Social Psychology- Research-Psychopaths

Social Psychology- Research-Psychopaths

The term psychopath has littered the corridors of justice for quite some time. Van Dongen (2020) reports that psychopaths astonishingly and disproportionately consume significant criminal justice resources globally. The label psychopaths have increasingly been used by criminal justice system participants such as the police, prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers. The contextualization of this label has always been centered on incorrigibility, with these individuals being viewed or perceived as a small but troublesome cohort of individuals likely to defy social or societal norms. A point of convergence between psychiatry and law exists in the perception of psychopaths, as both viewed them as exceptions to the rehabilitative optimism that follows behavioral anomalies. The identification of psychopaths and distinctive factors that predispose individuals to psychopathy has, however, been difficult.

Psychopaths are individuals who portray a constellation of psychological symptoms that have a bearing on the individual’s life, including their relationships. Psychopathy is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by impaired emotional responses, poor behavioral controls, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and utter lack of empathy. Psychopathy often emerges during childhood. It commonly results in recurring and persistent social deviance. Research findings suggest developmental imprints in psychopathy. Van Dongen (2020) notes that the precipitating features of psychopathy are developmental, with symptomatic manifestations being apparent before the tenth birthday. Genetics also predicates this condition, and individuals with psychopathic kins have a higher propensity to develop socially deviant behaviors (Mariz et al., 2022). These findings have profound implications in neuropsychiatry as they suggest the possibility of neurocognitive anomalies and peculiarities usurping human development of moral sensibility. Additionally, these findings suggest the foundational framework for failures of traditional interventions on behavioral problems.

The construct of psychopathy has traditionally been based on the Cleckley classification of special traits postulated in 1941. As per Cleckley’s postulates, psychopathic manifestations are seen in individuals who, while lacking some moral sensibility, retain psychological functionalities such as memory and intelligence (Maung, 2021). This not only caps the understanding of psychopathic reasoning but also demonstrates why psychopaths lack an outward defining sign of mental deficiency characteristic of many mental health illnesses. Examination of the etiological causes of psychopathy reveals the likelihood of this condition having a multivariate cause. Karpman took an influential position on this multifactorial etiology in 1941. According to Karpman’s postulates, primary and secondary psychopaths share several characteristics, such as cheating. While primary psychopathy is a consequence of intrinsic and idiopathic deficits, secondary psychopathy results from indirect factors such as exposure to trauma, with behavioral consequences of these factors appearing similar across these individuals but with some differences (Gallup et al., 2021). This explains the inter-individual variations in the symptomatic manifestations of psychopathy.

As the conversation of the nature and nurture influences on psychopathic attributes continues, there appears to be no conclusive position on the causal influences of psychopathy. The improbability of environmental and genetic influences on psychopathy leaves a lot of questions on the predictability of these disorders and remedial interventions against them. Gallup et al. (2021) report the environmental influences on psychopathy and associate sociocultural factors such as mental health illnesses with psychopathy. Garofalo et al. (2020) further assert these claims by stating that childhood trauma predisposes individuals to deviant behaviors such as predatory violence, neuroticism, grandiosity, and others. The genetic improbability of psychopathy has also been vital in understanding the disease. The classical findings of the monoamine oxidase A gene being the common denominator among serial killers gave an insight into the genetic involvement in psychopathy. Dubbed the “warrior gene,” the monoamine oxidase A gene was found to be higher in individuals who commit capital offenses such as murder (Mariz et al., 2022). This neurotransmitter makes it difficult for individuals to control their impulses resulting in disproportionate responses to aggressors and unimaginable actions such as serial killing.

Notwithstanding, there is a need to conclusively identify what predisposes individuals to psychopathy. The high number of psychopaths within the country warrants the establishment of a working framework on how to predict their likelihood of committing a crime. Sanz-García et al. (2021) note that psychopaths are responsible for 30-40% of all violent crimes. In the U.S., at least 1% of all noninstitutionalized males above 18 years are psychopaths, and 16% of all male adults in prisons, on parole, in jail, or on probation are psychopaths. . This reveals the extent of this condition in the country.

This research addresses the theoretical problem of the absence of definitive and conclusive factors predisposing individuals to become psychopaths. It focuses on adults aged eighteen and above with some form of genetic and environmental influences on psychopathy. It addresses gaps in existing research topics by identifying individual factors that make an individual a psychopath. This may enable the establishment of a framework for identifying persons likely to commit capital offenses and how they can be helped. The lack of an outward manifestation of psychopathy, like in other mental health illnesses, makes identifying psychopaths in society difficult. The mere fact that psychopaths retain their psychological functionalities and intelligence further renders this identification impossible. This research analyzes the likely distinctive factors that make an individual become a psychopath.

Research Question: What are the distinct factors that make an individual become

a psychopath?

  References

Gallup, A. C., Kret, M. E., Eldakar, O. T., Folz, J., & Massen, J. J. (2021). People who score high on psychopathic traits are less likely to yawn contagiously. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03159-1

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

Maung, H. H. (2021). Psychopathic personalities and Developmental Systems. Philosophical Psychology, 34(4), 502–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2021.1916453

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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The introduction section of a research proposal serves the goals of:

Introducing your topic

States the existing problem to be researched

Provides the context for your research

Social Psychology- Research-Psychopaths

In 750-1,500 words, you will submit the introduction section of your research paper. This introductory component will include the following areas:

Statement of the problem: This is a somewhat broad area that you will narrow as you explain why the chosen topic of research is one that needs to be more carefully examined. This is where you draw the attention of the reader by explaining why concern should be paid to the subject matter (e.g., provide statistics, on how this impacts individuals).

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Research question(s): List your proposed research question(s).

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