Emotional isolation and its contribution to violence

Question 1

Woodworth and Porter (2002) characteristic of homicides as a function of psychopathy

Answer 1

Psychopaths are more likely to carry out instrumental homicides (premeditated, motivated by external goal, not preceded by a potent emotional reaction)
Their reduced emotional response towards their victims allows them to be more distant, ruthless and calculating.

Question 2

Martens (2005) case studies of Nilsen and Dahmer

Psychopathic killers we know

Answer 2

Very isolated individuals, ‘killed for company’. An extreme example of the effect isolation can have (emotional and social)
Ted Bundy: “I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.”

Question 3

Borja (2013) effect of early trauma

Answer 3

Early traumatic events (before age 18) are associated with PCL-R score in prison populations. Psychopaths presented a higher rate of victimisation: intentional abuse with the purpose of hurting physically/emotionally, may have favoured the psychopaths affective deficits.
Total traumatic events during children and emotional abuse significantly affected PCL-R score and therefore level of psychopathy

Question 4

‘White collar psychopaths’

Answer 4

Ruthless and manipulating to make it in the competitive business world, but not homicidal. Hare argues this is because of “intelligence, family background, social skills and circumstances that permit them to construct a facade of normality and to get what they want with relative impunity”. Their success is, according to Hare, always at the expense of someone.

Question 5

Phillips (2013) fMRI as evidence in death penalty trials

Answer 5

Jurors should not punish psychopaths with death because their personality is inherently unchangeable: basis in the brain? Is it their fault?
Labelling an individual as a psychopath elicits a more negative response from jurors (and the public: we could perhaps sympathise a little more if we knew a murderer had a serious mental health issue or was very depressed, than if we are told that same individual killed because of his ‘psychopathic tendencies’.

Question 6

Martens (2001)

Answer 6

Hidden suffering of the psychopath

Question 7

Dr. Kiehl

Answer 7

We should treat psychopaths as people with very low IQs who aren’t fully responsible for their crimes, as they have ‘low empathy IQs’.
Brian Dugan

Question 8

Ronson (2011) Oak RIdge

Answer 8

Attempts at treating psychopaths