We know only too well that by far the majority of psychopaths are men. Or at least we think we know that. Could it be that the criteria used to identify psychopaths are biased towards men? After all Hare began his work in male prison.
Think about it. While behaving and being the way the PCL-R without doubt earns one the label psychopath, this is simply a list of symptoms. It says nothing about the underlying dynamics. If psychopathy is life centered on the principle of power (as opposed to love) and if it is therefore characterised by what Liane Leedom nicely calls ‘warped empathy‘, then wouldn’t you expect there to be more or less the same number of woman as men psychopaths? And wouldn’t you expect them to come across differently?
I am beginning to wonder whether there may be two broad types of psychopathy – a ‘male’-type and a ‘female’-type. I place these in quotes because, when I think about it, men with might be thought of as ‘female’ psychopathy come to mind and we all know about women with ‘male’ psychopathy. And yet, at the risk of being un-PC, I want to maintain these descriptors for now so that the difference I think I see doesn’t disappear.
A ‘female’ psychopath would not necessarily commit crimianl/antisocial acts like her male counterpart, but she woud be as power-driven, as toxically narcissistic as a ‘male’ psychopath. The control, the manipulation, the dishonesty, the selfishness, the callousness – all these would be present, but we might not recognise them for what they are because of 1. media portrayal and 2. medical diagnosis of psychopaths. The difference would come in the gendered style of their behaviour.
In my clinical work I have come across this phenomenon. For example, a woman I now consider to be of the ‘female’-type of psychopath didn’t come close to committing a crime and yet the way she mothered her daughter, my patient, came close to destroying the child’s mind. This seems to me to be a perversion of motherhood eqivalent to the perversion of fatherhood we read about on this website.
Do readers have any comments? I’m particularly interested in any examples you might have of how ‘female’ psychopathy – if such a thing does exist – manifests itself?
Back_from_the_edge
Yah, I broke both little piggies on both the left and the right foot. Just a couple days apart.
They are starting to get on the mend, thanks for asking. xxoo
Oh yay! Happy to hear you are doing alright.
I think of you often and send prayers your way.
Yay for the extra sleep and catching up on recharging
your battery; hm? You have to love the relax/down time.
I am happy for you. YOU DESERVE IT.
Yes, I have been trying to watch the Olympics every night because I believe it is important to the whole world. I am almost sorry it is over now. Lots of amazing talent from all different parts of our world.
HAHA: Trust me, The Real Wives of Orange County holds true to what they are too. hahahaha You gotta love Judge Judy. I wanted HER for my divorce attorney. ahahahahaha
Oh yes, eleven wonderful, glorious, peaceful and quiet days it has been. I love it. Absolutely.
mwah!!!!!
Rest well my Sister.
Dopey
one/joy_step_at_a_time
dupey – i broke one of mine almost 4 months ago, and it still isn’t quite right. are you binding each of the little ones to the next toe?
Back_from_the_edge
oh yes, the little piggies that go to the market are now bound to the little piggies that stayed home. lol
I am doing better although walking like a penguin truly sucks.
hahahahaha
Thanks one/joy for caring.
I think it was an evil spell that made it happen.
mwah!!! xxoo
Dopey
one/joy_step_at_a_time
yes, the little piggies that stayed home are defo. more stable! take good care of your piggies dupey.
kim frederick
my piggies all worked hard tonight, but they are all still broke. Even the one who usually eats roast beef, is joining the one who always eats none, and now that they’ve all gone,”weee, weee,weee’, and are all at home, I’m soaking them in a basin of top ramin……just kidding.
Sorry about your piggies, Dupey. I’ve had broken toes before, and it hurts.
MoonDancer
pigs in a blanket – yummm.
Back_from_the_edge
hahahaha
yup, the piggies have been in bad shape the last couple of weeks.
I still think it’s a ‘ppath curse’ of some kind.
thanks for the ‘piggie wishes’ one/joy…
yup, certainly does ‘smart’ just a titch…
like everyone keeps telling me:
“You have to be careful!” hahahaha
Well, why? I actually mean to do these things; right?
it’s too warm, hens, to put them piggies in a blanket,
but if you are talking about ground beef in a cabbage leaf,
they are quite amazing and I think I might have to make some
real soon. When I do, I will think of you.
Now, I guess I will take these piggies to nite nite.
Hugs and kisses everyone ~ see you on the morrow.
Hope the top ramen makes your piggies feel better, Kim!
May we all have ppath/spath – less dreams.
Dopey Dupey
Truthspeak
Dupey, I’m glad that your toes are healing – that’s the worst when you’ve got a fracture and there’s really no way to deal with it other than to let it heal on its own.
Stargazer, you are 100% spot-on about my personal expectations. Just because I wouldn’t be able to do the things that I’ve experienced in my colleague’s environment doesn’t mean that other people have the same feelings or beliefs. And, yes, I took them personally because I’m vulnerable, at this point. That is definitely an issue that I have to manage.
I am paying rent, have paid for copious amounts of food and prepared that food for my “hosts,” and fed their dog when they frequently forget to for 3 days in a row. I’ve worked my colleague’s hours in exchange for rent reduction, and so forth. I did these things out of a sense of shame and guilt – shame for having found myself in such a position, to begin with, and guilt for having to accept these people’s hospitality.
Yes, I got trampled, and I allowed it – I’m barely onto my Healing Path, and I have a whole lot to learn about myself and my boundaries. I’ve got a long, long, long way to go before I will ever feel comfortable with myself and my boundaries.
I have boiled the core of my anxieties and feelings of betrayal with regard to my colleague and his g/f down to the foolish expectation that they would “understand” how dire my situation was before I even got to their environment. I certainly would understand the humiliation, degradation, and desperation of another person who has literally lost everything (including tranpsoration), and I simply expected someone that I had valued to have the same understanding. And, neither of them did.
I have witnessed all manners of abuses in this environment, and I’ve tolerated them, as well, because the alternative was the streets. Stupid? You bet. Will I ever accept such an offer from another “friend,” again? Probably not, even if a homeless shelter is the only alternative.
These are things that I have to work on, and I intend to engage in intensive counseling when I’m relocated. My son will do the same
I have a long, long way to go.
Brightest blessings
one/joy_step_at_a_time
hens, are you angling to eat dupey’s toes? you weidro.
one/joy_step_at_a_time
(((truthspeak))) – this famous line by Winston Churchill applies: ‘when you are gong through hell, keep going.’