A BRIEF LOOK INTO THE CONSTRUCTS OF PSYCHOPATHY:
[Disclaimer: I am not a licensed mental health figure. All of this information was gathered from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and other research material regarding the constructs of psychopathy. Please do not attempt to diagnose yourself after reading this.]
Psychopathy is akin to โantisocial personality disorder,โ which is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). It is also allied to the catalog of Cluster B personality disorders: antisocial, narcissistic, and to a subsidiary level it is linked with borderline and histrionic personality disorders. Antisocial personality disorder is often determined by behaviors, and psychopathy is partially determined by behaviors but it also has an interpersonal factor. Most people who have psychopathy would qualify for ASPD, but only some with ASPD would qualify for having psychopathy.
The term โprimary psychopathyโ can often times be synonymous with the term psychopathy or the โclassical/trueโ psychopath. When other researchers use the term psychopathy, theyโre truly stating it as primary psychopathy. The other side of this spectrum is โsecondary psychopathy.โ Secondary psychopathy is occasionally referred to as โsociopathy,โ which is a term thatโs not commonly applied in research literature nowadays, however itโs strongly in line with the construct of secondary psychopathy.
When looking at primary psychopathy you can see a certain set of characteristics associated with the condition:
- lack of fear, remorse, guilt, empathy, and anxiety
With primary psychopathy, it has an etiology that is a genetic development more so than it is an environmental development. Psychopathy also has a strong association with antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. Primary psychopaths amount up to about 1% of the population, and although not every single psychopath display violence they are more susceptible to commit violence. Traumatic brain injuries can also root a psychopathic behavior structure, but this is not an official cause. When it comes to secondary psychopathy, there is a different set of characteristics. At times secondary psychopathy is referred to by the term โantisocial deviance.โ It is more in line with criminal behavior more so than primary psychopathy is.
Secondary psychopathy personality traits are far different than primary psychopathy traits. With secondary psychopaths they display:
- self-destructive behavior
Unlike primary psychopaths, secondary psychopaths tend to be more disorganized. Secondary psychopaths also have the capability to experience fear and remorse, but experiencing those emotions is ultimately related to emotional dysregulation (difficulty managing emotions). In terms with the etiology of secondary psychopaths, itโs based more in environmental experiences. To put it simply, primary psychopaths were born the way they are and individuals with secondary psychopathy developed their characteristics from environmental stressors. Secondary psychopathy has a strong tie with antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, however the key that divides it from primary psychopathy is that secondary psychopaths are more at risk to fit into the criteria of borderline personality disorder.
When discussing the area of empathy between these two types of characteristics, there are two sections where they both fall in line with and differ from each other. These two sections are called cognitive empathy and affective empathy (emotional empathy).
COGNITIVE EMPATHY: The ability to understand emotions
Primary psychopaths and secondary psychopaths both fall in line with be able to understand another individualโs emotions.
AFFECTIVE EMPATHY: The ability to feel anotherโs emotions
For primary psychopaths, there are two theories regarding their range of this type of empathy.
[First theory: They generally have a lack of ability to feel emotions to begin with, therefore their affective empathy is compromised.]
[Second theory: The ability can exist, however they have zero concern regarding how a person feels.]
For secondary psychopaths, they are able to feel empathy for other people yet emotional dysregulation interferes with their usage of that ability, and they demonstrate emotions of their own by hostility and aggression.
Itโs important to discuss the constructs of psychopathy in order to gain a true understanding of the condition. Many people often look to Shane Dawsonโs video on the subject of antisocial personality disorder, which is unfortunately only stigmatizing the condition further. But despite the many years of research invested into dissecting the science behind what creates a psychopath, the issue is that it is still a highly mysterious condition deeply rooted into the psychology, social conditions, and biochemistry of those who have it.
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