Posted on 04/06/2014 1:09:33 PM PDT by null and void
We think of psychopaths as killers, alien, outside society. But, you could have one for a colleague, a friend – or a spouse
...These people lack remorse and empathy and feel emotion only shallowly. In extreme cases, they might not care whether you live or die. These people are called psychopaths. Some of them are violent criminals, murderers. But by no means all.
Professor Robert Hare is a criminal psychologist, and the creator of the PCL-R, a psychological assessment used to determine whether someone is a psychopath. “It stuns me, as much as it did when I started 40 years ago, that it is possible to have people who are so emotionally disconnected that they can function as if other people are objects to be manipulated and destroyed without any concern,” he says.
Slowly we are learning to think of mental illnesses as illnesses, like kidney disease or liver failure, and personality disorders, such as autism, in a similar way. “A high-scoring psychopath views the world in a very different way, It’s like colour-blind people trying to understand the colour red, but in this case ‘red’ is other people’s emotions.”
At heart, Hare’s test is simple: a list of 20 criteria, each given a score of 0 (if it doesn’t apply to the person), 1 (if it partially applies) or 2 (if it fully applies). The list includes: ...
A pure, prototypical psychopath would score 40. A score of 30 or more qualifies for a diagnosis of psychopathy. Hare says: “A friend of mine, a psychiatrist, once said: ‘Bob, when I meet someone who scores 35 or 36, I know these people really are different.’ The ones we consider to be alien are the ones at the upper end.”
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I also scored 4, but did enter my age & gender. :-)
I heard something on the radio a few days ago about identifying psychopaths. They were testing people for empathy by seeing if they would yawn when another person in the room yawned. If they didn’t, they were suspect.
It made me start to yawn just listening to them talk about it!
Very sorry to hear about our second son becoming ill in his early twenties. That must have been (and must be) totally devastating.
I reread the comments here and most people aren’t making fun of mental illness, but are making the logical connection between politicians in general (especially Democrats such as Clintons and Obama) and psychopathic behavior. There are definitely many symptoms among those people.
Cannot believe no one has yet pointed out that Obama clearly scores at least a 30 on this......clearly a psychopath......
hey, now! Not all us Massachusetts folks are that nutty!
But seriously, you see that type of car all the time in the suburbs of Boston - especially in the more well to do towns. But they are usually hybrids.
A friend of mine had a nanny who owned a car filled with such stickers. I had meet her a couple times but really kept my distance as I had no interest in getting to know her. At one point my friend mentioned the lady was interested in seeing me.
Yeah, right - I stayed the heck away until she departed for another job. Dating liberal women is just a total waste of time.
Yeah? Marry one.
Thanks null and void.
Noted. I am ready after having a presence on OKCupid for many years, to ditch it... in theory all they "should" have left there acter this Firefox faggotry they pulled are braindead homofascists anyways.
Scored 7 ... but I cheated. LOL
I bought the book for my kindle this afternoon... interesting stuff...
I would doubt that this car is for real, except Ive seen some like it in Seattle.
At least the DNC members will make a person laugh out loud.
Looking at the RNC creeps makes one want to take a shower.
I wasn’t knocking the mentally ill. We have such things in our family too. What I should have made more clear is that some of the symptoms, delusions, for example can occur for a variety of reasons, causing misdiagnoses, especially on the part of armchair psychiatrists, who should t be diagnosing to begin with.Wild spending and other impulsive behavior, for example, is a hallmark of bipolar, but happens with people with other disorders too.
All?
The posters who are identifying democrats (and making fun of them), are more right than many of them know. The democrat liberal leftist fits EVERY diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
(read my profile)
When they don’t, it is likely they are Borderlines. Borderlines are less charming, which makes me question Rome’s description. Both Narcissists and Borderlines are repulsive to me, you were more uncomfortable with the RNC? Interesting. I find them – Dems – decidedly unfunny. Sanctimonious, hypocritical assclowns. If the RNC is worse – well my FRiend, trust your gut. Maybe it IS time for a 3rd party…
Hostage, Bipolar is a chemical imbalance, with ups and downs (severe) – it CAN be managed with the right mix of drugs. The big question with Bipolars is; “Are you taking your meds?”
Chemical disorder is not personality disorder.
For Borderline and Narcissist, drugs might ameliorate some corrosive behaviors (just keep ‘em happy all the time? I don’t know), but it’s hard-wired into their personalities. As of this date, It cannot be changed.
Jaguar, SAD is…well, sad. I’m sorry for your struggles. You are a hell of a warrior to take a stand in the front lines and do the work. I believe it can be managed, at least somewhat with drugs…correct me if I’m wrong…
ONE of the article’s themes is “we don’t know the brain”. I’m convinced there’s a difference
(and a differential diagnosis that could work). Maybe some clever FReeper could untangle what I’m saying, I hope so, but there’s a VAST difference between your son and a psychopath, between your son, and a cold-blooded leftist determined to take everything away from me, between your son and the narcissistic sob’s that seek to destroy us.
Please, let us make fun of them, without becoming offended.
Leftists ARE mentally ill – but that is not an excuse, it is a description.
Your son is mentally ill, but, not in the ‘leftist sense’.
catlady, enjoy your contribution on here. I can tell you’re ‘Narcissistic Supply’ – which means you’re full of goodness :0…the reason you’re a notoriously bad judge is well, you’ve been trained, haven’t you?
I doubt that you’re as “notorious” as you say… :)))
Berlin actually has the right of it (for once) haha –
“…when you feel uneasy…”
IOW –
TRUST YOUR GUT!
(“The Gift of Fear” is a good book to read @ that)
Scored a 6, and I’m stayin away from fred...
Good post. A great friend of mine developed paranoid-schizophrenia when he was about 18. It would always piss me off to see and hear of folks making fun of him. His case always reminded me of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd - so much promise destroyed by an incurable disease. I wish your son the best.
I give a mixed review to The Gift of Fear. There is worthwhile information in it, but this stuff—predicting who will go postal, for example, just isn’t an exact science.
I also think that books like his are reason for the popularity of personality tests in the hiring process. I despise these.
Remind me again, does Gavin deBecker take any position on people arming themselves in case of workplace rampages, etc? It seems to me he does, but I can’t remember.
My dog absolutely hates her. I have never been able to figure it out. Her hackles stand up and she just stands back and glares at her. She doesn't growl or anything like that, but she just gets this body language that spooks me out a little.
Makes me wonder what she knows.
Don’t remember either.
It’s valuable for ONE thing - Trust. Your. Gut.
Since psychopaths (& Narcissists & Borderlines) can only “mirror” emotions, what the (in-tune) gut notices is that their timing (in social situations) is a little “off” - if not downright puzzling or inappropriate...
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