Criminal Psych Flashcards
Psychopath:
● Traditionally a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behaviour, impaired empathy and remorse ], and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits
● A person who suffers from chronic mental disorder and exhibits violent or abnormal behaviour
● A person who suffers from chronic mental disorder and exhibits violent or abnormal behaviour Sociopath:
● Tend to act more impulsively and erratically, they usually struggle to maintain a job or family life
● Sociopaths may be able to form attachments with like-minded individuals
Social Control Theory
● Social Control Theory: we all need ties to society and learn the way to become proper citizens ● Families create boundaries that help their children to learn boundaries
● Serial killers invariably tend to not have these structures in their lives and so they don’t get the social conditioning they need
Differentiation
● We all have a tendency to get involved in someone else’s mess
● A highly differentiated person is able to separate themselves from the emotional stress someone else is experiencing because they have a more fully developed sense of self
● A person who is low in differentiation tends to depend on the acceptance/approval of others and thus handle conflict very poorly
● They accept the projection of others onto themselves when they should question or resist it
Neutralization
the tendency to rationalize your own delinquent behaviour so that you can return to normal life
● Serial killers tend to move from aggressive highs to calm lows so that they can still live functionallives
● The brain needs equilibrium and so this feels natural to them
