Psychopathy and Communication



Psychopathy and CommunicationTaylor J SmithGovernors State UniversityAbstractThis research paper analyses psychopaths and their ability to manipulate and communicate with the world around them. The history of psychopathy is covered in addition to what it actually means to be a psychopath. Recognizing psychopathy is perhaps just as important as understanding it, therefor a few scholarly suggestions are included. Psychopathy is also related to intelligence and violent crime. This dialectic is analyzed to show the impact of sociodemographic on psychopathy. Psychopathy and CommunicationTelevision, literature, and movies have adopted psychopaths as a topic guaranteed to spark their audiences interest. They are mysterious, cunning, and quite frankly fascinating. Psychopaths have been often regarded as master manipulators with impeccable communication skills. Researchers have been studying them for centuries and mental health professionals are still trying to gather as much data as possible. Despite their presence in countless popular culture artifacts, the general public knows little about psychopathy and its impact on society. Psychopaths use their knowledge of social cues and nonverbal communication in order to be exceptional manipulators while appearing charismatic and charming.Psychopathy FascinationPsychopathy is a mental illness with a long history of study. Beginning in the early 1800’s, doctors treating mental patients began to notice a select few that seemed relatively normal. Their observations found that they lacked a moral compass. According to William Hirstein from Psychology Today, the term “psychopath” was coined shortly after these initial observations (Hirstein, William. 2013). For a short period for time researchers used the term “sociopath” to emphasize the impact these people have on society. Ultimately, researchers returned to “psychopath” in order to focus on understanding the psychology. According to Psychology Today, psychopathy is one of the most difficult disorders to spot due to their ability to appear charming and normal (Psychology Today). This charming appearance makes psychopaths objects of fascination. According to Jack Pemment from Psychology Today, the inability to grasp the motivations of psychopaths has led to them being sent to mental institutions rather than prison for the crimes committed (Pemment, Jack. 2017). There is a push-pull effect on the general public when it comes to the behavior of psychopaths. The fascination is the pull, causing a passion and wanting to understand. The push effect of course, is their manipulative nature and ability to commit terrible crimes with no remorse. In addition, psychopaths are not driven by a conscience, and therefore are able to follow their motivation when they feel like doing so. To many people this represents a sense of freedom. People are constrained by societal norms and their own superego, holding them back from many of the things they wish they could do. These barriers do not apply to psychopaths. They get the job done without consulting the rules set before them (Pemment, Jack. 2017). Psychopaths emotionless disposition is also an object of fascination. Throughout the course of a person’s life, it is next to guaranteed that they will at some point be hurt, heartbroken, or deeply distraught. These feelings can leave a person feeling weak and vulnerable. Psychopaths do not experience these kinds of emotions, and therefore appear to resemble a sort of strength. However, it is important to note that the emotions experienced by non-psychopaths make the world beautiful and full of color. Without the negative emotions, everyone is subjected to feel at some point, the colors would not seem so bright (Pemment, Jack. 2017).Recognizing PsychopathyPsychopath is often characterized by a set of behaviors that can be described as an empathetic dysfunction. According to researchers with the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, some of these behaviors include callousness, manipulation, superficial charm, shallow affects, irresponsibility, lack of remorse, and antisocial behavior (Sandvik, Asle. Hansen, Anita. Johnsen, Bj?rn. Laberg, Jon. 2014). Despite this “emotional poverty”, psychopaths have a deep understanding of emotion, and use this knowledge to manipulate, deceive, and charm others. In 1980 a test was created in order to aid in the recognition of psychopaths. This test is called the Psychopathy Checklist and has been used for the past 30 years as the dominant tool in assessing and researching psychopathy. The test is composed of a two-factor structure. The first factor includes the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy. The second reflects the unstable and antisocial lifestyle. Researchers have often used this test to compare psychopaths and non-psychopaths using a cut off score. In the United States the cut off score is 30. Meaning anyone who scores more than a 30 is considered a psychopath, and anyone who scores less than 30 is not (Sandvik, Asle. Hansen, Anita. Johnsen, Bj?rn. Laberg, Jon. 2014). With this in mind, it is possible to have psychopathic traits and not be a psychopath. Nathan L. Arbuckle and William A. Cunninham describe this as everyday psychopathy (Arbuckle, Nathan. Cunningham, William. 