Why do psychopaths go after what they want regardless of the negative consequences they may experience? According to the journal Nature Neuroscience, the answer may be chemical—an overactive dopamine reward system.
Read Driven toward reward without regard for consequence on Time.com.
Read the scientific study, Mesolimbic dopamine reward system hypersensitivity in individuals with psychopathic traits, in Nature Neuroscience.
Link submitted by a Lovefraud reader via Facebook.
Our Family Wizard can help you co-parent with a sociopath
Oh and by the way – destroying the lives of other people and eating a rack of lamb are so so so very different in my honest opinion. We eat food for nourishment, and there is nothing wrong with that – anymore than a lion eating a gazelle. That is completely different from a thief stealing the rack of lamb out of my refrigerator and then sitting down to dinner and asking why the rack of lamb is not being served?
(Edited to add – thanks Kim!)
Oxy,
yes I do recall reading Dr. Leedom’s article re oxytocin. A thought re bonding and remorse & conscience- I still feel remorse/conscience when I’ve done something that would not involve someone I am bonded to so wondering how it’s truly related? I understand how someone is more likely to hurt another individual they’re not bonded to but even at that having zero conscience about anything even re strangers or concepts is what is puzzling.
I had recalled an article re brain studies that showed sociopaths had differences in the frontal lobe here is that article. :
http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n07/doencas/disease_i.htm
Thought this portion interesting:
“Why the frontal brain seems to be so important in the genesis of antisocial individuals ?
Research with animals has shown that the right orbitofrontal cortex is involved in fear conditioning. For instance, when a rat is punished with an electrical shock every time a light blinks in its cage, it develops a fear association between the stimulus and the punishment. Normal humans learn very early in life to avoid antisocial behavior because they are punished for it and because they have the brain circuits to associate fear of punishment (feeling emotion) to behavior suppression. This seems to be a key element in the development of personality. When there is no punishment, or when the person is unable to be conditioned by fear, due to a lesion in the orbitofrontal cortex, for example, or due to lowered neural activity in this area, then it develops an antisocial personality.”
Dear Zen,
I see your point too, about the fear, and one of Dr. Leedom’s arguments is that the psychopaths are FEARLESS, meaning they do not connect punishment to their OWN behavior, they are somehow able to “blame” someone or something else for the punishment and do not figure out that THEY are punished for THEIR behavior.
My son, for example, doesn’t see him being in prison as a result of HIS behavior—DUH!
There seems to me to be SEVERAL different genes + environment = Psychopathy. Also environment turns genes on or off as well, so the gene can lie dormant until something in the environment turns it on/off. Lesions in the brain, or injuries to the brain can cause various behavior changes or thinking changes as well.
I think the subject of our personalities and how much is genetic and hard wired in and how much is programable by enfironment. Apparently FROM WHAT I HAVE READ there is actually some PHYSICAL rerouting of neurons caused by trauma and stress (i.e. PTSD) Of course I could be “all wet” about this, but to me with what little I know (enough to make me dangerous! LOL) it would make sense.
I’ve done enough work with both wild and domestic animals to know that “disposition” is pretty well predictable in most breeds and types of animals through genetics. However, you can traumatize even the mildest of animals until it will become “crazy” and aggressive.
I wish I could be around in 100 years from now to find out what they will know by then. Maybe I can see down (or up) from wherever I am to know. I really am curious!
Ravenlesstower, “Pleas do not feed the psychopaths” that is my new motto now!!
Bulletproof, yes that is pretty disturbing isn’t it. Same goes for when I do things like buy products which individually wrapped which I know are destroying the environment..but it’s so much easier when I’m busy
Bulletproof says;
“I remember a documentary on tv a murderer describing seeing 3 women walking down a corridor, he knew from THE WAY THEY WERE WALKING WHICH ONE HE WOULD KILL basically it was the one who was walking a little funny, (slightly unbalanced, clumsy signalling weak and vulnerable)So walk with a purpose, back straight ready to karate chop”
Woah, a penny just dropped for me..or more like a vault full of coins. I know I have some work to do on myself with posture, bodylanguage, fitness etc .
