5 ms·

I feel inclined to think that there's a huge difference between not feeling an emotion (which I would argue is impossible) and not being consciously aware of th

by gr3yh47 10y ago

I feel inclined to think that there's a huge difference between not feeling an emotion (which I would argue is impossible) and not being consciously aware of the feeling (which i would say is what this article is calling 'not feeling')

shakna 10y ago
Psychopathy is a spectrum disorder characterised by an inability to feel one or more emotions. There's certainly a difference between when the average person says they don't feel, and when a psychopath does, but it certainly lies in the realm of possibility.
- ars 10y ago
  The word is alexithymia, not psychopathy which is something else.
- SolaceQuantum 10y ago
  No, antisocial personality disorder (usually seen as psychopathy in criminology for which no paychxological diagnosis exists) is characterized by impulsive behavior, aggression, anger, lack of empathy, no regard for existing laws/rules and in inability to learn from discipline. See the Wikipedia page for more information. Lack of feeling emotions is not a defining trait in psychopathy. Lack of feeling emotions is a defining trait in schizoid personality disorder, certain flavors of depression, and dissociative or trauma based disorders.
  - shakna 10y ago
    This touches on something personal, so I'll try to keep this civil, and encompassing, but I won't respond further. The definition for psychopathy changes within various countries and even the industry addressing the issue. The US conflates what have clear distinctions where I am: sociopathy and psychopathy. The definition Wikipedia leans towards would be called sociopathy here. APD, and several other disorders, get classified as psychopathy here. The definition I gave is simply the definition I was given post-diagnosis. However, my point that a lack of emotion is possible, seems to stand regardless of the name you give to the disorder.
    - hosh 10y ago
      There was an experimental procedure using trans-cranial magnetic stimulation that opened up empathy for an autistic person. (And similarly, TCMS was used experimentally to temporary induce autism in someone). So I wonder to what extent TCMS can be used for this. Though, like autism, if TCSM can reduce, it can also induce. It's in my experience that psychopathy (or whatever we'd like to call it) is a consciousness state, and there are some people who can deliberately shift into it by choice. These are usually folks who experiment with hacking their consciousness, such as psychonauts or meditators, so I'm not necessarily talking about people who are born into it, or conditioned by circumstance into it. The most interesting thing about consciously shifting into that state is that, once you are there, you feel zero motivation to shift out of it, even if you have the knowledge and skill to do so. And it is not so much that there is a lack of emotion, so much as the lack of suffering when it comes to experiencing things. At that point, any morality is driven by choice, rather than by pathos.
      - striking 10y ago
        > There was an experimental procedure using trans-cranial magnetic stimulation that opened up empathy for an autistic person. An article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/an-experimental-autism-treatment-cost-me-my-marriage/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/an-experimental-aut...
      - DanBC 10y ago
        One of the English NHS (except they're independent of the NHS) "death panels" NICE has said there's limited evidence of effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for depression, but recommended that it's offered to some people in some situations. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/IPG542/chapter/4-Efficacy https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/IPG542/chapter/4-Efficacy
    - gohrt 10y ago
      What countries defined "psychopathy" as a specific medical oandition? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy says: no psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned a diagnosis titled "psychopathy" The words "psychopath" and "sociopath" are very general terms for mental illness.
tpeo 10y ago
There's indeed a difference. An emotion which isn't merely not perceived, but not perceptible, couldn't ever come anyone's attention. On the other hand, why do you think it would be impossible that there might be someone who might not feel certain emotions? Some people are born without a sense of pain, or blind to certain colors. There might be people out there who are born "numb".
- philh 10y ago
  > On the other hand, why do you think it would be impossible that there might be someone who might not feel certain emotions? I think gr3yh47 meant "not feeling an emotion that you're experiencing" rather than "not feeling an emotion full stop".
  - tpeo 10y ago
    Well, "not feeling an emotion that you're experiencing" would be just a plain contradiction if experience either required or were identical to feeling. I can see how it would seem impossible.
ars 10y ago
> not feeling an emotion (which I would argue is impossible) It's not impossible. There are people without emotions. And even more people with only minimal emotions. See: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150818-what-is-it-like-to-have-never-felt-an-emotion http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150818-what-is-it-like-to-...
- SilasX 10y ago
  I see that get repeated a lot, but every time I drill down into the details (including this one), it seems like they're experiencing different emotions, or lacking specific ones, not "lacking emotion altogether". Their example in this case: "I didn't feel joy on first seeing my child." Okay, that's one situation you don't respond to; it doesn't mean they never experience joy. Some people aren't bothered when e.g. others poke holes in their story; doesn't mean that person never experiences anger. I admit it comes down to a tricky question of what you're counting as an emotion.

