The lying artist
Table of content: What is a psychopath?..................4
Myths about psychopaths…………..6
Almost psychopath…………………….8
Ted Bundy…………………………………12
What is a psychopath? First of all, we have to question ourselves what a psychopath is. A psychopath or sociopath is a person with a lack of the ability to feel empathy and care for others Psychopaths are intelligent and manipulative, they really don´t care about others because they can’t feel any guilt when harming someone. People like these are not easy to recognize, because they usually can fake all this care for others. Some people try to know how to recognize a psychopath, but they are better at what they do than normal people are at identifying them. They have a disability to make bonds with people and to socialize, this can lead to a feeling of loneliness and emptiness that needs to be filled with excitement, and that’s why psychopaths are impulsive, for the need of feeling excited.
An important characteristic of some psychopaths is that they can be charming; they appear to be someone you can trust and this is one of the reasons is so easy for them to manipulate others. The biggest secret of manipulation is kindness. Manners are the easiest way for someone to make another person do as he please. Talking about psychopathic killers, they are methodic and plan what they are going to do before doing it. Some seek for an special kind of victim, like a predator looking for a vulnerable and weak animal, the perfect pray. The most dangerous characteristic of psychopaths is that they are invisible, there is no way to difference a psychopath or a sociopath from a normal person, maybe you know someone that can’t feel empathy for others and you do not know it.
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Myths about psychopaths
Psychopathy is a mental illness. People usually believe that psychopaths are mentally ill, that they hear voices in their heads, or that they don’t know what’s right or wrong. The reality is that psychopathy is a personality disorder; they don’t hear voices and know what is wrong.
2 All psychopaths want to kill.
1 1 Someone that is a psychopath and feels an urge to Being a psychopath can make it easier for someone to be violent, but this doesn’t mean they all are.
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kill is not because he/she is one, but because they’ve got other problems from their own.
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Every mass murderer is a psychopath. Just as being a psychopath doesn’t mean to kill people, mass murderers can be personally correct and mentally ill. I don’t think is necessary to address this fact, but I’m doing it to fade away any doubts.
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1 Psychopaths have no feelings
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Psychopaths do have feelings, what they lack is empathy, but they can feel love and emotional pain, and that’s what usually can makes them be violent.
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ALMOST PSYCHOPATH Do I or does someone I know have a problem with manipulation and empathy? This is not just the subhead of the book “Almost a Psychopath,” but the underlying question that authors Ronald Schouten and James Silver help readers understand as they delve into the complex and often contradictory behaviors of psychopathy and its cousin, near psychopathy. Readers learn about real people who show characteristics of actual psychopathy: manipulation, exploitation, deceitfulness, and lack of remorse. The authors compare these traits to people who have what they classify as “almost” psychopathy, as well as medical conditions with similar traits: borderline and narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder, brain injury, Asperger’s syndrome, and even toxin poisoning. Silver and Schouten approach this topic and explain it with a breadth of experience and knowledge. Both are attorneys who’ve represented criminals in the courts. In addition, Schouten is a Harvard professor of psychiatry and director of the Law & Psychiatry Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. They combine their first-hand experiences with current scientific research to examine this topic in both abstract and concrete terms.
The book opens with a story about a true psychopath, Bill, who works in his company’s shipping and receiving department. He is known to have an explosive temper and brags about keeping a loaded shotgun in the trunk of his car.
When he asks a co-worker, Amy, on a date, she declines. Seeking revenge, Bill asks Amy’s best friend on a date. When they go out, Bill takes some suggestive photos of Amy’s friend. He then posts them on Facebook and sends the link to Amy, who is disturbed. A few weeks later, Bill calls Amy to the mailroom, claiming she has received a package. Though suspicious, Amy goes to the mailroom, where she finds Bill in a rage. He has learned that Amy went out with a co-worker, after turning him down. He screams at her, slams the door, and punches his fist through the wall. Amy escapes and Bill is promptly suspended.
What makes him a psychopath and not a near psychopath? The authors spend an entire chapter exploring this question. Readers learn the most prominent, consistent characteristics of actual psychopaths are narcissism, deceitfulness, and a lack of empathy. They may or may not have a criminal history. The majority do, because they have trouble abiding by the normal rules and laws of society.
