...101 Research Paper Psychopaths (Antisocial personality disorder) Psychopathy was one of the first personality disorders to be recognized by psychiatry. Today this disorder is known as antisocial personality disorder. Those diagnosed with the disorder often share a multitude of similar yet non-universal characteristics. These characteristics may include: superficial charm; egocentricity; need for stimulation; irresponsibility; impulsiveness; shallow emotions, lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse; pathological lying; and above average intelligence like serial-killers Dennis Radar and Ted Bundy. When encountered, the typical psychopath will blend in and seem some-what normal. They will have the tendency to be smooth, inviting, interesting, and educated. "More than the average person, he is likely to seem free of social or emotional impediments, from the minor distortions, peculiarities, and awkwardness so common even among the successful" (1). Despite their apparently smooth and attractive exteriors, Psychopaths are riddled with complex and often terrifying behavioral abnormalities. For instance, Psychopaths rarely fulfill or honor obligations and commitments. Their irresponsibility stems into various stages of their life, including work and finances. They frequently fail to pay off loans and bills and have a tendency to perform assignments in a carefree demeanor. Psychopaths have difficulty developing and performing...
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...among Genders: The Sociopath and Psychopath by Evelyn J. Dotson MS, University of Phoenix, 2015 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Psychology University of Phoenix March, 2015 Abstract Psychopathic and sociopathic general characteristic traits are found in both genders in various populations. More research on the general characteristic traits of females is needed. Research for the female populations will give professionals information about the differences displayed between genders. Different applied sciences will also further their knowledge in treatment options for either tendency. The study used explored if any differences existed between genders with intensified levels of psychopathic traits in regard to psychopathy factor scores. The sample consisted of 2,500 people of both genders (52.6% women) (M=22.15; SD=1.38) from the generalized population, aged 20-24. Results displayed women with psychopathic personality traits had significantly higher levels of behavioral tendencies than men of the same. The genders did display a difference in aggressive behavior. The men showed a significant amount of aggressive behaviors compared to the women. The gender differences displayed in the seven psychopathic features show the variations needed for treatment options. Differences and Similarities in Generalized Characteristic Traits among Genders: The Sociopath and Psychopath by Evelyn J. Dotson MS, University...
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...The biology of leadership The relation between leadership, psychopathy and hormones Master thesis Economics and Business 8th of August 2012 Name student: Ricardo Westendorp Student number: 294819rw Supervisor: Wouter van den Berg The biology of leadership PREFACE Around October, 2011, I started looking for a subject to graduate on, when a neuro-economical subject, involving the connection of leadership to psychopathy and hormones, crossed my path. I had to jump into it, because this subject matched the field I am interested in. Now, 8 months later, I present you my final work and I have enjoyed working on it. I have to be honest, this product would not have been able to be written if it wasn’t for the help of certain people. Therefore, I would like to use this section, to show my gratitude to some people, that helped me along the way. First of all, I thank the Erasmus School of Economics, for providing the financial support for this research. This research would definitely not have been possible, without the financial support of the ESE. Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Wouter van den Berg, who has supported me, guided me and who has contributed intellectually. I would also like to thank Kashin Hau, who has made great contributions to the construction of the leadership questionnaire. Also, I would like to thank Sarstedt, who provided 500 saliva tubes. I am very thankful for the help of my parents. A great contribution has been made by my parents, Wim Westendorp...
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...Criminal Behavior Lorenzo Reid Virginia College Online Abstract The following paper will address the different areas of the Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of Criminal Behavior. Within this paper, every aspect from theories to what the law states when it comes to this state will be addressed. Criminal Behavior Doctor Leon Eisenberg once stated, "...persons who are seriously mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of violence than its initiators." (Campbell) Yet how true is that? When it comes to mental illness, there have been several violent crimes that have been committed, and been blamed on mental illness. There are several shows for entertainment such as the show “Criminal Minds”, that attempts to bring a reality and understanding to mental illness and criminal behavior. This show gives a reality to the fact that people can be simply mentally ill and not simply criminals. In early society times, people simply did not take mental illness into account. It was thought that people, regardless of their mental state, should be accountable for their actions. Yet, in today’s society, this is not the case. Due to research and a better developed country, citizens are given an opportunity to show that their mental state was not steady when they committed a crime. So, what is it then, which motivated a person to kill or maim another? How can a person kill someone else, or a numerous amount of people, with no remorse? These questions and several...
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...In this dissertation moral capacity is considered to be a spandrel, the byproduct of natural selection. The first chapter of this doctoral dissertation deals with conceptual issues of the biological and psychological interpretations of egoism (selfishness) and altruism, and then, in the second step, it relates altruism to morality. To be more precise, it relates altruism to moral capacity which includes moral behavior, forming and maintaining moral beliefs, and moral judgments. The main subjects of the second chapter are the evolution of altruism and cooperation and the related problem of the units of selection. I critically examine the standard models for the evolution of altruism: group selection, gene’s eye view, kin selection (with remarks...
