Are All Psychopaths Bad People?

Halloween 2012 - Working The Pyschopath Angle

OUT@UTM

Halloween 2012 – Working The Pyschopath Angle

When you think of psychopaths you probably think of criminals, evil, and unempathetic people, but is it really their fault? They can’t just suddenly understand people’s emotions. Although this doesn’t justify their cruel intentions, psychopaths can actually live normal lives.

Famous neuroscientist James Fallon found out that he fit the criteria of being a psychopath. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “When he looked up the code, he was greeted by an unsettling revelation: the psychopathic brain pictured in the scan was his own.”

Fallon determined that he was a psychopath. Up to this point, he had a relatively regular life with his wife and kids.

Psychopaths have feelings like us, too. For example, they can feel happiness from rewards. In order to feel accomplished and determined, they must be given big rewards. Something small won’t work for them.

Psychopaths are able to take more risks and have more commitment in achieving their goals. This is something more people wish they had so that they could finally start that one business that they never had enough courage to pursue. They are able to take high risks that are able to get them high rewards, making them feel accomplished.

Psychopaths can also handle stressful and fearful situations better than the average person. This is because “Psychopaths react far less intensely in such fear-evoking situations. If anything, they remain calm,” psychology lecturer Nadja Heym states. This means they better suit a stressful job like a firefighter, lawyer, or surgeon very well.

What do you think about psychopaths after reading this?