On Psychopaths

Compared to the sociopath, the “psychopath” is a somewhat different sort of critter. The psychopath is someone who really cannot understand morality or distinguish what the ideas of “Good” and “Evil” really mean, nor can he understand why anyone would give such things a second thought. All he understands are his own needs, and very little else. These psychopaths are actually “insane”—that is, born without a moral impulse; or for some reason they failed to develop it very early on in their young lives. Perhaps it is the result of severe fetal alcohol syndrome or some other environmental cause, but I suspect that the psychopathic personality is actually a genetic mutation.  In prehistoric times it would have been difficult for true psychopaths to survive.  A close-knit community of forty or so individuals would quickly identify the true psychopath in their midst and expel him from the community.  A true psychopath, without the support of the community, would quickly fall victim to animal predators or die from starvation. 

The modern psychopaths and sociopaths find the 21^st century much more comfortable, and there is much less likelihood of his (or her) being ostracized by society—especially if he comes from a wealthy or politically prominent family. There are, for example, several recent cases where powerful political and business figures have assaulted unsuspecting women in the comfort and convenience of luxury hotels. Some of these men have long histories of sexual predation, including the conservative writer Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) who—according to a recent biography—frequently bullied women into sex and, when he committed suicide in 1983, may have “convinced” his much younger wife to commit suicide with him (he was seriously ill, but she was perfectly healthy). Their desires take priority over such mundane ideas as social equality or the value of human life. The women in their lives are simply animate tools to enhance their own experience of pleasure. They have the same attitude toward their employees, their investors, and anyone else who has the misfortune of falling under their power.

Traditionally, we have associated psychopaths with serial killers, but here it would be helpful to clarify what these words mean. A serial killer is someone who derives pleasure from killing other human beings.  It is likely that most serial killers are psychopaths, but not all psychopaths are serial killers.  It is only the psychopaths who enjoy killing humans, deriving pleasure from physically dominating and killing others, who become “serial killers.” The psychopaths who do not enjoy murdering others are simply psychopaths. They seek their pleasures in other ways. They may enjoy dominating and even torturing others, but the more animalistic act of killing is not—in itself—pleasurable to them.