2012). Behaviors that reflect an “everyday psychopathy” are committed by people that many would consider normal. These behaviors are not violent or criminal, but instead callous and lack of concern for others. Throughout history, psychopaths have been regarded as an incredibly small group of people. Approximately 1% of the human population could meet the criteria for psychopathy, and even larger number of people occasionally engage in psychopathic behavior. A few examples of this behavior include violence and alcohol use, selfish actions, hypercompetitive orientations, and willingness to violate moral standards for profit. All of this research proves that is it vital to understand psychopathy and have the ability to recognize it. In addition, it is important to understand in order for society as a whole to effectively treat psychopathy. A study performed by Adrian Furnham, Yasmine Daoud, and Viren Swami found that there is a great lack of knowledge about psychopathy among the mental health community (Furnham, Adrian. Daoud, Yasmine. Swami, Viren. 2009). The participants of the study were asked to provide behavioral manifestations, causes, and treatments for psychopathy. Intelligence and Violent Crime. The ability to master deception and manipulate society has often been associated with intelligence. In 1941 Cleckley, one of the first researchers of psychopathy, found 16 traits present in psychopathy that he deemed intelligent. He described them as having high abilities, indications of sound reasoning, and excellent rational powers (Watts, Ashley. Salekin, Randall. Harrison, Natalie. Waldman, Irwin. Vitacco, Michael. Lilienfeld, Scott. 2016). Cleckley also noted that most of his psychopathic patients exhibited intelligence. He stated, “The psychopath is often, if not usually, or superior intelligence when measured scientifically. Some of his accomplishments also indicate he has ability that is average or better when he is using it” (Watts, Ashley. Salekin, Randall. Harrison, Natalie. Waldman, Irwin. Vitacco, Michael. Lilienfeld, Scott. 2016). Other researchers have reiterated this theory that some psychopathic traits require average intelligence. The ability to manipulate and charm others requires an understanding of communication and social skills. Intelligence may also serve as a shield against antisocial behavior. Researchers have concluded that the smarter a psychopath is, their risk for violent crime diminishes, or at the very least their ability to evade detection increases. Psychopathy and violence is a relationship that has been well-established. Psychopathy is one of the most important and widely researched factors associated with violent crime (Walsh, Zach. Kosson, David. 2007). Zach Walsh and David Kosson with the American Psychological Association conducted a study to understand violence and psychopathy in terms of sociodemographic. The dichotomy has been studied in depth in regards to white men, but little research has taken factors of identity into consideration. Their study included 199 male inmates at the Northeastern Illinois county jail ranging from 17 to 40 years old serving sentences of a year or less for felony or misdemeanor convictions. These participants were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist. The study found that the number of psychopaths convicted of violent crime was twice that of nonpsychopaths (Walsh, Zach. Kosson, David. 