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...Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2013, Vol. 105, No. 4, 667– 687 © 2013 American Psychological Association 0022-3514/13/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0033485 Subcomponents of Psychopathy Have Opposing Correlations With Punishment Judgments Jana Schaich Borg Stanford University and Duke University Rachel E. Kahn University of New Orleans Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Duke University This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Robert Kurzban University of Pennsylvania Paul H. Robinson University of Pennsylvania Law School Kent A. Kiehl University of New Mexico and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico Psychopathy research is plagued by an enigma: Psychopaths reliably act immorally, but they also accurately report whether an action is morally wrong. The current study revealed that cooperative suppressor effects and conflicting subsets of personality traits within the construct of psychopathy might help explain this conundrum. Among a sample of adult male offenders (N 100) who ranked deserved punishment of crimes, Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R) total scores were not linearly correlated with deserved punishment task performance. However, these null results masked significant opposing associations between task performance and factors...
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...Richard Kuklinski Iceman “If I think about what I’ve done, it would hurt me, so I don’t think about it… If I had a choice, well, you have said we all have choices, that’s true, but at the time, I didn’t seem to have one. If I could, I would have liked to be different than what I am. I would have liked to have had a better outlook on life.. but I can’t change yesterday” (Carlo, 2007). According to Robert Hare, Psychopathy is a personality disorder which consists of behaviors and personality traits that most of society views as negative (Hare, 1993). Characteristics of psychopathy include emotional, interpersonal, and behavioral characteristics such as emotional detachment, callousness, irresponsibility, impulsivity, and disregard for society’s rules and rights of others (Hare, 1996). Psychopathy was originally used to define all cases of personality disorders, but now psychopathy is seen as a more severe form of Antisocial Personality Disorder (Maddux, J., & Winstead, B., 2008). This means that psychopathy has a prevalence rate of less than three times that of Antisocial Personality in both civil and criminal populations (Hare, R., & Neumann, C., 2009). Psychopathy Checklist The first assessment instrument used to measure psychopathy was the Psychopathy Checklist developed by Robert Hare in 1980 and was revised (PCL-R) in 1991 and again in 2003 (Hare, 1993). The psychopathy checklist is the most accepted instrument in assessing psychopathy by both psychologists...
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...There have been four serious financial crises and countless more corporate scandals with global implications in just the last decade. All of them driven by greed and corruption, all of them led by dynamic, charismatic business leaders who initially showed fantastic promise, innovation and financial leadership. And it seems with the most recent of these crises, many of the key players in the 2008 global recession have not only not been punished, but are still in the same positions of power and able to continue their transgressions. Here are some interesting highlights of the last decade: Enron scandal (2001): Andrew Fastow the CFO of Enron along with Kenneth Lay the Chairman and Jeffrey Skilling the CEO develop an offbalancesheet mark to market fraud that loses $11 billion and bankrupts Enron. It is the largest bankruptcy reorganization in US history at the time. They are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, false statements, insider trading and money laundering. Fastow serves 6 years in prison, Lay passes away before sentencing and Skilling is sentenced to 24 years in prison. WorldCom scandal (2005): Bernard Ebbers the CEO of WorldCom loses $100 billion of shareholder value in the largest accounting scandal in US history (until Madoff). Ebbers is charged with securities fraud and conspiracy and is serving 25 years in prison. Bernard Madoff (2008): Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC heads a $50 billion ponzi scheme, the largest in history, and is charged with securities fraud...
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...LAT1 - Serial Killers Abstract This paper that was written explores how a person is born innocent, and evolves into a monstrous and calculated serial killer. It will mention several different specific serial killers and their histories to support the facts. Another area that is explored is the difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Many times theses terms are used simultaneously; however the fact is that they are different. Reviewing the classifications, behaviors, motives, childhood neglect, sanity, and how profiling and other methods will assist in catching a serial killer. Understanding and studying serial killers can help in preventing them to start killing, or in catching them before they continue killing. Research shows that the problem of serial killing can be addressed by understanding its causes, identifying common behaviors and motivations of serial killers, and using this information to develop tools for law enforcement to prevent initial or repeated killings If a person commits a murder, it doesn’t constitute to be tagged a serial killing. I will be including material in order to define what serial killer is, and why we are so obsessed with understanding them. To fully discuss and understand serial killers, we must first distinguish the differences between them and mass murderers. The term mass murderer is often used interchangeably; however, the two terms are technically different. Mass murder occurs when a large number of people...
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...Case Analysis: Antisocial Personality Disorder People with antisocial personality disorder (ADP) behave in a manner that disregards another person’s rights. Many of the characteristics of antisocial personality disorder include, reckless behaviors toward oneself and others, aggression, difficulty planning, irritability, and impulsivity (Hansel & Damour, 2009). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, antisocial personality disorder occurs in approximately 3% of males and 1% of females in the population (American Psychological Association, 2012). Additionally, people with antisocial personality disorder are manipulative toward others and initially behave in a charming, romantic, and loving manner (Hansel & Damour, 2009). Oftentimes the terms psychopath and sociopath are associated with people who have antisocial personality disorder because of the similar characteristics and behaviors. For example, lack of deep emotional connection, impulsivity, and continuous violations of social norms are characteristics of ADP and psychopathy (American Psychological Association, 2012). The case of Theodore Bundy provides an analysis of a man who meets the criteria for someone who has antisocial personality disorder. Many people and theorists have been interested in the story behind Theodore Bundy and television producers made movie reenacting Theodore Bundy’s acts of violence against several women. Theodore Bundy’s Background Theodore Bundy was born in...
