Research On Psychopaths

Research On Psychopaths

The term psychopaths continues to resonate in the legal and justice sphere. Scientific intrigues into what constitutes a psychopath have increased considerably as global news headlines continue to highlight gross behaviors by individuals considered psychopaths. While a point of divergence exists between behaviorist and legal definitions of psychopaths, there is a concurrence on the perceived incorrigibility of these individuals as both consider them a small but troublesome cohort likely to defy social or societal norms. Notwithstanding, psychopaths continue to mount trouble on global justice systems. These individuals demonstrate a constellation of symptoms that have a predication on their interpersonal interactions. They are thought of as exceptions to the rehabilitative optimism proceeding behavioral anomalies.

Many studies have been done on psychopathy, with several speculations made on what may be predisposing individuals toward psychopathy. However, little is known about the distinct factors that make an individual a psychopath. This paper utilizes empirical data to compare current research on the distinctive factors that predispose individuals to psychopathy.

Why the Research is Needed

Cases of individuals on parole or ex-convicts committing heinous crimes on humanity continue to reaffirm the exception to rehabilitative optimism proceeding behavioral anomalies. Sanz-García et al. (2021) note psychopathic imprints in the American justice system. Over 30% of all violent crimes are attributed, in part, to psychopaths. Additionally, 16% of all male adults in American prisons, or those on probation, are psychopaths. Many studies on psychopathy have established a nexus between human behavior and psychopathic tendencies. Others have also detailed the relationship between the genetic makeup of individuals and their likelihood to indulge in violent crimes. These studies, however, fall short of detailing distinctive factors that may make one a psychopath. As the number of crimes attributable to psychopathy increases in American society, the need for establishing or predicting psychopathic tendencies increases. This warrants studies on factors that may be predisposing individuals toward psychopathic tendencies.

Literature on Articles Collected

Scientific research continues to reveal several aspects of psychopathy. Developmental imprints of psychopathy have been documented. Psychopathy often begins in childhood. Van Dongen (2020) notes that factors that precipitate psychopathy are developmental, with symptomatic manifestations of this behavior being apparent in a child’s early life. This study gives insight into the possibility of factors within the early developmental stages that may predict the development of psychopaths. It eliminates the classical reasoning that psychopathy is an adult behavior postulated by Sanz-García et al. (2021. This allows the observations of child’s behavior and other factors affecting their well-being.

Scientific findings have also weighed the effects of genetics on psychopathic attributes. Mariz et al. (2022) report that psychopathic tendencies tend to run along family lines. While there exist no psychopathy genes, studies demonstrate a concentration of psychopathic tendencies around families with a psychopathic member. Individuals with psychopathic family members are, therefore, more likely to develop psychopathic tendencies than those without close psychopathic family members. This study reveals yet another possible predisposing factor to psychopathy. It is also an affirmation of the possibility of psychopathic tendencies originating in the early developmental phase of an individual.

Environmental influences on the development of psychopathy have also been documented. Campos et al. (2022) note that environmental influences can predispose individuals to psychopathic tendencies. Such factors as socioeconomic status, neighborhood, and social cycles may shape an individual’s behavior and radicalize them toward psychopathic tendencies. Socioeconomic influences on familial structure and stability remain a predictor of delinquency. Indeed, many American societies with high crime rates are low-income communities where families are unstable with parental guidance lacking. The high number of psychopaths in these communities affirms socioeconomic and neighborhood influences on psychopathy. Persons individuals interact with, especially in their early childhood, are also likely to influence their behavior. In low-income neighborhoods, where organized delinquency is apparent, children are sometimes brought up with a radicalized mindset and with ease to commit a crime. This speaks on how they are brought up as well as the environment they live. The fact that they were not born criminals demonstrates that in the presence of family instability, lack of parental guidance, and a neighborhood that promotes crime, children can pick some deviant behaviors in their early developmental phases.

Childhood experiences have also been linked with psychopathic behaviors. Garofalo et al. (2020) report that the profound effect of adverse childhood events is often evident in the child’s later life. Adverse childhood events such as early childhood trauma predispose children to predatory violence and neuroticism, characteristic features in psychopaths. This informs the need for child care and provides the groundwork for therapeutic interventions for all children affected by adverse childhood events.

The construct of psychopathy has also demonstrated physiologic factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy. Costello et al. (2018) report that a fearless temperament and a low resting heart rate are risk factors for psychopathy. Individuals with low resting heart rates are likely to have low physiological arousal. This may predispose them to a lack of empathy, a characteristic of psychopathy.

The nature and nurture influences on psychopathic manifestations demonstrate an interplay of several factors in the development of psychopathic behaviors. It affirms Karpman’s postulates on the multifactoral etiology of psychopathy. As per Karpman’s position, psychopathy is a consequence of direct and indirect factors (Palmen et al., 2021). Direct factors border intrinsic and idiopathic deficits, such as an individual’s genetic makeup, and affirm the genetic improbability in the development of psychopathic attributes. Indirect factors border environmental influences on the development of psychopathic attributes. Notwithstanding, understanding these factors can enable the elucidation of factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy.

