When we look at how fragile each one of our lives are, we need to take a minute and realize the different characteristics that form us into who we are today. Studies have shown that there are characteristics within the behavior of an individual that can be linked to the specific behaviors demonstrated by an offender that would classify them as a psychopath. Along with other research that looks into an individual’s genetics to see if that plays a role in defining or making a psychopath. John Allen Muhammad, also known as the D.C. sniper, was labeled as a psychopath when he terrorized D.C. for two weeks, taking thirteen victims and killing ten of them. This paper will go over the behaviors that constitute psychopathy, and the behaviors that indicate psychopathic individuals such as John himself. It will also go over John’s life history of what caused him to commit these acts of violence. Behaviors that Constitute Psychopathy There have been many studies on what behaviors constitute psychopathy. Various Studies have shown that an individual’s behavior must include actions such as hostility to animals or people, ruin to possessions, dishonesty or larceny, and grave violations of rules, as well as a clinically defined impairment of an individual’s social, educational, or employment-related purposes. In order for an individual to be found to be presenting such a disorder, he or she must present with a minimum of at least one of the previous mention behaviors in the past six months, or three plus in a twelve-month timeframe (Mueller III, 2012). Individuals present with psychopathic propensity or psychopathy have a tendency to have a decreased aptitude to name apprehensive facial expressions and a frightened vocal change. An out of... ... middle of paper ... ...apology to the families of the victims he killed. He showed no remorse for his actions. Works Cited Psychopathy: A Misunderstood Personality Disorder. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/psychopathy-a-misunderstood-personality-disorder.html Mueller III, R. S. (2012, July). Psychopathy. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 81(7), 36 John allen muhammad biography. (1996-2013). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/john-allen-nuhammad-236029?page=1 John allen Muhammad.(n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/muhammad1181.htm Meserve, J. (2009). Sniper John Allen Muhammad executed. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/virginia.sniper.execution/index.html?eref=rss_topstories Serial murder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gove/stats-services/publications/serial-murder
Psychopathy has fascinated the public for years due to the gruesome and evil portrayal it has received in the media. Psychopathy is defined in the DSM-III as a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, diminished empathy and remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavior (Patrick, Christopher, Fowles, Krueger, Rober, 2009). Psychopathy represents a cluster of different dimensions of personality found amongst the general population to varying degrees (Patrick et al, 2009). The diagnostic definition is meant to be applied to adults, however psychopathology can occur in children. Controversy surrounds the topic of childhood mental illness because the brain is not fully developed until the age of 18; thus allowing the possibility that symptoms are the result of growing up and will change. The triarchic model, formulated by Christopher J. Patrick, is the most commonly used model in diagnosing adult and childhood psychopathy. This model suggests that different conceptions of psychopathy emphasize three observable characteristics to varying degrees; boldness, disinhibition and meanness (Patrick, et al, 2009). Boldness is the first observable characteristic and is comprised of low fear including stress-tolerance, toleration of unfamiliarity and danger, and high self-confidence and social assertiveness. Disinhibition; characterized by poor impulse control including problems with planning and foresight, lacking affect and urge control, demand for immediate gratification, and poor behavioral restraints. Meanness is defined as lacking empathy and close attachments with others, disdain of close attachments, use of cruelty to gain empowerment, exploitative tendencies, defiance of authority, and destructive excitement seek...
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is a book by Jon Ronson, where he investigates the idea of psychopathy and the many individuals involved. Psychopathy is defined as “a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent.” Ronson visited mental health professionals and psychopaths in order to determine the right way to control the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Throughout the novel, Ronson focuses on three main themes, which are the definition of madness, unnecessary mental diagnoses and the problem with confirmation bias.
To begin with, the purpose of the first experiment was to uncover which brain areas are associated with abnormal emotional processing and the subsequent disturbed social interactions that follow. The total amount of participants after excluding 2 due to artifacts was 12 right handed males. The control group was composed of 6 healthy males who had no history of neuropsychiatric problems, a mean age of 28.8, and standard deviation of 4.14. The experimental group was composed of 6 psychopathic individuals who were convicted criminals and taken from a high security psychiatric ward with a mean age of 33, and a standard deviation of 8. The researchers measured psychopathy by using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R [that measured psychopathy on a scale of 0-40]). They used the Positive and Negative Affect schedule (PANAS) to assess global affect states before conducting the experim...
Nature vs. nurture has been one of the oldest and most debated topics among psychologists over the years. This concept discusses whether a child is born into this world with their developmental work cut out for them or if a child is a “blank slate” and their experiences are what shape them into who they are. Over the years and plenty of research, psychologists have all mostly come to agree that it’s a little bit of both. Children are both born with some genetic predispositions while other aspects of the child’s development are strongly influenced by their surrounding environment. This plays into the criminal justice system when discussing where criminal behavior stems from. Is a criminal’s anti-social behavior just part of their DNA or is it a result of their upbringing? The answer to this question is not definite. Looking at research a strong argument can be made that criminals developed their anti-social patterns through the atmosphere in which they were raise, not their DNA.