This understanding of psychopathy serves as the foundation for all further explorations and comparisons. What separates this book from others on this topic is the authors’ “Almost Effect” theory. As they see it, behavioral and emotional aberrations fall
onto a continuum, running from socially acceptable behaviors to full-blown psychopathy—a type of spectrum that we think of when talking about autism. As for the “Almost Psychopath,” the authors write, “Whether because of the nature of their behavior— simply beyond what most of us can comfortably ignore—or because they violate social or legal norms so frequently, these people live their lives somewhere between the boundaries of commonplace ‘not-so-bad’ behavior and psychopathy. In that balancing of influences, their calculations more commonly lead them toward behaviors that most of us would find offensive and contrary to social norms.”
In medicine, this “almost effect” is referred to as a sub-clinical disorder. In fact, this book is part of the “Almost Effect” series, which, so far, includes this book and “Almost an Alcoholic.”
Their theory not only makes sense, but is slightly comforting. Anyone who has spent time in the mental health system knows that there are more shades in of gray in psychological labeling than black and white definiteness. A sliding scale seems more realistic (unless, of course, you’re dealing with Charles Manson or Ted Bundy). The authors take a conversational and practical approach, though the text is in no way dumbed down.
There’s not much to criticize about this book. However, despite of the authors’ strident efforts to distinguish between the different mental conditions, the sheer difficulty in pinpointing an exact psychiatric illness remains tough. Readers may come to the confusing and frustrating conclusion that the person they’re trying to understand is part narcissistic, part bipolar, and maybe even part psychopath.
At that point, they may conclude it’s time to meet with a professional. For that, the authors provide help too. Like the rest of the book, their advice comes across as experienced, honest, and very practical.
In the Ted Bundy psychological profile, Bundy is described as a serial killer who has killed 30 women in five years. The last of the murders he committed was ones that were done after he escaped his trial for the other murders he did. He was caught for violating the traffic rules for two times during the time he had just killed some women. But both of the accounts along with the gathered forensic evidence have helped in making the connection in the killings he committed. In the Ted Bundy psychological profile, Bundy is described as a serial killer who has killed 30 women in five years. The last of the murders he committed was ones that were done after he escaped his trial for the other murders he did. He was caught for violating the traffic rules for two times during the time he had just killed some women. But both of the accounts along with the gathered forensic evidence have helped in making the connection in the killings He was a sexual psychopath. In appearance, Bundy was described as an attractive man. He was also smart and was leading a future in politics when it was believed he started killing women. In the history of United States, he is considered as the most productive serial killer. During the time when he was on trial, Bundy insisted his innocence until his death.
His trial was one that lasted for a long time. And because of the tricks he used to delay the trial, the longer it took to finish it. The thing was the last of his tricks no longer affected the authorities handling the trial. Due to his failed plan, it resulted in the world getting a glimpse of his evil side. In the Ted Bundy psychological profile, he was described as one who was suffering a chronic mental disorder along with a violent or abnormal social behavior. As a person diagnosed as a sexual psychopath, he manifested sexually sadistic behavior, meaning he hurts his victims sexually. From the Ted Bundy psychological profile, it was stated that he was an intelligent man, but one who was very insecure. This insecurity was primarily because of the inferior feeling he had then, which was caused by his lack of wealth that he felt more because of being surrounded by his wealthy classmates. He was also shy. In an evaluation done later, it showed that he strongly depends on women and he feared of getting humiliated in his relationships with the opposite sex. Even when he was just in high school, Bundy already started with his crimes that included shoplifting and burglary. He also had records of sexually assaulting women that soon led to attacking and killing. Based on the files and Ted Bundy psychological profile made, there was one thing that was revealed about the women he killed. There was a pattern. The women were all single, white and thin. It was likely since back then women were not going out or helping men who have a different race. Killers then were also targeting people in their same race. It was also seen that his victims came from different states, giving the conclusion that he had his own access to vehicles. It was believed that Bundy’s triggers into killing were the thought of getting dumped by his college sweetheart, the one that also caused him to get depressed. There was also the fact that he found out his true mother, who he believed as his own sister. Rumors also had it that Bundy’s father was the one he believed was his grandfather.