably different feelings and for different reasons.
While loving a psychopath may seem like a potentially risky prospect for the partner in question, it's certainly easy to be seduced by one. Studies have shown that men who exhibit mild narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—the “dark triad” of personality traits—are deemed more attractive by women.
Ramani Durvasula, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology, says to take a peek at their relationships. “Psychopaths don't have any really close friends or family members that they have good relationships with,” she says, “but they have lots of acquaintances and 'connections. '”