Moreover, another function of the amygdala is social interaction and moral reasoning – and when there are structural abnormalities in the amygdala, this can show why psychopaths can lack the ability to recognise emotions in others, as well as poor moral judgement. As the amygdala is necessary to incite the feeling of fear and fear conditioning, abnormalities in this anatomical structure can explain a lack of fear conditioning and response to dangerous situations in psychopathic individuals. The results showed that the individuals with psychopathy had significantly lower bilateral volumes of the amygdala compared with the control group – 17.1% on the left and 18.9% on the right. This meant any regional surface abnormalities would be able to be detected. ![]() The study consisted of 27 individuals who were psychopathic, and their amygdalar volumes were determined using volumetric analysis and surface-based mesh modelling methods. In an article entitled ‘Localization of deformations Within the Amygdala in Individuals With Psychopathy’ (5), research was carried out with the purpose to detect amygdalar anatomical abnormalities in psychopathic individuals. Psychopathy is also believed to be greatly associated with the amygdala, and it has been hypothesised that amygdalar changes could be a source of deficit processing of fear-related responses in psychopathic individuals (4). Like psychopaths, sociopaths can also struggle to form emotional attachments – but this is not the case for all. Sociopaths are generally more erratic than psychopaths, and act more impulsively. As well, psychopaths tend to be more strategic when engaging in anti-social behaviour so as to minimise the risk to themselves – but have little or no feeling of guilt as to the repercussions of their actions for others. Having difficulty forming emotional attachments is a common psychopathic trait, as well as appearing charming and trustworthy by others. As mentioned earlier, it is the consensus that psychopaths are born while sociopaths become so as a result of their environmental factors. Other key similarities include: aggression, deceitfulness, anti-social behaviour, irresponsibility, impulsivity, and a lack of remorse and guilt. The main connection between psychopathy and sociopathy is engagement in anti-social behaviour, for instance, physical violence, harassment, vandalism, and other more serious offences (9). (8)Further, psychopathy and sociopathy are frequently used interchangeably in the media and film especially – and while these conditions share similarities, there are several differences. However, psychopathy in itself is not an ‘official’ psychiatric diagnosis, and instead the term Antisocial Personality Disorder is used instead. ![]() The latter is believed to be due to hyporeactivity of the autonomic nervous system to stimuli in psychopathic individuals compared to non-psychopathic individuals. The reduced empathetic response is considered to be the most common psychopathic trait and can be observed through a willingness to engage in anti-social behaviour, a disregard for the impacts of their actions on other people, and a decreased physiological response to emotional stimuli (3). ![]() Psychopathy is characterised by various personality traits and behaviours, especially a lack of empathy, impulsivity, pathological lying, manipulative behaviour, and high intelligence (1). Interestingly enough, psychopathy affects between 15 and 25% of the prison population worldwide, thus implying an association between mental illness and criminality (3). However, psychopathy is more common than typically believed – as it is estimated to affect 1% of the global population and is observed to be more prevalent in men than women. While psychopathy does have environmental factors, it also has a strong genetic component – but interestingly, individuals can be genetically predisposed to having psychopathy, yet the disorder remains dormant unless exacerbated by external factors. Additionally, psychopathy tends to be confused with sociopathy – but in an interview with the psychologist Ramani Durvasula, PhD, she says “the key difference: a psychopath is born, and a sociopath is made.” (2). The word ‘psychopath’ can often be used as a throw-away term to describe someone violent and cruel, but this a minimised view on the disorder.
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