2007). The findings support their thesis that the Psychopathy Checklist is a valid tool of assessment for African American males, in addition to white men. Psychopathy is not something that effects a single group of people. It is evident across races, genders, and socioeconomic class. People suffering from psychopathy are living in every community, communicating with people from every walk of life. Masters of Emotion. Interpersonal skills are perhaps one of the most important aspect of humanity. Having the ability to communicate with others effectively is critical to a successful, happy, productive life. Part of communication relies heavily on the ability to perceive and discriminate facial expressions of emotion. They are signals that must be interpreted by the observer correctly in order for them to react accordingly to the conversation (Hansen, Anita. Johnsen, Bj?rn. Hart, Stephen. Waage, Leif. Thayer, Julian). According to scholars at the University of Louvain in Belgium, psychopaths are described as showing emotional immaturity and lack the ability to recognize emotion (Rimé, Bernard. Bouvy, Henri. Beborgn, Béatrice. Rouillon, Fran?oise. 1978). They are also characterized as having animal-like emotional reactions that occur out of frustration and discomfort. However, a study of 25 boys considered to be psychopaths as assessed by the Psychopathy checklist, contradicted this long-held notion. The subjects were brought in for interviews and psychologists monitored their nonverbal communication. The study found that psychopaths look at their partner longer and move their hands significantly more than nonpsychopaths. They also lean in closer to their partner than the average person, closing the amount of personal space. Psychopaths were also found to smile less than their nonpsychopathic counterparts. These behaviors can be explained through the concept of physiological arousal (Rimé, Bernard. Bouvy, Henri. Beborgn, Béatrice. Rouillon, Fran?oise. 1978). Generally, the increase of arousal in day to day conversations is deemed unpleasant and participants of the interaction act accordingly to alleviate the discomfort. This is done by increasing space between them and reducing eye contact. Psychopaths do not react as such due to a lowered state of excitability and a chronic need for stimulation. Results from this study can be interpreted that psychopaths do in fact understand the dynamics of nonverbal communication, they simply do not care. Their need for arousal and stimulation overpowers the social norm to respect nonverbal cues.Conclusion. Psychopathy is a mental illness that has been studied for centuries and has been adopted by popular culture for the general public’s amusement and fascination. Their lack of empathy and need for personal stimulation suggests that they would be a great threat to society. Nonetheless, psychopaths are present in every community across the globe and communicate effectively with the people around them. Their understanding of social cues and nonverbal communication makes them charismatic and exceptional manipulators. This research composition utilized previous studies performed by scholars from all over the country in order to support the previously stated hypothesis. Psychopathy, a topic specific to the psychology profession, has stakes in the field of communication as well. Part of understanding what makes a person a psychopath, is their ability to communicate.ReferenceArbuckle, Nathan. Cunningham, William. (2012). Understanding Everyday Psychopathy: Shared Group Identity leads to Increased Concern for Others Among Undergraduates Higher in Psychopathy. Social Cognition, Vol. 30, No.5, pp. 564-583Furnham, Adrin. Daoud, Yasmine. Swami, Viren. (2009). How to Spot a Psychopath. Lay theories of Psychopathy. 44:464-472Hansen, Anita. Johnsen, Bj?rn. Hart, Stephen. Waage, Leif. Thayer, Julian. (2008) Brief Communication: Psychopathy and Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion. Journal of Personality Disorders, 22(6), 639-645.Hirstein, William. (2013). What is a Psychopath. Psychology Today. Retrieved from psychopath-0Pemment, Jack. (2017) Why do we Like Psychopaths? Psychology Today. Retrieved from psychopathsPsychopathy. Psychology Today. Retrieved from é, Bernard. Bouvy, Henri. Beborgn, Béatrice. Rouillon, Fran?oise. (1978). Psychopathy and Nonverbal Behavior in an Interpersonal Situation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol, 87, No. 6, 636-643. Sandvik, Asle. Hansen, Anita. Johnsen, Bj?rn. Laberg, Jon. (2014). Personality and Social Psychology. Psychology and the ability to read the “language of the eyes”: Divergence in the psychopathy constructs. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 55, 585-592.Walsh, Zach. Kosson, David. (2007). Psychopathy and Violent Crime: A Prospective Study of The Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity. American Psychological Association. 31:209-229Watts, Ashley. Salekin, Randall. Harrison, Natalie. Waldman, Irwin. Vitacco, Michael. Lilienfeld, Scott. (2016). Psychopathy: Relations with Three Conceptions of intelligence. American Psychological Association, Vol. 7, No.3, 269-279. ................
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