Psychopaths in real life

I stumbled upon this pretty bad Huffington Post article titled, "What are psychopaths like in real life?" It sounded promising at first:

Like many films, this one succeeded in depicting violence, and a spine-tingling coldness. But in real life, true psychopaths have many other character traits. In forensic psychiatry, it is our business to diagnose and treat psychopathy as well as a range of other personality disorders and mental illnesses.

It then goes on to state incorrectly that the word psychopath was first used in 1959 as a legal term in the Mental Health Act. Also, it turns out that in real life the psychopath looks pretty much what the movies typically over-emphasize: abused as children, criminally versatile, pathological liars, bullies, parasites, sexually promiscuous, disloyal, unfaithful, and for good measure generally everything else that we might despise in another human being. I'm not saying that these people do not exist, I am sure that they do. But doesn't it seem like a bit of a caricature to define them only in these ways? Is that what people are really asking when they want to know how psychopaths are in real life? They want to hear the same stories about the violent prisoner charming his way to the top of the social order? What about psychopaths that are living a real life, out in the world instead of behind bars?

Coincidentally, I was chatting with a close friend today who happens to be reading "The Sociopath Next Door" who made the following observations: "This Stout lady is so alarmist, like for a scientist." Also, " I hate these sociopath books. I keep on squinting my eyes in disapproval or furrowing my brow. You are discriminated against, buddy." Yeah, welcome to my world.

Quote: Self control

Better to be patient than powerful;
better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Proverbs 16:32

Sociopaths and fearlessness

Sociopaths are generally more fearless than empaths. Is it because having no empathy/conscience leads to fearlessess? Or does fearlessness lead to lack of empathy/conscience? One psychologist thinks it's the latter:

Fearlessness is likely one of the inherited traits that predisposes to antisocial personality and addiction.

But does that seem right? Does fearlessness in a sociopath predispose someone to become a sociopath? Or is fearlessness another symptom of the underlying cause of sociopathy?

On the one hand we could argue that fearlessness leads to an inability for sociopaths to learn from experience: if sociopaths don't fear consequences, they are not going to modify their behavior as a result of bad experiences. On the other hand, it is difficult to argue that a trait such a fearlessness would lead to other sociopathic traits like an inability to empathize, failure to conform to social norms, being manipulative, etc.

Or maybe it's neither. Maybe sociopathic traits were evolutionarily selected to make sociopaths a specialty tool in the arsenal of humanity: a subset of human kind that evolved to take care of business while the rest of humanity pussyfoots around. Some sociopathic traits are probably evolutionary spandrels, but the rest might come as part of a package that compliment each other and make sociopaths particularly suitable for certain purposes, just like how a predator has complimentary skills and traits to make him a hunting machine.

Special skill set

People often wonder whether sociopaths are born with their special skill set or whether it is acquired. I think it is a little bit of both. I think it is sort of like perfect pitch. Some people are apparently born with perfect pitch, or the ability to ascertain the frequency of sound waves not only relative to other frequencies, but relative to an absolute pitch, e.g. A = 440 Hz. If they do not keep this talent up (e.g. by never learning a musical instrument or otherwise doing anything musical), they will lose it. Similarly, I think there are a lot of survival or predatory talents that sociopaths excel at that other people have been equally inclined towards at one point in their lives, but have just failed to keep up or continue their education in those areas. I saw this recently referenced in an article about a class on survival skills being taught in New York's Central Park to yuppie urbanites. From the New York Times:

“These are time-tested skills,” Mr. Hobel said. “Many years ago we all used to know them, and now we’re bringing them back.”

The key to surviving in the wilderness, he explained, is conserving precious time and energy by remaining calm and aware. “The more skills we have, the more capable we are,” he said.

One eerie exercise focused on heightening awareness, with students closing their eyes and trying to sense danger lurking nearby. “Two people have been watching us the whole time,” Mr. Hobel said. “Can you feel their presence?”

To our surprise, we all could, and pointed to two thick logs, in front and behind us, in mud and leaves. From behind them suddenly arose two of Mr. Hobel’s associates dressed in full camouflage, their faces painted, who had been lying there unnoticed for an hour.

I actually have noticed my friends improving in these skills after spending time with me. They get used to seeing the world from a slightly different perspective, and ever after they have a bit more situational awareness and/or insight into primitive human nature that they weren't really developing before. Most people don't like to daily drudge through a parade of horrible what-ifs, but it actually can be quite fun once you get good at it. And of course, as I learned from being a musician, visualizing yourself doing something successfully makes actually doing that thing in real life infinitely easier. It may not be a pitch perfect performance, but neither will it be the disaster that it could have been had you never imagined yourself having to do those things or be that person. Not everyone wants to survive or excel in life, but for those that do, practice makes perfect.

I actually think I would be a very effective life coach.

Quote: Confidence

"I believe myself to be writing a book on economic theory which will largely revolutionize - not, I suppose, at once but in the course of the next ten years - the way the world thinks about economic problems. . . . I can't expect you, or anyone else, to believe this at the present stage. But for myself I don't merely hope what I say, - in my own mind, I'm quite sure."

--John Maynard Keynes