Primary psychopaths tend to show low trait anxiety and more closely match the stereotype of the prototypical psychopath. Their symptoms are thought to be inherent and are not an indirect consequence of some other deficit (Lykken, 1957). In contrast, secondary psychopaths tend to show high levels of trait anxiety.
Last, a meta-analysis was performed which conclusively showed that psychopathic individuals have trouble in the automatic detection and responsivity to threat but may in fact feel fear, providing direct empirical support for the claim that the conscious experience of fear may not be impaired in these individuals.
Psychopaths are not all “psycho”.
Their lack of emotions, such as anxiety and fear, helps them to stay calm in frightening situations. Experiments have shown that they have a reduced startle response.
Their manipulation is more detached, and they plan ahead. Sociopaths experience anxiety and find rage far harder to control. They may act without thought and, as a result, they may have a harder time blending in. Inconsistencies between their words and their lives may be easier to see.
Psychopaths are calm and collected under pressure, and have something called a "resilience to chaos." This means they thrive in situations that others would find highly stressful. Sociopaths, however, are more vulnerable to anxiety, so they do not do as well in those environments.
For decades, researchers studying psychopathy have characterized the disorder as a profound inability to process emotions such as empathy, remorse, or regret. A recent study, though, suggests that psychopaths are not incapable of feeling emotions like regret and disappointment.
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.
Elevated anger responding is intrinsic to many descriptions of psychopathy. Both Cleckley and Hare's case studies include numerous descriptions of psychopaths whose misbehavior included frequent temper tantrums and rage-induced aggression.
Psychopathy is often associated with fearlessness and blunted emotions. But new research in the scientific journal Personality and Individual Differences has found that some psychopaths have higher levels of anxiety and stress.
Psychopaths also would never declare, as you do, that they “worry” about being one. They may know that they have psychopathic tendencies, but they're strangers to worrying about it.
Summary: Researchers have found proof that psychopathic individuals can feel fear, but have trouble in the automatic detection and responsivity to threat.
Psychopathy is classified by psychologists as a personality disorder defined by a combination of charm, shallow emotions, absence of regret or remorse, impulsivity and criminality. About 1% of the general population meets the diagnostic criteria of psychopathy, a prevalence roughly twice that of schizophrenia.
These individuals may feel that they are prisoners of their own etiological determination and believe that they had, in comparison with normal people, fewer opportunities or advantages in life. Despite their outward arrogance, psychopaths feel inferior to others and know they are stigmatized by their own behavior.
A person who is manipulative, dishonest, narcissistic, unremorseful, non-empathetic, and exploitative may be a psychopath. Criminality, promiscuity, and lack of responsibility are also common traits associated with psychopathy.
Unlike sadists, psychopaths don't harm the harmless simply because they get pleasure from it (though they may). Psychopaths want things. If harming others helps them get what they want, so be it. They can act this way because they are less likely to feel pity or remorse or fear.
Psychopaths are incredibly rewards-focused
But according to this research, a psychopath's brain is actually wired to seek rewards at almost any cost. That's because a psychopath's brain can release up to four times as much dopamine in response to a reward as a non-psychopath's.
Relationships with psychopaths are never smooth sailing. If they are particularly narcissistic, they're not happy unless they're the center of attention all the time, meaning they can be obsessive and controlling.
On the other hand, sociopaths intend to harm others and often derive pleasure in the act. They aren't concerned with what others think of them; they lack the narcissist's preoccupation with image, which frequently translates to an inability to hold a job and maintain relationships.
Some sociopaths do not function well in society and spend their time in and out of the justice system. The term “high-functioning” sociopath is used to describe sociopaths who are especially skilled at giving the illusion of being what they believe others want to see in them.
Sociopaths do not have feelings or emotions, nor do sociopaths cry genuinely. Sociopaths are capable of intense anger, frustration, and rage. They elicit those emotions in others which they cannot feel themselves.
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.
Psychopaths seem to have shallow emotional experiences, they appear indifferent towards the feelings of others, and remorseless with respect to their harmful actions against others [7].
No one is more than a stranger to a psychopath. Without the ability to bond with others, they remain permanently and significantly disconnected. They are true loners. Psychopaths are also strangers to everyone else.