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| Sunday, 22 February 2004 |
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Unfeeling behaviour! by Umangi de Mel They've got no souls, their eyes, don't show emotion, they recognise no flaw in the psyche, thus need for change never really torments them.
"A psychopath is somebody who's with serious personality disorder. They can also be identified as 'Anti-social personalities', says Ranil Abeysinghe, Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Peradeniya. Suffering from a real mental illness which is profound and incurable, these people are known as 'unfeeling'. They have a disregard for others' feelings and rights. They don't usually conform to social norms, 'Having no respect for lawful behaviour, they tend to break the law repeatedly,' Dr. Abeysinghe says. A psychopath could do the most bizarre and self-destructive things and not be affected by them like a normal human being would be. Although they often appear 'electrifying' not all psychopaths are cool, calm and collected. Some of them could appear odd and eccentric and mislead their victims by appearing harmless or foolish. Psychopath behaviour in society is said to be quite common, 'There are lots of psychopaths among ordinary people,' our shrink says. According to Hervey Cleckley's book 'The Mask of Sanity', a psychopath is a human in every respect, just that they lack a soul. Being the efficient characters that they are psychopaths are good at carrying out difficult routines with help of others for their own benefit which enables them to reach top positions in life. According to our shrink, these people constantly lie for personal gain. They often manipulate others and are very attractive liars. They tend to be very impulsive and can't plan ahead. They can also be very aggressive and will settle any differences by physical violence, he says and adds that they lack consistent work behaviour, 'They are very irresponsible and often fail to keep their word.' Psychopaths are known to be egocentric individuals with no empathy for others, 'They are remorseless. They'll even try to rationalise their behaviour and could be quite indifferent to what others have to say. We often associate 'psychopathy' with underworld figures,' he points out. One very conservative estimate seems to be that in any given society, 3 per cent of the affected could be males and 1 per cent, females. 'Their normal behaviour is merely superficial. The pattern of behaviour is easily recognised in childhood. They could be children who are extremely aggressive on an early age such as five or six. They are not only aggressive but steal and constantly lie. The particular behaviour is eventually diagnosed as 'conduct disorder', he says. Almost all psychopaths have shown conduct disorder in their childhood. Explaining the reason behind the disorder, he says that it's something to do with the family background, 'If these children come from families' where the mother or the father possess an anti-social personality, the children are most likely to develop the characteristics of an anti-social personality, 'he continues'. 'On the other hand these who've grown up with very disturbed family backgrounds, are bound to develop these qualities. A psychopath views the world with a different perspective, It's the 'psychopath vs the world' situation. he feels the need to control the world fearing the possibilities of being controlled by the world. "This is the main reason why he doesn't have any regard for other peoples feelings" Dr. Abeysinghe reveals. These people are more likely to abuse alcohol and their marriages often. Fail because of bizarre attitudes. How to deal with a psychopath - 'By being able to recognise one helps you deal with it. And the best way to deal with one is to avoid them,' he says. Apparently it's difficult to 'deal' with a psychopath since the usual ways and means of dealing don't apply. Dealing with an anti-social personality in an ethical manner doesn't work as you've trying to help a person who has no guilt, no conscience no empathy or remorse. "Lots of serious violent crimes are most commonly committed by them, there are two types of psychopaths, he says. 1. Very aggressive and commits crimes (mostly males) 2. Not very aggressive but resort to cheat, lie or prostitution (females) 'They are very unpredictable and self-centred. Forty per cent lead to grow out of it by the time they're in their forties or fifties. Their brain waves don't mature fast which is why they end up causing utter chaos to their families, children, and society,' he says. Finally our shrink points out that the only way to deal with 'psychopathy' is to deal with children who are affected by 'conduct disorder.' "Prevention of crimes in this country should be started off with children and their problems," he says. |
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The untroubled self-confidence, impeccable charm and unbelievable
arrogance could actually help them climb the ladder of success.
Psychopaths, they are born with traits, a normal person desires.
