The Biological Portal to a Psychopath’s Mind

Written by Anna Truong

Image source: pexels

What is psychopathy?

Psychopathy is defined as a personality construct, developed by both genetics and environmental factors.  

Although psychopathy is not a formal medical diagnosis, the associated behavioural patterns fall heavily under Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Despite their overlapping characteristics, psychopathy is treated as an extension of ASPD or even a separate medical disorder because of its distinctions. 

Prevalent characteristics of psychopathy may include a degree of callousness, impulsiveness, and a reduction in empathy. Hence, emotional impairment in some individuals may prevent the formation of healthy relationships. 

Beyond The Stereotype

You may have witnessed media depictions of psychopathic serial killers who use over-the-top violence, namely, Ted Bundy. Because of the publicity of heinous crimes committed by criminals diagnosed with ‘Psychopathy’, stories evoke stereotypes that don’t account for the entire clinical concept of psychopathy. 

For example, psychopaths are believed to possess a deficit of moral knowledge, leading to ruthless decisions. Contrastingly, studies reported that psychopaths display an equal or more advanced understanding of the moral compass compared to non-psychopaths, suggesting that elevated psychopathic traits don’t constitute a general deficit in moral reasoning, as some individuals may understand morality while also experiencing reduced emotional responsiveness towards others’ distress. 

Additionally, psychopaths are associated with high IQ, but findings exhibit that interpersonal and behavioural traits of psychopathy contradict one another. While interpersonal traits involving manipulation within social dynamics may positively correlate with intelligence level, behavioural traits that include impulsivity may not. 

The Neurological Lens behind Psychopathy

There are beliefs regarding the link between psychopathy and neural structures. However, there is a lack of causation despite the correlation between these neural structures and psychopathy. Therefore, scientists aren’t certain that these specific brain structures, such as the amygdala and the OFC below, directly cause psychopathy.

For instance, the amygdala structure involved in processing and recognising emotions, learning from rewards and punishments, has been investigated in relation to psychopathy. Some neuroimaging studies reported reduced amygdala activity or structural differences among individuals with elevated psychopathic traits. 

This association was demonstrated through a study that illustrated the negative correlation between amygdaloid volume and levels of psychopathy displayed by MRI.

However, findings are inconsistent across studies; a 2022 systematic review identified limitations in the reproducibility of these associations. Consequently, although amygdala dysfunction remains a prominent hypothesis in psychopathy research, it isn’t a definitive cause.

Another brain region that is predictive of psychopathic traits is the OFC, a region that contributes to evaluating consequences, adapting decisions, and regulating behaviour. Research into psychopathy examined whether atypical functioning within the OFC and interconnected prefrontal regions may contribute to difficulties in emotional learning and decision-making. Nevertheless, these associations don’t establish that OFC dysfunction directly causes psychopathy.

What Science Can–and Cannot–Tell Us

Psychopathic individuals can possess primary, genetically driven traits or secondary, environmentally driven traits; these categories are theoretical models rather than definitive biological classifications due to the ambiguous interaction between predispositions and externalities. Thus, there are no transparent causes of psychopathy currently, but there are numerous possibilities based on extensive research. 

Although there are adaptive psychopaths, individuals who manage to conform to society, and convicted psychopaths who failed to do so, the base rate of psychopathy is presumably 0.6% in the general population, whilst the rate is significantly higher in criminal justice settings. Therefore, studies must be conducted to further explore psychopathy. Until then, the root cause of this psychological disorder remains blurred.