5 ms·

the guy probably wants to sell books. so is he really being hard on himself? Or just pretending? If he understands he's an a-hole because he doesn't let his gr

by jrs99 13y ago

the guy probably wants to sell books. so is he really being hard on himself? Or just pretending? If he understands he's an a-hole because he doesn't let his grandkids win, probably means that he has enough empathy to understand that his grandkids should win sometimes in order to let them gain some confidence, etc. from what i get from reading about the stuff, it seems like a real psychopath would not even be able to comprehend that he is a jerk.

nzp 13y ago
Understanding on a purely cognitive level what is moral and what is not has nothing to do with what you're actually going to do, if you're a psychopath. That's really one of the most striking characteristics. Psychopaths are perfectly able to understand what can hurt others, but the lack of empathy is what causes them to behave the way they do when the time comes to act. Depending on other personality traits, and intelligence, it can manifest in a range of ways, from being a cold calculated monster to being a successful, ambitious professor who's a jerk with the grandkids.
- jrs99 13y ago
  of course that's true. I think in this one particular case, I'm skeptical. That's all. The guy says he had to check the PET machine before he removed the blinding. He says his parents showed him a lot of love. he would have to understand how love plays out in other families to really claim that. little things make me feel skeptical. but it's possible that he's a psychopath.
  - nzp 13y ago
    I agree. I mentioned in another comment -- he may be completely faking his state in order to write an engaging story and sell the book. But he is describing very well how a well adjusted person with psychopathic traits would behave. The book and this article are just good illustrations of the phenomenon written in a way that's digestible for general lay readership.

5 ms·

the guy probably wants to sell books. so is he really being hard on himself? Or just pretending? If he understands he's an a-hole because he doesn't let his gr

by jrs99 13y ago

nzp 13y ago
Understanding on a purely cognitive level what is moral and what is not has nothing to do with what you're actually going to do, if you're a psychopath. That's really one of the most striking characteristics. Psychopaths are perfectly able to understand what can hurt others, but the lack of empathy is what causes them to behave the way they do when the time comes to act. Depending on other personality traits, and intelligence, it can manifest in a range of ways, from being a cold calculated monster to being a successful, ambitious professor who's a jerk with the grandkids.
- jrs99 13y ago
  of course that's true. I think in this one particular case, I'm skeptical. That's all. The guy says he had to check the PET machine before he removed the blinding. He says his parents showed him a lot of love. he would have to understand how love plays out in other families to really claim that. little things make me feel skeptical. but it's possible that he's a psychopath.
  - nzp 13y ago
    I agree. I mentioned in another comment -- he may be completely faking his state in order to write an engaging story and sell the book. But he is describing very well how a well adjusted person with psychopathic traits would behave. The book and this article are just good illustrations of the phenomenon written in a way that's digestible for general lay readership.