Oxdrover,
These articles and research give hints to the why what is lacking in these people. We want to believe it is a character issue because we ourselves have zero point of reference as to their line of thinking and reasoning. It makes no sense to us. I worked with kids who had issues that were unexplanable, some very troubled children. One child an 8-year old attacked me and told his counselor that he truly wanted to kill me, he wanted me dead. His attack was proceeded by me telling him that he was violating one of the rules, he was manhandling a child much younger than himself, age 5. He was NOT happy. I was very calm in my approach with him but he wanted to do what he wanted to do and I stood in the way of that. It’s quite disturbing to see young children exhibiting these behaviors and I always wondered what made them ‘tick’ so these articles are very interesting to me.
Thanks for your input!
Zen , I have volunteered for a few years with youth at risk in the past. There was a lot of anger and resentment in these kids with manifested as violent, high, confrontational behaviour at times. For these younger kids I believe it came down to trust. They didn’t couldn’t give it or receive it as it just hadn’t been in their radar(environment). Sure some of them may have been budding sociopaths, but I still want to believe that if the environment were different they would be more empathic/reachable as people. I sometimes think all the technical analysis can get in the way of just coming alongside someone(no matter their age). Who knows who can be “saved” at that age???
Dear Zen and Conomo,
For a good many years, back in the days when every baby was “born a blank slate upon which environment wrote” people began to notice that many ADOPTED children tended to have “unhappy” outcomes, and it was thought that possibly the fact that they were told they had been given up for adoption by their biological parents upset them so they felt abandoned though their adoptive parents tended to be “better than average” mature and caring people— in the last few years however, when it has been noticed that many of the babies AVAILABLE came from “less than functional” parents, and the stats were run, especially with abandoned kids in Europe who may ahve ALSO been left for eyars in orphanages with little or any holding, etc. plus, the fact that human DNA was being studied, and studies of identical twins, raised APART, etc. it has become pretty apparent that children are NOT born “blank slates” upon which environment writes, but sequences of DNA upon which environment turns on or off certain reactions.
Some children are born with limited intellectual capacity. Some children are born with little potential to be athletes. Some children are born blind and no amount of environmental stimuli or teaching or loving can restore that child’s eyesight because the genetics they are born with will cause them to go blind by the time they reach adulthood.
People have known for hundreds of years that certain “attitudes” can be bred into animals—the aggression of the Spanish fighting bulls and the Pit Bulll Dogs, or the gentle guardianship of the Greaty White Pyrenees dogs for their flocks. Humans are mammals and to one extent or another there are some components of personality that are genetic, and some that are genetic that are influenced by environment, just as a mammal generally requires some for of nurturing from the mother and/or father or they will not grow up “emotionally” healthy. Baby monkeys will stay with a “soft cuddly” surgate mother, though it is not fed by that “mother” and is fed by a bottle wired to a wire “mother.” Children who are taken care of in orphanages but not helded and cuddled and interacted with, will sicken and die. I have literally seen this myself in children that were neglected by teenaged mothers who did not have proper teaching in how to nurture those babies.
When I worked in psych inpatient, I have seen children as young as age 8 and 10 who were by that age extremely DANGEROUS, who would hurt others with GLEE in their eyes. Children who respected noting but force, fearless children, who were “acting out” but not necessarily out of anger, but who could ALSO act out violently if their desires were thwarted. One minute attempting to kill you, the next minute telling you they “loved you.”
I would like to believe that “every child” can be helped, but I don’t have to say that any more to keep my job. I don’t believe that every child can be helped. Any more than I believe that every child can have cancer fixed, or those born without limbs can have them grown. Or that children born without sight can have eyes implanted. SOME can be helped SOME. Some can be fixed. Some will get worse. How do you tell the differences? I’m not sure.
I do know that many times when a person has zero chance of even surviving any disease or injury, physicians and therapists will not tell the family “I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do for your loved one.” My husband had third degree burns over 95% of his body and his tongue was blistered from inhaling the flames, and yet the physician did not tell me there was NO WAY he could survive more than a few hours.
Instead, he kept telling me that theyy would do everything possible for him. Fortunately, I am a (now) retired Registered Nusre Practitioner, and I looked at the physician and I said “WHY?” and he didn’t have an answer, all he could say was “Well, Memphis is the best burn center in the south.” I again said “WHY? So we can drive three hours to pick up his dead body and not get to spend that time with him conscious to say goodbye?”
