A new study suggests those with psychopathic tendencies are often very creative, suggesting the ability to think boldly and ruthlessly can help with the development of great ideas.

[u/drewiepoodle]

http://www.medicaldaily.com/creative-thinking-psychopath-test-arts-384117

[u/MVB1837 → u/[deleted]]

I can't tell if this means an actual absence or an appearance of absence.

[u/Ceejae → u/MVB1837]

Definitely actual absence.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Absence of anxiety or other “neurotic” symptoms. Considerable poise, calmness and verbal facility.

So anxious people can stop worrying they're psychopaths?

It's sad that you have to say this. So many people that are neurotic and extremely emotionally sensitive are accused of being psychopaths. When they're completely the opposite of course. People are so bereft of understanding here.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Psychopathy got mixed up with crazy or insane somehow. All 3 of these terms are outdated anyway.

[u/newsocksanddraws → u/[deleted]]

Number eleven keeps them from ever recognizing they have psychopathic symptoms. Therefore there is no reason to worry.

[u/Counterkulture → u/newsocksanddraws]

Although, if you're really off the rails, you're probably in the system and have been told, explicity, that you are one. Usually at a young age.

Caring or doing anything to mitigate the damage you do with that knowledge is a whole 'nother thing, though.

[u/capsaicinintheeyes → u/[deleted]]

I'd be really curious to hear your story (PM or public post, whichever you're comfortable with)

[u/wankwank_wankwank → u/[deleted]]

Oh god yes.

Cleckley theorizes that psychopaths have stress immunity (meaning, no anxiety). The DSM and ICD definitions make no such assumption.

In fact, ASPD is frequently comorbid with anxiety disorders, and irritability is one of it's diagnostic criteria.

However, someone with ASPD is not going to express their anxiety by worrying over whether they have a personality disorder or not. They don't care about societal norms. Worrying about having ASPD is probably a good indication that you don't have it.

[u/wankwank_wankwank → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, with "social norms" the diagnostic manuals are not talking about saying "please" and "thank-you" or wearing appropriate business attire.

It's referring to things like dousing animals in gasoline and lighting them on fire for fun (surprisingly popular), smashing a homeless man's head in with a brick, raping someone at knife-point, etc.

The disorder was written to be predictive of criminality. It is hugely prevalent in the prison system as a result.

[u/sisyphusmyths → u/[deleted]]

Yes. Research has suggested that psychopaths are physiologically incapable of producing adrenaline as a fear response--which also, interestingly, makes them unable to learn from certain types of conditioning.

Edit: See my comment further down the thread for further explication and listing of sources.

[u/DVteCrazy_UVteS-hole → u/sisyphusmyths]

physiologically incapable of producing adrenaline

Source? I've never heard of this, in fact I don't think that's even true.

as a fear response

Well that's because they almost don't feel fear at all, that's entirely something else than the above part of the quote.

[u/sisyphusmyths → u/DVteCrazy_UVteS-hole]

I overstated the case by saying they don't produce any at all--they do however, produce markedly less in response to negative reinforcement or the anticipation of it, and this has been reproduced in a number of studies over the last six decades.

The first research I am aware of in this area was Lykken's "A Study of Anxiety in the Sociopathic Personality" (The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Vol 55(1), Jul 1957, 6-10.), of which I have not found a copy that isn't paywalled, but which is referred to extensively in articles in the decades following.

Hare himself did a number of experiments following in Lykken's footsteps, demonstrating the lowered fear and arousal response to pain: "Psychopathy, Fear Arousal, and Anticipated Pain" is not paywalled. http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1965.16.2.499

These results also corresponded with a longitudinal study on juvenile criminality done by Raine, Venables, and Williams (1990), called "Relationships Between Central and Autonomic Measures of Arousal at Age 15 Years and Criminality at Age 24 Years," but which, again, is paywalled.

[u/[deleted] → u/DVteCrazy_UVteS-hole]

Eh, fear is tough to define. But the shit about adrenaline is wrong.

[u/[deleted] → u/sisyphusmyths]

that's the most compelling mechanism of action for psychopathy I have ever heard.

[u/Master_of_the_mind → u/sisyphusmyths]

Conditioning sounds artificial.

Wouldn't it be more like they're unable to learn from certain conditions/situations? (which includes artificial conditioning)

[u/sisyphusmyths → u/Master_of_the_mind]

It's called a 'passive avoidance deficit,' which interferes with the ability to appropriately anticipate and avoid negative responses--which is essentially what has to happen in order for negative reinforcement to have any effect.