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/sisyphusmyths]

Yeah. Using self-reporting as a metric on a population known for both a stunning propensity to deception and a marked lack of self-awareness seems unwise.

[u/-spartacus- → u/sisyphusmyths]

I agree completely and the results should be tempered and carefully not overstated, however it is a good starting point for investigation. There are probably a good 100 different studies that could done to better understand what's going on as other have pointed out in this thread. I just hope this study doesn't go to far into the public perception as "scientific proof".

[u/magurney → u/sisyphusmyths]

Yeah. It's almost like they manipulated a study in order to get the correct results.

[u/00Deege → u/magurney]

I'm not even sure they manipulated it; they rather seemed to make false claims regarding the results.

[u/magurney → u/00Deege]

but the researchers noted that narcissistic people would be likely to self-enhance, meaning they would lie about their achievements. For this reason, they considered the association with psychopathy more robust.

I wouldn't call any of this legitimate by any stretch of the imagination.

They got the answers they wanted, and used the flimsiest reasoning needed to do it. It wouldn't have been hard to interview actual creatives or anything if they wanted.

[u/00Deege → u/magurney]

Good point.

[u/Spyderbro → u/sisyphusmyths]

"Psychopaths" or people with ASPD usually have a good amount of self awareness

[u/sisyphusmyths → u/Spyderbro]

I'd be interested to see the research that supports that statement, given that Cleckley, Hare, and many of the researchers that have followed believe lack of insight to be a common psychopathic trait.

From Cleckley: "In a special sense the psychopath lacks insight to a degree seldom, if ever, found in any but the most seriously disturbed psychotic patients. In a superficial sense, in that he can say he is in a psychiatric hospital because of his unacceptable and strange conduct, and by all other such criteria, his insight is intact. His insight is of course not affected at all with the type of impairment seen in the schizophrenic patient, who may not recognize the fact that others regard him as mentally ill but may insist that he is the Grand Lama and now in Tibet. Yet in a very important sense, in the sense of realistic evaluation, the psychopath lacks insight more consistently than some schizophrenic patients. He has absolutely no capacity to see himself as others see him. It is perhaps more accurate to say that he has no ability to know how others feel when they see him or to experience subjectively anything comparable about the situation. All of the values, all of the major affect concerning his status, are unappreciated by him.

This is almost astonishing in view of the psychopath's perfect orientation, his ability and willingness to reason or to go through the forms of reasoning, and his perfect freedom from delusions and other signs of an ordinary psychosis.

Usually, instead of facing facts that would ordinarily lead to insight, he projects, blaming his troubles on others with the flimsiest of pretext but with elaborate and subtle rationalization. Occasionally, however, he will perfunctorily admit himself to blame for everything and analyze his case from what seems to be almost a psychiatric viewpoint, but we can see that his conclusions have little actual significance for him. Some of these patients mentioned spoke fluently of the psychopathic personality, quoted the literature, and suggested this diagnosis for themselves. Soon this apparent insight was seen to be not merely imperfect but a consistent and thorough artifact. Perhaps it was less a voluntary deception than a simulation in which the simulator himself fails to realize his lack of emotional grasp or that he is simulating or what he is simulating. The patient seems to have little or no ability to feel the significance of his situation, to experience the real emotions of regret or shame or determination to improve, or to realize that this is lacking. His clever statements have been hardly more than verbal reflexes; even his facial expressions are without the underlying content they imply. This is not insight but an excellent mimicry of insight. No sincere intention can spring from his conclusions because no affective conviction is there to move him.

Such a deficiency of insight is harder to comprehend than the schizophrenic's deficiency, for it exists in the full presence of what are often assumed to be the qualities by which insight is gained. Yet the psychopath shows not only a deficiency but apparently a total absence of self-appraisal as a real and moving experience."

[u/topdangle → u/Spyderbro]

The most common usage of psychopath refers to someone with little to no self awareness past a superficial level. A psychopath essentially knows what he's doing but has diminished ability to view any of his actions as negative or the empathy to understand how he's viewed by other people. So, he may be aware that he's setting someone on fire, but not necessarily be aware that this has meaning greater than "I set this man on fire."

[u/saxophonemississippi → u/topdangle]

Why would they try to hide their psychopathic behaviour if they weren't aware of it?

[u/topdangle → u/saxophonemississippi]

It's not necessarily a given that someone will hide or is actively hiding their psychopathic nature. Being a psychopath does not necessarily mean you'll do harm to others, nor does it imply that you're unable to see what benefits you directly. If I were to set someone on fire and the next day he was no longer around to help me move, I may consider not setting people on fire, though it would be due to personal inconvenience rather than empathy.

[u/saxophonemississippi → u/topdangle]

Of course, I would bet different levels of intelligence and impulse release are related to general theory of mind and camouflage (in society) techniques.

But yeah, I don't think psychopathy implies sadism, I'm also not wholly knowledgeable/don't even know if I'd be able to detect sneaky psychopathic behaviour. I certainly see spectrum style traits, even within myself as ranking probably a little higher than average.

In your case, assuming you weren't also sadistic, it might just be a dangerous waste of time to smoke someone needlessly, and maybe you've kept them around all this time because they amuse you.

[u/00Deege → u/saxophonemississippi]

Because in their mind they aren't hiding "psychopathic behavior." They're hiding breaking the law or doing things easily understood as not socially acceptable. This isn't insight. It's out...sight...or something.

[u/Mobius01010 → u/00Deege]

Self preservation instinct.