I wanted to b1atch slap and gobsmack that physician for not being honest. What if I hadn’t known what was going on? What if I hadn’t been the first one on the scene at the crash? He would have built up HOPE, totally unreasonable hope that there was something that could be done for my husband?
I believe every human should have the dignity and every family should have the dignity of a REASONABLE hope of recovery if there is one, and the truth if there isn’t reasonable hope, but promises and blaming the parents when a child with a mental disorder or disease doesn’t recover because the parents were “emotionally distant” or “abusive” or whatever other poppychock doesn’t cut it with me.
These parents need hope and help to survive the onslaught that some of them endure. A mother came here a year or so ago begging for indeas about what to do with her pre-teen daughter who was so dangerous she felt she couldn’t go to sleep at night and had no help available for her.
Other parents came here hoping against hope that someone could find HELP for her child, HOPE when there was really none. They were afraid of their children. The community instead of supporting and helping them, told them as long as their child was not breaking the law there was no help.
Even when my son WAS breaking the law, there was no help, no one to tell me what I was dealing with, or even ASSESS what I was dealing with.
It may not be politically correct to say that AT SOME POINT and I think it is earllier rather than later, there IS NO HELP for the psychopath, especially the ones who are violent or have other issues and problems as well, some ALSO with bi-polar and/or ALSO ADHD. What makes one kill and the other con? I don’t know, and I can’t predict, but I do know that a big portion of the criminal acts committed in this country are commited by psychopaths, and a great deal of the violence and “some one better wake up, it ain’t gettin’ no betta”
To those feeling uncomfortable with meat … I can relate strongly to what you are saying and it shows a high high level of empathy for sentient beings.
I want to make one point crystal clear before I go on … I have no problem with what others choose to eat – we each make up our own minds and I hate people who lecture others …
That said – I have been vegetarian for some years now – mostly because of my empathy for animals. A while ago I met a vegan friend who talked about the spiritual path of becoming vegan – I thought at the time he was full of chit and continued drinking milk, eating eggs, cheese and yoghurt.
However something changed for me the other week … I saw a sheep jammed into a truck heading for the slaughter works. I have seen these trucks before and always felt bad but this time something was very different. This sheep made eye contact with me and wordlessly begged me for help. It also looked resigned to its fate – like a Jesus sheep if you will (Forgive them Father for they know not what they do) I know some people will be raising their eyes to the ceiling about now!
It affected me very deeply. I cried for the sheep and when I really thought about it, I could see that I was contributing to the unethical treatment of animals through my consumption of dairy and poultry products. I can’t really describe the shift, but something profound happened to me that day and I can’t forget it.
So I have gone vegan. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I have had a couple of slips – like accepting coffee with milk in it without thinking, but on the whole it hasn’t been a massive adjustment to make and I feel quite proud that I am doing something small to help the animals and mother earth.
For those of you who seriously would like to tread this path, I respectfully suggest you do it gradually so you can manage the changes as they happen – for example give up red meat to start with, then seafood and fish, then white meat. My thinking is that it’s very hard to do this kind of diet for health reasons by themselves – there needs to be a spiritual element involved as well that allows the will to stay strong. I thought my friend was full of chit when he talked about that, but the more I have reflected the more I can see it – it gives me a greater appreciation of all the wonderful earth gives us and how very often humans are unappreciative of the gifts we are given – it’s humbling in the extreme.
I really hope I haven’t offended anyone in saying this – like I said before – personal choice for everyone, but if you’re feeling drawn this way, then why not give it a chance? You might just surprise yourself at what you’re capable of. A good place to start is a program called the 21 day kickstart (sorry don’t have web address) – you just commit to 21 days of veganism to give it a try. And you get sent recipes, videos and motivation each day for free. A vegan diet can cure Type 2 diabetes in little over a month (mostly raw vegan eating) – there is a documentary out about it.
Congrats Oxy on 6 months – wish Ii had your strength in THAT area – baby steps for now!
Rosie – would you be interested in swapping email addresses? I would be really keen to write to you off site 🙂