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...Clare Affinito The Use of Brain Scans in the Courtroom Brain scans and neuroimaging, especially those obtained through MRI, fMRI, and CT scanners, have led to large advances in the world of neuroscience. In many cases, attorneys seek to use brain scans to help their clients on death row, many of whom are referred to as psychopaths because they have Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). However, serious debate has grown around the increased use of brain scans in criminal cases. Neuroscientists, attorneys, and judges around the world are discussing the reliability, consistency, and ethical nature of these brain scans. Some professionals feel that using brains scans in the courtroom would be acceptable because they can provide a better understanding...
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...Psychophysiology, 51 (2014), 645–657. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Printed in the USA. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12209 Dissociable effects of psychopathic traits on cortical and subcortical visual pathways during facial emotion processing: An ERP study on the N170 PEDRO R. ALMEIDA,a,b FERNANDO FERREIRA-SANTOS,a JOANA B. VIEIRA,a,c PEDRO S. MOREIRA,a,b FERNANDO BARBOSA,a and JOÃO MARQUES-TEIXEIRAa a Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal b c Abstract This study examined the relation between psychopathic traits and the brain response to facial emotion by analyzing the N170 component of the ERP. Fifty-four healthy participants were assessed for psychopathic traits and exposed to images of emotional and neutral faces with varying spatial frequency content. The N170 was modulated by the emotional expressions, irrespective of psychopathic traits. Fearless dominance was associated with a reduced N170, driven by the low spatial frequency components of the stimuli, and dependent on the tectopulvinar visual pathway. Conversely, coldheartedness was related to overall enhanced N170, suggesting mediation by geniculostriate processing. Results suggest that different dimensions of psychopathy are related...
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...VOLUME EDITOR S. WALLER is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Montana State University Bozeman. Her areas of research are philosophy of neurology, philosophy of cognitive ethology (especially dolphins, wolves, and coyotes), and philosophy of mind, specifically the parts of the mind we disavow. SERIES EDITOR FRITZ ALLHOFF is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Western Michigan University, as well as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University’s Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, Allhoff is the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine & Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe,Wiley-Blackwell, 2007). P H I L O S O P H Y F O R E V E RYO N E Series editor: Fritz Allhoff Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking.Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too.This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious … or just curious. Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind Edited by Michael W. Austin Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking Edited by Fritz Allhoff Food & Philosophy: Eat,Think and Be Merry Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn’t Worth Drinking Edited by Steven D. Hales Whiskey & Philosophy:...
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...Can we be born evil or is it something developed by the environment around us? Researchers have conducted experiments on this very question, and more often than not, have found surprising results each time. Each of those times though, a common consensus being that we all have the capacity to commit the unimaginable, but it takes a certain environment and people to bring it out in us. While some interpret that those who are evil are born that way, evil is something that is developed over time by their individual environment and the people within it. It’s entirely possible to be born with traits that give us the potential to be evil. In William Harms article “Psychopaths are not Neurally Equipped to have Concern for Others” he reports a study done by University of Chicago that took 80 prisoners between ages 18 and 50 and tested for levels of psychopathy using standard measures. The results showed: The participants in the high psychopathy group exhibited significantly less activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and periaqueductal gray parts of the brain, but more activity in the striatum and the insula when compared to control participants. This latter region is important for monitoring ongoing behavior, estimating consequences and incorporating emotional learning into moral decision-making, and plays a fundamental role in empathic concern and valuing the well-being of others(Harms, 2013). The study showed that the parts of...
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...the suburban landscapes of both outer Melbourne and rural small-town South Australia and it turns them into deadly, psychological prisons ruled by controlling psychopaths. By following both the innocent protagonists “J” (Animal Kingdom) and “Jaimie” (Snowtown) as they are thrust into malevolent family situations and suffer “quite brutal and frightening experiences-” (Garner, 2011) we can witness the visceral unmasking of the essential “aussie-battler”. By using true-crime stories set in a suburban gothic framework we can tap into the darkest parts of our black history. “Here, the battler became a psychopath, the suburbs rendered as a real-life dystopia from whence these nightmarish characters sprang forth.” (Harkins-Cross, 2011) As time has progressed, so has our willingness to explore a regression back to our collective colonial instincts. The Gothic framework usually deals with the fantastic or absurd within the mundane and often features a protagonist that has been thrust into a place or situation of unfamiliarity and is tested. We as a nation have long been interested in the concept of the charismatic criminal, the “bushranger” motif is prevalent throughout our entire body of filmic work, and the more iconic Australian films dealt with an undeserving societies relationship with the land and it's rightful inhabitants, rather than an introspective analysis of the people that invaded who were propelled into isolation. The events that occur in the film are shown to the viewer...
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