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| Psychos Need a Little Sympathy |
| 2006-09-28 |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #17 Okay, 'Moose. Semantics can be argued until the end of time. The term used to have a particular meaning - one that was accepted by the general public, the one I prefer over that confabulation. The list of characteristics you provided do not describe a psychopath, IMHO. They are remarkable mainly for how common they are. I see, primarily, immaturity and manipulation behaviors. From that list, we were all psychopaths, at least until we grew up and out of the narcissistic stage. Some make it, some don't. But I have to say again I find that catch-all definition absurd. But that's just my opinion. And yes, it does remind me of a particular President, lol. He's an immature, infantile, self-absorbed, insecure, lying jerk, but I wouldn't use psychopath... mega-asshole, sure, but not psychopath. :-) |
| Posted by: .com 2006-09-28 22:00 |
| #16 .com: the dictionary definition is an extreme. Someone who drinks two beers a night can be an alcoholic. Alcoholism doesn't mean that all alcoholics are slobbering winos on skid row who spend all day in a bar and have cirrhosis. Not all psychopaths are chainsaw wielding serial killers or Bill Clinton. The vast majority just might come across as "insensitive" in an emotional situation. They could easily be confused with people who are full of emotions, but behave in a stoical manner and don't show their emotions. As far as relying on a dictionary definition, it will almost certainly be defined more for common usage, correct or not, and less for medical accuracy. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-28 21:34 |
| #15 "A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse." Now just a bloody moment! Must we slip into personal invectives at every fork in the road? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-09-28 19:43 |
| #14 25% in prisons psycopaths? Unlikely. Sociopath, maybe. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-09-28 19:39 |
| #13 So it appears they've "fixed" the definition. I meant one thing back upon a time. It is much more nuanced, now. So what do they call: "A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse." now? Republican? :-) |
| Posted by: .com 2006-09-28 19:01 |
| #12 .com: here is a medical description, which is a bit more thorough. The following is a list of items based on the research of Robert Hare, Ph.D. which is derived from the "The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, 1991, Toronto: Multi-Health Systems." These are the most highly researched and recognized characteristics of psychopathic personality and behavior: * glibness/superficial charm * grandiose sense of self worth * need for stimulation/prone to boredom * pathological lying * cunning/manipulative * lack of remorse or guilt * shallow emotional response * callous/lack of empathy * parasitic lifestyle * poor behavioral controls * promiscuous sexual behavior * early behavioral problems * lack of realistic long term goals * impulsivity * irresponsibility * failure to accept responsibility for their own actions * many short term relationships * juvenile delinquency * revocation of conditional release * criminal versatility Remind you of any ex-President of the United States? Anyway, note that nowhere in this pathology do you see what people typically think of as "psychopathic" behavior, except when taken as an extreme. Granted, psychopaths in prison are usually extreme cases; but many psychopaths walking the streets who do not commit crimes are far more inclined to other, less obvious and less acute behaviors. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-28 18:56 |
| #11 Where folks aren't, y'know, homicidal and such, I'm there, OP. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-09-28 17:49 |
| #10 My 32-year-old adopted son isn't psychopathic, but permanently brain-damaged from abuse suffered as a child (before age 2 1/2). He needs constant supervision in some areas, little in others. He can work, but doesn't have the ability to stay with any one job for very long. He needs special care. Right now, he's in a group home that seems to meet most of his needs. Other people have other problems, some organic, some mechanical. We need to find ways to deal with each one as an individual, instead of using the current government-subsidized "one size fits all" attitude - brought about by the Left's idea that "everyone should be free to make their own choices" - whether they were able to or not. Some people need keepers for a while, others need keepers forever. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-09-28 17:28 |
| #9 I'm thinking you've got a kinda relaxed definition of psychopath, 'Moose, lol. "A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse." --American Heritage Dictionary The lack of empathy is only one aspect. I say if it's all growed up and broken, then yer gonna hafta kill it. Or let it live with the doc, that was a purdy good idea, tu, lol. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-09-28 17:04 |
| #8 Sure, doc. Have some move in with you. Study them up close. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-09-28 14:45 |
| #7 Don't look at any form of mental illness as a useless thing; often with some creativity, the mentally deficient or ill can perform tasks beyond the ability of normal people. For example, until the 20th Century, being an avant guard artist was almost synonymous with mental illness. Good artists were therefore given much leeway in their behavior. With more modern mental health care, some artists were forced to visit insane asylums to get ideas. Even today, some of the best truck drivers on the road are clinical morons. Having a lower than normal IQ gives them a much greater attention span, and they neither get distracted nor bored on long hauls. Their safety records are impressive. People with synesthesia, which is "overlapping senses", like "hearing color" or "seeing time", have resulted in the development of some amazing abstracts in mathmatics and science. Their sense malfunction can allow them to work around seemingly unsolveable problems. So what do you do with psychopaths? It has been noted that though many are in prison, perhaps the majority lead fairly normal lives, and never commit crimes. And most people would have to have *some* psychopathic ability, or else they would be under the emotional control of everyone else. A psychopath might make a fine surgeon. They could maintain their objectivity during a painful and damaging procedure, where a normal person would both get sick and be unable to continue, empathizing too much with the patient's pain and suffering. A psychopath could also make a good prison guard, unresponsive to prisoners' discomfort and desires. Other situations where a person who empathizes too much would have lower performance. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-28 14:34 |
| #6 ok fine. I feel sorry for them. No lock them up and throw away the key. |
| Posted by: anon 2006-09-28 13:24 |
| #5 PUTTIN UUUUNNNN NNAAA RUIIIIIIIIITZZ |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-09-28 13:23 |
| #4 Isn't that the message Mel Brooks was trying to convey with "Young Frankenstein"? |
| Posted by: Penguin 2006-09-28 12:37 |
| #3 Six billion people on the planet, environmentalist whining about the impact of so much humanity upon the planet, and we waste resources on stuff that should be secured 6 feet under. |
| Posted by: Angerong Glack8683 2006-09-28 12:25 |
| #2 For the hulking 6' 4" fingers-breaking con, I'd rather bring a gun, if I were you, rather than a club. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-09-28 11:54 |
| #1 With a baseball bat! |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-09-28 11:49 |