Inside the Mind of a PSYCHOPATH

Psychopaths are known to be manipulative and callous towards others, with severe emotional disturbances driving their antisocial actions.

Neuroscientists have long attributed this behaviour to a general lack of fear – but according to a new study, psychopaths might not be as fearless as once thought.

Researchers have found that these individuals may actually experience this emotion but fall short in their ability to recognise and respond to threats.

In the study, published in the Psychological Bulletin, researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen analysed the relationship between fear and psychopathy in adults. American Psycho [Blu-ray] Best Price: $1.51 Buy New $2.99 (as of 12:05 UTC - Details)

For decades, the supposed deficit in this emotion has been seen as an ‘etiologically salient factor’ in psychopaths’ risk-taking behaviours.

These types of emotional disturbances are among the traits that distinguish psychopathy from other psychiatric disorders.

‘Psychopathy is a severe personality disorder that entails affective dullness, a deceitful and entitled interpersonal style, and often impulsive, irresponsible, and reckless behaviour,’ the authors wrote.

‘The interpersonal and affective components are believed to lie at the core of psychopathy, whereas the antisocial features are shared with other disorders.’

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The team created a model to separate the brain mechanisms involved in the automatic detection and response to threats from the conscious experience of fear as an emotion and examined earlier works dating as far back as 1806.

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