Reddit mentions of The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain

http://www.amazon.com/The-Psychopath-Inside-Neuroscientists-Personal/dp/1591846005 ?

That’s respectfully not the case. Both are capable of identifying right from wrong (Source is this book). The difference(s) between psychopaths and sociopaths are not definitively agreed upon. So much so, that one argument is that the only difference is in terminology - sociopath being a sociological term and psychopath being a psychological term (this book).

Personally, my favorite concept defining a difference is that a sociopath is made while a psychopath is born. Sociopaths, while possibly containing a biological predisposition for anti-social behavior, become so primarily through developmental trauma or environmental factors, whereas psychopaths are born psychopaths. Judging by a lot of the research that has gone into linking low MAOA to violent psychopathic behavior, there’s a pretty strong argument for that (LOTS of good info on this in the Fallon book I linked above).

There is evidence for this. And psychopathic behavior appears in early childhood. On this see new books by Jim Fallon
http://www.amazon.com/The-Psychopath-Inside-Neuroscientists-Personal/dp/1591846005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382464726&sr=8-1&keywords=psychopath+inside

and Kent Kiehl http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Kent+A.+Kiehl+PhD&search-alias=books&text=Kent+A.+Kiehl+PhD&sort=relevancerank

Actually psychopathy is not that uncommon, although there are good ones and bad ones.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Psychopath-Inside-Neuroscientists-Personal/dp/1591846005

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1591846005?pc_redir=1410064858&robot_redir=1

Nonfiction, but the author studies psychopaths and accidentally discovers that he himself has the brain of a psychopath, so he talks about his experiences along with the science

Also if you're interested in this kind of stuff maybe this would be cool to read

Psychopathy is a brain characteristic. It's not something you can learn (or unlearn - though you can learn to manage it in many cases). You can get hardened by life, and adopt some of the characteristics. I think like most mental things it's a spectrum like autism. A person could have any of the three or four primary characteristics at some level of intensity. At very high levels it's probably very hard to not be a killer, and that person wouldn't be very motivated to stop except by purely pragmatic self-protection reasons, for as long as necessary (i.e. until they're no longer being watched.) But at lower levels these same characteristics are useful enough that a Google search for psychopathy will turn up 1/2 dozen books on how to use the characteristics to become a better manager.

I have a friend who was diagnosed with "some aspects of psychopathy" when he was a child. I can see it. He has little empathy, just doesn't see things in other people in that way, can't "feel your pain". He's somewhat charismatic, and is very good at presenting his side of things as glorious facts - it's very easy to believe what he says, even when I know that from history that a significant fraction of what he says turns out to be wrong. But he's also trustworthy and a guy that I would "trust in a gun fight to have my back."

Your doctor example is a good one. When you are having your heart valve replaced you do not want a surgeon who can "feel your pain", you want someone who can work on you like an inanimate object, who is motivated by his/her own technical success. The best book on psychopathy (also mentioned in the NY Times article) was written by a neurosurgeon who was curious about the topic. There is a test for psychopathy - I think he may have come up with it. He took the test along with others. He discovered that he fit the profile, and thought the test was bogus until his friends (and his wife) basically agreed with the test!

[edit]

• Book: "The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain"
  
  
• NY Times: "Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?"
  

Autogenerated.

I have the psychopath gene, AMA.

Genetics
--------------
I got my genome sequenced through Genes For Good and discovered I have several genes that predispose me to psychopathy. The main one effects MAO-A and is located on the X chromosome. I have two mutated versions. Psychopathy is much more common in men because they only need one copy to show the effects, whereas women need two copies. This means my dad has the gene and my mom has at least one copy (though judging from her personality, probably has two copies).

Chemistry
------------
Your body naturally produces MAO-A (Monoamine oxidase A) which breaks down dopamine, seratonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, melatonin, and other monamines. If you have at least one working copy of MAOA, you can break them down normally. If all your copies are mutated, you are not good at breaking them down, so they tend to build up in your system, causing a variety of problems. In some people, this can cause parts of your brain to atrophy, leading to low intelligence, lack of empathy, aggression, and impulsiveness. The Psychopath Inside is a great book that looks at the brain morphology and behavior of violent psychopaths. James Fallon's Ted Talks are also really interesting.

What makes a Psychopath?
-----------
Certain factors can predispose someone to being a psychopath. The more they have, the more likely they are one, but not always.

• Having the genes.
  
• Traumatic childhood, especially before 5 years old.
  
• Low intelligence.
  

• High testosterone.
  

  
  

  I did have a very traumatic childhood, and I do have high testosterone for a woman (PCOS), so I asked my therapist if she thinks I'm a psychopath, and she said no. I remember as a kid not understanding or wanting to play with other people, only with animals. I had a really hard time understanding and predicting their behavior. I was small for my age and got picked on, so I made an effort to understand human behavior from the paradigm of animal behavior that I already understood. Putting a lot of effort into that helped me to develop empathy and (hopefully) not become a bad person.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  strawberrygirl1000 :
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Favorite kind of Beers?
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  BaylisAscaris :
  
  

  
  
  

  I don't like the taste of beer. I have a gene for being a supertaster of the
  
  

  bitter chemical in hops, which means most beer tastes like bitter grossness.
  
  

  Also, alcohol makes me feel sick when I drink even a small amount and
  
  

  interacts with my medications, so there isn't a lot of motivation to drink
  
  

  beer. What is your favorite kind?
  
