Why psychologists’ explanations of antisocial behavior are all wrong

Why do narcissists, psychopaths and other disordered individuals lie, cheat, manipulate and exploit? Psychology experts typically tell us that they engage in antisocial behavior because they lack empathy and impulse control. In a new video series, the Lovefraud author Dr. Liane Leedom explains why the experts are wrong.

The series is called Antisocial Motivation. Each month, Dr. Liane Leedom, a psychiatrist and professor of counseling at the University of Bridgeport, explains an aspect of her research on human social behavioral systems and how they are affected by psychopathy. Her views are published in a peer-reviewed book entitled, Psychopathy — New Updates on an Old Phenomenon.

Introducing the concept

Here’s how Dr. Leedom’s chapter starts:

Why do they do that? is the question most frequently asked by those whose lives have been touched by someone with psychopathy. 

The “that” in the question refers to a myriad of harm inflicting and gratuitously destructive behaviors, such as: pathological lying; conning; manipulation; psychological, social, financial, physical and sexual abuse; thievery; and squandering of financial resources and possessions. Although those without psychopathy also sporadically engage in harmful behaviors, these behaviors constitute raison d’être for the psychopathic. 

To date theories of psychopathy that focus on deficits in social emotions and impulse control have failed to explain “why they do that” [1–3]. The fallacious assumption of “deficit” theories is that were it not for inhibitory mechanisms, all people would be antisocial. 

As a psychiatrist trained in the methods of ethology (the study of animal behavior), I reject: (1) the idea that deficits “cause” behavior and (2) that all people are motivated to be antisocial. Instead, I propose that specific motivational systems are affected by psychopathy and that these affected systems cause antisocial behavior at all levels of the disorder.   

  

You can read Dr. Leedom’s chapter here:

Psychopathy: A Behavioral Systems Approach

Questions for Dr. Leedom 

The first video in the series is an overview. I’ll ask Dr. Leedom to address questions such as the following:

1. Why do survivors have such a hard time wrapping their brains around the behavior they see and experience from someone who they now believe is a psychopath, antisocial or narcissist?
2. You’ve defined a sociopath as someone who preys on and/or damages nearly everyone they spend time with. Can you please explain this further?
3. At Lovefraud, we use the term “sociopath” as an umbrella term for people who could be diagnosed with antisocial, narcissistic, histrionic, borderline or psychopathic personality disorders. Do you think these are really separate disorders?
4. What do most mainstream psychologists say is the cause of psychopathy, and what do you think are the flaws in that approach?
5. You’ve said psychopathic behavior can only be explained by motivational theory. What do you mean?
6. Can you explain the four human social behavioral systems — attachment, caregiving, sexual and dominance?
7. How can the study of animals help explain social behavioral systems in humans?
8. Can you provide an overview of your behavioral systems approach for explaining psychopathic behavior?
9. How can your behavioral systems approach help survivors and professionals better understand psychopathic behavior?
10. How does understanding psychopathic behavior help people recover from the experience of narcissistic abuse?

Ask your questions

Join us for the first YouTube segment on Wednesday, October 21 at 8 pm ET. After my interview with Dr. Leedom, she’ll answer your questions. Sign up for notifications here:

Antisocial Motivation Part 1 — What psychologists get wrong

Learn more

Dr. Leedom has also developed an online program to help you recover your encounter with a sociopath. She tailored the skills training of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) specifically for survivors of narcissistic abuse. This is how you get through the experience.

Learn more with the FREE first module:

FREE! Your first step towards real recovery from narcissistic abuse and trauma