A study once proved that secondary psychopaths (sociopaths) were MORE fearless than primary psychopaths; mainly due to sociopaths being much more impulsive and emotionally driven than primary psychopaths, with primaries being more goal-oriented. It has been proven that, in general, psychopaths blink less on average compared to other people; It was speculated that this was caused by lower amygdala activation/blunted nervous system.
- Psychopathy was linked to many different personality disorders. Primary psychopaths also often had histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, paranoid, schizoid, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits.
- Primary psychopaths are known for not being in touch with their emotions. It was a very common observation among psychiatrists that psychopaths often confuse their emotions; for example, some psychopaths claimed to feel guilt but were sorry instead.
- Psychopathy is not as black and white as many make it out to be, it’s a spectrum. While all psychopaths carry similar traits, some may be more psychopathic than others; some psychopaths can be more emotional. There are many confirmed psychopaths who have experienced things like anxiety/panic attacks, depressive episodes, and even fleeting snatches of empathy/guilt, etc.
- There is a lack of studies on female psychopaths, perhaps psychopathy presents itself differently in women and men.
- A psychologist specializing in psychopathy noticed that various psychopaths acted differently in social situations; some psychopaths would be friendly and charming, others would be overtly cold and aloof, while others would be arrogant and abrasive.
- The higher you are in psychopathic traits, the more likely you are to struggle to function in society and the law. The more severe psychopaths are definitely in prison or dead, while the less severe ones may be able to function in society and blend in.
- While the exact cause of psychopathy is still not fully understood, it is speculated to be caused by a mixture of genetic factors/environmental factors, 80% genetic and 20% environmental as claimed by some experts. But of course the exact causes and structure are different for each individual psychopath; There are causes where someone can be very psychopathic simply from a young age, but other cases where someone is born with these traits but becomes very psychopathic later in their brain development. It’s all relative.
- Although psychopathy in children is a highly debatable subject, it is observed that psychopaths, as children, often exhibit behaviors that are unusual or out of the ordinary for “typical” children. These can be typical “bad” behaviors like extreme defiance, hurting other people, stealing, lying, etc. Or you may have a child who may seem a little “weird” in certain ways where other children would behave normally. This can put them at risk of being ‘diagnosed’ with behavioral/developmental disorders. (But of course, just because a child behaves abnormally DOES NOT mean they are a psychopath. Keep that in mind)
- There was an infamous murderer named Brian Dugan who was tested for psychopathy.
The researchers found that Brian had the most SERIOUS form of psychopathy possible, his brain structure was so different that he was worse than most psychopaths. He has been called a “one in a million psychopaths” due to this, which means there are other “serious” psychopaths living on this planet ; but they are so incredibly rare that you will NEVER find one. That small minority of psychopaths must be so incredibly emotionally deficient that it’s hard to imagine what goes on in their minds.
10. Childhood abuse and trauma can also affect psychopaths. Psychopaths who have also experienced child tropama have grown to show malicious behaviors such as severe antisocial/criminal behavior, dysregulated anger, and other problems functioning normally.
11. One study showed that psychopathic men and women were likely to have short-term relationships with neurotypical men/women for sex and personal gain. But when psychopaths are looking for a long term relationship, they are looking for someone like them (other psycho people)
12. While psychopathy is traditionally known as an extreme lack of certain emotions (empathy and negative emotions). Some studies have been performed testing these theories of an emotional deficit in psychopaths. What they found was that in very select and rare situations, brain scans showed activity in areas considered inept for psychopaths. This could theorize that psychopaths might actually be capable of certain emotional states at very rare times.
13. Psychopathic speech patterns were studied. Studies have found a distinct speech pattern in psychopaths. They have been shown to use filler words constantly in conversations like “Um”, “I like”, “Uh” and such. Psychopaths have also been observed to speak in a much calmer and more neutral tone than the average person. They were shown to use emotional words differently than ordinary people. Some studies suggest that some psychopaths may be more prone to stuttering.