by gr3yh47 10y ago

shakna 10y ago

Psychopathy is a spectrum disorder characterised by an inability to feel one or more emotions. There's certainly a difference between when the average person says they don't feel, and when a psychopath does, but it certainly lies in the realm of possibility.

ars 10y ago
The word is alexithymia, not psychopathy which is something else.
SolaceQuantum 10y ago
No, antisocial personality disorder (usually seen as psychopathy in criminology for which no paychxological diagnosis exists) is characterized by impulsive behavior, aggression, anger, lack of empathy, no regard for existing laws/rules and in inability to learn from discipline. See the Wikipedia page for more information. Lack of feeling emotions is not a defining trait in psychopathy. Lack of feeling emotions is a defining trait in schizoid personality disorder, certain flavors of depression, and dissociative or trauma based disorders.
- shakna 10y ago
  This touches on something personal, so I'll try to keep this civil, and encompassing, but I won't respond further. The definition for psychopathy changes within various countries and even the industry addressing the issue. The US conflates what have clear distinctions where I am: sociopathy and psychopathy. The definition Wikipedia leans towards would be called sociopathy here. APD, and several other disorders, get classified as psychopathy here. The definition I gave is simply the definition I was given post-diagnosis. However, my point that a lack of emotion is possible, seems to stand regardless of the name you give to the disorder.
  - hosh 10y ago
    There was an experimental procedure using trans-cranial magnetic stimulation that opened up empathy for an autistic person. (And similarly, TCMS was used experimentally to temporary induce autism in someone). So I wonder to what extent TCMS can be used for this. Though, like autism, if TCSM can reduce, it can also induce. It's in my experience that psychopathy (or whatever we'd like to call it) is a consciousness state, and there are some people who can deliberately shift into it by choice. These are usually folks who experiment with hacking their consciousness, such as psychonauts or meditators, so I'm not necessarily talking about people who are born into it, or conditioned by circumstance into it. The most interesting thing about consciously shifting into that state is that, once you are there, you feel zero motivation to shift out of it, even if you have the knowledge and skill to do so. And it is not so much that there is a lack of emotion, so much as the lack of suffering when it comes to experiencing things. At that point, any morality is driven by choice, rather than by pathos.
    - striking 10y ago
      > There was an experimental procedure using trans-cranial magnetic stimulation that opened up empathy for an autistic person. An article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/an-experimental-autism-treatment-cost-me-my-marriage/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/an-experimental-aut...
    - DanBC 10y ago
      One of the English NHS (except they're independent of the NHS) "death panels" NICE has said there's limited evidence of effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for depression, but recommended that it's offered to some people in some situations. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/IPG542/chapter/4-Efficacy https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/IPG542/chapter/4-Efficacy
  - gohrt 10y ago
    What countries defined "psychopathy" as a specific medical oandition? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy says: no psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned a diagnosis titled "psychopathy" The words "psychopath" and "sociopath" are very general terms for mental illness.

tpeo 10y ago

There's indeed a difference. An emotion which isn't merely not perceived, but not perceptible, couldn't ever come anyone's attention. On the other hand, why do you think it would be impossible that there might be someone who might not feel certain emotions? Some people are born without a sense of pain, or blind to certain colors. There might be people out there who are born "numb".

philh 10y ago
> On the other hand, why do you think it would be impossible that there might be someone who might not feel certain emotions? I think gr3yh47 meant "not feeling an emotion that you're experiencing" rather than "not feeling an emotion full stop".
- tpeo 10y ago
  Well, "not feeling an emotion that you're experiencing" would be just a plain contradiction if experience either required or were identical to feeling. I can see how it would seem impossible.

ars 10y ago

> not feeling an emotion (which I would argue is impossible) It's not impossible. There are people without emotions. And even more people with only minimal emotions. See: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150818-what-is-it-like-to-have-never-felt-an-emotion http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150818-what-is-it-like-to-...

SilasX 10y ago
I see that get repeated a lot, but every time I drill down into the details (including this one), it seems like they're experiencing different emotions, or lacking specific ones, not "lacking emotion altogether". Their example in this case: "I didn't feel joy on first seeing my child." Okay, that's one situation you don't respond to; it doesn't mean they never experience joy. Some people aren't bothered when e.g. others poke holes in their story; doesn't mean that person never experiences anger. I admit it comes down to a tricky question of what you're counting as an emotion.