  

  
  
  
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  canopusvisitor :
  
  
  
  What do you like to do for fun? or hobbies? or music?
  
  
  
  

  BaylisAscaris :
  
  

  
  
  

  I play videogames, do art projects, build things, cook, read scientific
  
  

  papers, code, do math, go camping, garden, and teach classes on BDSM. I
  
  

  don't really like music that much, possibly because I don't hear the normal
  
  

  spectrum of sound that people do (I can hear much higher but can't hear the
  
  

  lows). I do like Die Antwoord, NIN, Marilyn Manson, Project Pitchfork, AFI,
  
  

  Rammstein, Blut Engel, Awkwafina, but I don't listen to music that often
  
  

  because it annoys me.
  
  

  
  
  
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  career_whatcareer :
  
  
  
  I assume you've looked into the psychology of being a psychopath from a
  
  scientific standpoint, which, assuming my assumption is correct, what's the
  
  most interesting thing you'v learned?
  
  
  
  

  BaylisAscaris :
  
  

  
  
  

  I haven't really studied the psychology aspect of it that much, but I have
  
  

  studied the psychiatry aspect. I used to think personality and mood were
  
  

  determined much more by nurture (upbringing) than by nature (genes) but the
  
  

  more papers I read and the more symptoms I experience, I'm now leaning the
  
  

  other way. I'm also learning that a lot of my weird symptoms actually have a
  
  

  cause. My body produces the normal amount of dopamine, serotonin,
  
  

  epinephrine, norepinephrine, melatonin, and other monamines, but I can't
  
  

  break them down properly, so: * Excess dopamine means I'm generally in a
  
  

  good mood, I'm motivated to do things, I love projects and can focus on them
  
  

  for a long time, have sometimes dangerously low blood pressure, have fast
  
  

  reflexes, have anxiety, and am more likely than average to hallucinate. *
  
  

  Excess serotonin means I'm more likely to experience serotonin syndrome
  
  

  (which happens when I drink alcohol or sometimes randomly), I have frequent
  
  

  diarrhea and nausea, and feel happy a lot. * Being bad at breaking down
  
  

  epinephrine/norepinephrine, means I need to be really careful if I have to
  
  

  use an epi-pen for allergies, because the effect will last a very long time.
  
  

  Also, I experience an adrenaline reaction (fight/flight/freeze/fawn) much
  
  

  more easily and it lasts a really long time. This means I am much more
  
  

  likely to experience PTSD from an event, am more likely to feel stressed for
  
  

  a long time, and am more likely to have panic attacks which last a long time.
  
  

  * Excess melatonin means I have no problem falling asleep or waking up
  
  

  whenever I want to, and I adjust to jet lag much quicker.
  
  

  
  
  
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  IamAbot_v01. Alpha version. Under care of /u/oppon.
  Comment 1 of 1
  Updated at 2017-06-20 00:55:17.405468
  
  This is the final update to this thread

It sounds like he's being abused, has an emotional disorder, or both. I would recommend OP discuss with their supervisor if CPS should be called (in case there is abuse/neglect at home) or if the child should get psychological testing.

Violent psychopathy is usually caused by a combination of factors:

• specific MAOA genes (controls the breakdown of dopamine and seratonin neurotransmitters in the brain, changing brain structure and function) This can be tested for through genetic testing or through an MRI (certain brain areas are atrophied).
  
• severe abuse during certain critical periods of childhood development
  
• low IQ
  
• not a cause, but often presents in childhood as harming animals/people and starting fires
  
  
  If you want to learn more, this book is really great.

Sociopathic =/ psychopathic

This article highlights some key differences, worth a read

Also, just like many other personality disorders there is a wide spectrum of cases. James Fallon is professor of psychology and refers to himself as a "prosocial psychopath". He has a book that is a decent read, although it is a bit self-serving.

I once dated a sociopath. Even though he was remorseless, he demonstrated a genuine concern for his disorder. It's a disorder, just like anything else. They are just people who are emotionally blind. Some have even make the argument that is an evolutionary advantage which allows individuals to efficiently achieve higher societal ranks due to their emotional callousness. Just as many end up in prison, many others end up as doctors, politicians, and business executives. I recommend that you read this book; it is about a neuroscientist who has aspd. Spoiler alert: He's actually a half way decent and successful guy who doesn't routinely boil puppies alive.

Before I reply let me say that I am in no way an authority on this subject so I may be completely wrong.

Anyway the brain of a teenager is far from fully developed. In fact on of the major parts of the brain that is still underdeveloped in teens is the frontal lobe. This is theorized to be a factor as to why teens tend to make horrible decisions, and have trouble empathizing with others. Sociopathy, or antisocial personality disorder, is still not entirely understood but an underdeveloped frontal lobe is thought to be a factor. In fact, people with injuries to their frontal lobes often have huge changes in personality, check the story of Phineas Gage for more details.

Because of this it's not far off to say that the teenage brain is similar to that of a sociopath in that regard, however almost every teenager continues to develop and they leave that stage. Brian could have very well. So it's within the realm of possibility that even though he was completely cold and didn't care that he had just murdered someone, that he is a completely different person today.


Again. Not an authority on the subject for anyone is free to correct me. The brain, neuroscience, and human psychology is still very ambiguous and mostly a mystery to us.

Further reading:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Psychopath-Inside-Neuroscientists-Personal-Journey/dp/1591846005