“Lack of empathy is the core deficit in a psychopath.”
This. This line has been repeated multiple times throughout the late 1900s - that’s how we all see psychopaths, right? Well, we’re wrong. Although psychopaths may not have a high level of emotional empathy, they are excellent at reading people’s minds and are masterful manipulators. So essentially, a psychopath may have more cognitive empathy than you.
Too much? Let’s start easy - What’s the definitive line that divides crazy from sane? Is there even a definitive line that divides crazy from sane? Or my personal favourite - is there even a sane?
The term ‘Psychopath’ was coined in the mid-to late 1800s from its Greek roots psykhe and pathos, meaning “sick mind” or “suffering soul.” In that era, the condition was typically considered a type of moral insanity. But that would start to change in the mid-20th century, when psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley published The Mask of Sanity, provided the first character portraits of psychopaths. It was not until much later when Robert Hare made the ‘Psychopath Spotting List’ in 1985 - a list of 20 common characteristics seen in most psychopaths.
Now, we all know about the Ted Bundys and the Jack the Rippers. The example I’m giving here is about Jon Ronson, a well known American journalist and his interaction with Tony. Just Tony. Tony was a patient in the Broadmoor asylum. Tony didn’t do much - he beat someone up and decided to fake madness in order to get out of a prison sentence. But the problem was, he faked it too well and now nobody believed he was actually sane. In his words, “It is a lot harder to convince people you’re normal than convince them you’re crazy.” Tony had valid arguments- how do you sit in a sane way? How do you dress like a sane person? Was his pinstripe suit something a crazy person would wear? How do you interact with serial killers around you in an asylum in a sane way? Whatever he tried, it always backfired. So till now, Tony seems normal. A sad misunderstanding.
But here’s where it gets interesting. After analysing his reports, Ronson realises that Tony in fact did fake madness. He’s not mad. He’s something else. Faking madness is exactly the kind of a cunning manipulative act an insane person would do. In fact, faking your brain going wrong, is proof that your brain is actually wrong. The pinstripe suit checks items on Hare’s list too- superficial charm and grandiose sense of self worth. All the things that had seemed most normal about Tony was evidence according to his clinician that he was mad in this new way. A psychopath.
But this is not unravelling. We’ve all heard about how sick and twisted they are. So let’s look from a different perspective- The suffering of a psychopath. Now, you might say, “A psychopath makes people suffer, how can he suffer himself?”
The life histories of a psychopath are often characterised by a chaotic family, lack of parental attention and guidance, substance abuse and antisocial behaviour. They may feel like they are prisoners of their own etiological determination and believe that they had, in comparison with other people, fewer opportunities in life.
Despite their outward arrogance, psychopaths feel inferior to others and know they are stigmatised by their own behaviour. Some have superficially adapted to their environment and are even popular, but they feel they must carefully hide their true nature because it will not be acceptable to others. This leaves psychopaths with a difficult choice: adapt and participate in an empty, unreal life, or do not adapt and live a lonely life isolated from the social community. They see the love and friendship others share and feel dejected knowing they will never be part of it.
Psychopaths are known for needing excessive stimulation, but most foolhardy adventures only end in disillusionment because of conflicts with others and unrealistic expectations. Furthermore, many psychopaths are disheartened by their inability to control their sensation-seeking and are repeatedly confronted with their weaknesses. Although they may attempt to change, low fear response and associated inability to learn from experiences lead to repeated negative, frustrating, and depressing confrontations. Eventually, they reach a point of no return, where they feel they have cut through the last thin connection with the normal world. As their sadness and suffering increase, their crimes become more and more bizarre.
I started this article by asking if there is a definitive line between crazy and sane. There isn't. Instead, there is a grey area. A grey area of complexity. Psychopathy is a spectrum, and we are all somewhere on that spectrum. If you’ve ever shown a lack of guilt or remorse, or not felt empathy with someone, or you’ve charmed someone to get what you want? Maybe you’re fearless in certain situations or you’ve taken big risks—also psychopathic traits. Far fetched, I know. But the problem is, the idea of ‘a psychopath’ has already been engraved in our head- violent, shrewd murderers. The picture we have is very incomplete. We often tend to look over other aspects. We have the what, when and the how but nobody asks the why. Why did they do what they did?
Lastly, not all psychopaths are serial killers. Some have adapted so well into their surroundings you don’t even realise who they truly are. Stats say that 1 in every 100 people is a psychopath. Maybe the person who read this before you is one, maybe the person who reads it after you is. Or maybe, you are one. Because trust me when I say this, there isn’t a sane. And with all the rising complexities, there will never be one. Deep down, we all have aspects of Tony. We just have to find out the truth in our own grey area.
- By Arohi Sachar
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