Psychopath Spotting - From schoolyard bullies to CEOs

[arty88]

I personally have a strange interest and fascination with the study of Psychopathy (now typically diagnosed formally in mental health manuals DSM, ICD etc as 'Anti-Social Personality Disorder' in Adults and 'Conduct Disorder' in children / teenagers.

Was there someone you knew throughout your childhood or perhaps early youth that was always amoral?

They would do things without thought of conscience. Not for laughs or as a prank - I am talking about real callous actions.

I once knew a boy at school who was a bit overweight, moderate to under average IQ but had almost no emotional intelligence at all. It was like he was 'blind' to the hurt and suffering he would cause around him with his words and actions.

This was a long time ago for me. But because 1 in 100 people fit this criteria (it is probably higher than that), everyone should have had experiences of knowing someone like this.

In my last example, the boy was highly racist, smoked cannabis a lot and dabbled with other drugs - but would sometimes violently attack strangers. For example, he got off a bus once to beat up an immigrant Polish man - purely out of hatred for immigrants and as some sort of 'hero' mindset to help a young pregnant women who wanted his help in 'freeing up the seat next to her' he had taken up.

Very strange. Has anyone else met or experienced being in contact with psychopaths?

 

[arty88]

Psychopathy - Wikipedia

FYI - Psychopathy is described as above.

Can anyone shed insight into this personality disorder? Have you experienced abuse or trauma as a result of knowing someone with such a personality?

 

[GeminiMoon]

Sociopaths tend to be intelligent. Cunning and manipulative. To me that boy you described sounds more like he has severe rage issues possibly from prolonged abuse at home. Coupled with his weight issues and lower IQ may have made it difficult to make friends. That would make for an angry person. Attempting to assist a pregnant woman, even with the ulterior motive of being the "hero", suggests he does have some sense of respect and empathy. Hopefully with age he'd be able to deal with the anger issues.

 

[arty88]

Sociopaths tend to be intelligent. Cunning and manipulative. To me that boy you described sounds more like he has severe rage issues possibly from prolonged abuse at home. Coupled with his weight issues and lower IQ may have made it difficult to make friends. That would make for an angry person. Attempting to assist a pregnant woman, even with the ulterior motive of being the "hero", suggests he does have some sense of respect and empathy. Hopefully with age he'd be able to deal with the anger issues.

There is such a thing known within the study of psychopathy of this hero and villain mindset.

To provide detail - the boy followed a polish man off a public transport bus because the polish man refused to give his seat up to the pregnant woman.

He then beat the Polish man up and was chased by the police, but got away.

My feeling is that act isn't one of empathy, but more callous and psychopathic (with a mindset that he is a 'hero' of some kind).

Both the hero and the villain could be argued to be psychopaths, in folklore and media.

 

[GeminiMoon]

Perhaps you are right. Never heard of the hero/villian mindset in regards to psychopaths.

 

[Ras]

Has anyone else met or experienced being in contact with psychopaths

not a psychopath but diagnosed with ASPD so there's that. Never met anyone else like that though but i also dont go around trying to diagnose people as that has never really crossed my mind.

They would do things without thought of conscience. Not for laughs or as a prank - I am talking about real callous actions.

what do you consider to be "real callous actions"?

 

[Am33]

There are forums out there with stories about psychopaths you can find . There is a thread on here where a psychopath discusses himself . There are various levels of psychopaths out there they are humans with no humanity in them good description .