Comparison of the Literature

Literature findings reveal probable factors contributing to the development of psychopathic attributes. A point of convergence exists in the literature highlighted, as all point to the multifactorial etiologies for psychopathy. Several factors interplay in the development of psychopathic manifestations. Genetic influences, environmental factors, and physiologic factors are thought to interplay in the development of psychopathy. A point of convergence also exists on the likely onset of psychopathic tendencies. As per these findings, the symptomatic manifestations of psychopathic attributes early in life demonstrate that psychopathy has developmental imprints and that psychopathic tendencies can be predicted during early developmental stages. This has clinical significance as it can be used to predict the likelihood of an individual committing heinous acts consistent with those seen in psychopaths.

Analysis and Comparison of Limitations

The studies highlighted details of probable predisposing factors to psychopathic tendencies. However, their attempts at explaining predictive factors for psychopathic behaviors fall short on various fronts. The genetic improbability postulated by Mariz et al. (2022) reveals genetic involvement in the development of psychopathy. The study fails to explain why individuals may develop psychopathy in the absence of any other family member with the condition. Additionally, its prediction probability is arbitrary and may not be very useful in predicting an individual’s likelihood of developing psychopathic attributes. This calls for further review of the genetic factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy including the exact genetic aberrations that produce the highest predictability to the development of psychopathy.

While environmental influence is thought to be a predisposing factor for psychopathic attributes, findings fall short on several fronts. The findings by Campos et al. (2022) do not explain the relatively low prevalence of psychopaths in societies that fit the environment depicted in the study. As per the study, low socioeconomic status, neighborhood, childhood experiences, and family structure have a predilection on the development of psychopathic attributes. While this may be true to some extent, some individuals have a disproportionately low rate of psychopathic detection. García et al. (2021) note that psychopaths only account for 1% of non-institutionalized American males. This percentage is, however, not reflective of the number of male Americans with low income living in crime-prone neighborhoods and those from unstable families. Therefore, further research is needed to elucidate other factors that may interplay in the development of psychopathic traits.

Findings on physiological involvement in psychopathic development also have several limitations. While fearless temperament and low resting heart rate predict low physiological arousal, they may not entirely translate to psychopathic manifestations. It may, therefore, not be accurate to conclude that these physiologic factors predisposed individuals to psychopathy. This leaves a gap in physiologic involvement in the development of psychopathic tendencies.

Research findings highlighted reveal several aspects of psychopathy. These findings enhance the psychological understanding of factors that may interplay in the development of psychopathic traits. In a world where numerous reports of barbaric criminal acts are reported frequently, these findings give insight into the possible explanations of why individuals may be committing these acts. They can thus be used in the development of predictive models utilizable in predicting the likelihood of individuals committing violent crimes. As per these findings, an interplay of genetic and environmental influences, such as the neighborhood in which an individual lives, social cycles, family, and physiology, may be contributing to the development of psychopathological traits.

The research on factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy may be valuable to social psychology. As social psychology delves into human interactions, findings from the study may help in the elucidation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors within an individual that may harm their interactive relationships. These factors may help social psychologists understand inter-individual differences in behavior, factors within them, and their environment contributing to their damaged relationship and the likelihood of committing violent crimes. They can form the basis for addressing these behaviors as they help in identifying their root cause and factors that interplay and result in the manifested behavior.

Defining factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy maintains significance when addressing psychopathy. Genetic and environmental improbability reveals the nature and nurture influences in the development of psychopathology. As the number of reported cases of violent crimes linked to psychopathic individuals increases, understanding factors predisposing individuals to psychopathy is necessary. Such studies that detail definitive factors that make an individual a psychopath are thus warranted.

 References

Campos, C., Pasion, R., Azeredo, A., Ramião, E., Mazer, P., Macedo, I., & Barbosa, F. (2022). Refining the link between psychopathy, antisocial behavior, and empathy: A meta-analytical approach across different conceptual frameworks. Clinical Psychology Review, 94, 102145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102145

Costello, T. H., Unterberger, A., Watts, A. L., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2018). Psychopathy and pride: Testing Lykken’s hypothesis regarding the implications of fearlessness for prosocial and antisocial behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00185

Garofalo, C., Neumann, C. S., Kosson, D. S., & Velotti, P. (2020). Psychopathy and emotion dysregulation: More than meets the eye. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113160

Mariz, C., Cruz, O. S., & Moreira, D. (2022). The influence of environmental and genetic factors on the development of psychopathy: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 62, 101715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101715

Palmen, D. G. C., Kolthoff, E. W., & Derksen, J. J. L. (2021). The need for domination in psychopathic leadership: A clarification for the estimated high prevalence of psychopathic leaders. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 61, 101650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101650

Sanz-García, A., Gesteira, C., Sanz, J., & García-Vera, M. P. (2021). Prevalence of psychopathy in the general adult population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661044

van Dongen, J. D. (2020). The empathic brain of psychopaths: From Social Science to Neuroscience in empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/

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Using the empirical articles, compare the current research for your chosen topic on psychopaths, in 1,500-2,000 words.

Provide an introduction that includes your research question with a brief explanation of why the research is needed.

Analyze and compare the literature in the articles collected.

Analyze and compare the limitations of the studies you have collected.

Provide a conclusion that includes how your research will add to the current field of social psychology.

Your document will include a minimum of five scholarly, peer-reviewed, empirical studies from the past 5 to 7 years. This section should include APA formatted citations for each article, including permalink or doi number.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

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