Psychopaths, by definition, have problems understanding the emotions of other people, which partly explains why they are so selfish, why they so callously disregard the welfare of others, and why they commit violent crimes at up to three times the rate of other people.
Several personality traits related to psychopathy — especially being openly antagonistic — predict a tendency to view others as merely sex objects, finds a study by psychologists at Emory University.
Psychopaths are usually aware of what a psychopath is and that they have psychopathic traits, however, most are never sure whether they are one or not. This can be the case even if they have a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder.
lack of empathy, guilt, conscience, or remorse. shallow experiences of feelings or emotions. impulsivity, and a weak ability to defer gratification and control behavior.
Uninhibited by conscience, they initially assess the utility of those around them freely and equally. They then tend to narrow their choices to those they find unusually trusting or vulnerable. Sometimes, simply having normal personality traits qualifies an individual as vulnerable.
This elevated level of anger can manifest in rage-induced aggression and even adult temper tantrums. Those living with a psychopath may feel they constantly “walk on eggshells,” never knowing what statement or behavior will set off rage in the psychopath.
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.
Psychology: why 'dark empaths' may be even more dangerous than psychopaths and narcissists. Recent research has unveiled a new personality type that shares similarities with psychopaths and narcissists, but may prove to be even more dangerous.
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.
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.
Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth
A psychopath has an inflated view of themselves. They see themselves as important and entitled. Psychopaths often feel justified to live according to their own rules, and they think that the laws don't apply to them.
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.
Psychopaths may know what they are doing, and that what they are doing is technically bad, but they may not feel the same about it as non-psychopaths, because of their diminished capacity for empathy.
The study showed that psychopaths have reduced connections between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), the part of the brain responsible for sentiments such as empathy and guilt, and the amygdala, which mediates fear and anxiety.
A psychopath can have a very high form of cognitive empathy, too. In fact, they are very good at reading other people. They seem like they can read minds sometimes. But even though they can understand people's emotions, it doesn't register emotionally with them—they have no emotional empathy.
“It is possible that psychopathic individuals both enjoy fear and also do not experience the negative aspects of fear to the same extent as other people.” “These findings may help explain the risk-taking and criminal behaviour of people with psychopathic traits.
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.
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.
Hatred is a specific and complex emotion whose script is quite elaborate in psychopathic individuals. It may be assumed that such traits as ruthlessness, tendency to manipulate, narcissism, and excessive self-esteem constitute a mechanism of controlling tension in a situation of hatred.
She adds that the psychology field is still researching to better understand the difference between the two, but one point of differentiation is that a psychopath can't understand the feelings or thoughts of others, while a dark empath can and uses that information to manipulate others.
Social isolation, loneliness, and associated emotional pain in psychopaths may precede violent criminal acts. They believe that the whole world is against them and eventually become convinced that they deserve special privileges or the right to satisfy their desires.
Psychopaths are unable (or unwilling) to control their impulses or to delay gratification. They use rage to control and manipulate others into submission. Many of them are sadistic; taking true pleasure in inflicting physical, emotional and financial harm to their victims.
They can turn emotions on and off.
"The results of the study indicate that the vicarious activation of... emotional brain regions was much lower in the patients with psychopathy than in the normal subjects," explains Keysers.