Nature and nurture are no longer a debate; we see the two working together in concert to produce a genuine expression of the individual. The personalities and habits humans acquire in their lives is as much a biological evolution as it is a social or cultural acclimatization. While some people still have the argument that it is nature or it is nurture many people have come to the realization that is has to be both. Both nature and nurture developed who we are and what we become. So the question would remain which one influences us more on if we become a criminal. In that it is meant people that live outside the acceptable social norms of that society that may involve punishment or rehabilitation. The impression that people become criminals due to their inheritable factor has not been a popular idea amongst criminologist and has incited anger amongst a lot of them. There have been amazing findings in the fields of genetics that have encouraged a biological evaluation in other social sciences. This has also steered to the appearance of a criminology sub-field called Biocriminology.
1. Cesare Lombroso applied the methods of natural science (observation, measurement, experimentation, statistical analysis) to the study of criminal behavior. Lombroso rejected the classical theory of crime, associated with Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, which explained criminal activity as freely chosen behavior based on the rational calculation of benefit and loss, pleasure and pain. Critically analyze both schools of thought and provide an opinion as to what theory you believe is more relevant.
A child or an adolescent being diagnosed with psychopathy is a controversial concept and yet there are a number of studies that purport to assess psychopathic traits within these groups. This has stemmed from evidence that key symptoms of psychopathy (at least when looking into the histories of adult psychopathic patients) have been indicative of an early onset with symptoms beginning in childhood or early adolescence. (Johnstone & Cooke, 2004). Psychopathy, at least in adults, is a viable construct and is often indicative of criminality, violence, substance abuse and results in decidedly poorer responsivity to treatment and as such highlights the importance of recognizing these early symptoms and planning intervention and treatment strategies. (Johnstone & Cooke, 2004; Skeem, Monahan, & Mulvey, 2003; Hempill, Hare, & Wong, 1998; Salekin, Rogers & Sewell, 1996).
The inability for individuals high in psychopathy to process emotional stimuli can further be explored by assessing how they respond to specific emotional stimuli, specifically facial expressions. Decety et al. (2014) did an in-depth look at facial expression processing in individuals high in psychopathy with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants viewed fearful, sad, happy, and pained dynamic facial expressions. They found that individuals with high PC...
Evidence for psychopathy has been found in literary, historical, political and religious texts. It has also been found cross-culturally. Another known fact about psychopathy, in 1941 Hervey Cleckley became the first to catalogue psychopathys specific traits. In 1988 the term psychopath was coined by German psychiatrist, J.L.A Koch. Koch saw psychopathy as it arising from a flaw in a persons constitution at birth. Then Constitutional psychopathy became very big in the United States, in the litature of the early nintheen hundreths.
When one hears the word “psychopath”, they probably picture someone in an insane asylum locked away with crazy hair and ripped clothes. However, this is simply not always the case. Sometimes the true psychopath is the person one would least expect because he or she seems rational, stable and possibly even fairly caring. A true psychopath is defined as someone who “displays a number of behavioural traits which range from being cunning and devious to manipulative and charming” (Guy pars 3). Psychopaths are not always easily pointed out in a group of people until close examination of their behavior, past history, and neurological reactions to certain situations. One may not immediately identify someone with a psychopathic personality. It takes
Biological crime theory describes that an individual is born with the desire to commit a certain crime. Evolutionary factors influence an individual’s involvement in criminal behavior. “Biological theories focus on aspects of the physical body, such as inherited genes, evolutionary factors, brain structures, or the role of hormones in influencing behavior” (Marsh, I, 2006, 3). Murderers that are innate to kill are born with factors such as mental illnesses that are the driving force as to why one may kill. Because of the biological crime theory, some individuals, though rare, are able to plead insanity. This is because the actions of the individual are said to be beyond their control (Ministry of Justice, 2006, 3).
The causes of psychopathy remains a mystery for the general public and the scientists who study it. Looking into the brains of many well known serial killers, there are similar qualities within each serial killer that could have influenced this way of life. Whether it be from physical abuse, verbal abuse, mental abuse, neglect, or abandonment, they can contribute to the making of a serial killer. Under some circumstances there can be no abuse at all. Neurologists have been studying brain scans of serial killers for many years, but are still unable come up with a definitive reason for the abnormality that possesses individuals to commit these gruesome acts. More information can be explored through various notorious serial killers’ timeline,
...res of the psychopaths and gives the reader various examples of these individuals playing out these characteristics in everyday life. A widely used checklist is provided so the reader can get a wide spanning view of what is accounted for when scoring a psychopath. This form of research is very important within the deceitfulness of this population; it allows the professional to ignore their words and examine their actions. Hare made it clear that it is not uncommon for there to be an emotional and verbal disconnect from their actions. With virtually no emotional functioning psychopaths feel no remorse for the offenses that they commit and it is very important that we work towards using the opportunities we have to study and assist these populations; not only for them but for ourselves.
For thousands of years researchers have developed theories in an attempt to understand why people commit crime. Although, many theories have been created to establish a link between man and criminology many researchers suspect different factors lead man to criminal behavior. Furthermore, we will analyze the following theories, which include positivist theory, biological theory, and psychology theory to correlate their relationship to crime and identify the differences among them beginning with the positivist theory.
What we were interested in is to gauge if the presence of the Psychopathic trait in individuals coincided with similar levels of the other two traits. To prove that the other two traits can be used to predict psychopathy, we needed at least correlation in any or both of the other traits and the absence of a high negative correlation with any of the traits. A measures of between 0 and 0.3 signify a low correlation, while figures those between 0.3 and 0.5 signify mid correlation. A figure between 0.5 and 1 indicates a high correlation (Andale, 2012). The –ve or +ve sign before the figure indicates whether it is a negative correlation or positive correlation respectively.