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Psychopaths have a reputation for being unpredictable and dangerous. But most of them are ordinary people. And often they achieve success and recognition precisely because of their unique personality traits.
What do you think of when you hear the word “psychopath”? The imagination draws images inspired by the cinema: the sinister manipulator Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs or the forensic killer Dexter from the series of the same name. Most likely, people from the usual environment are not like them. But this does not mean that psychopaths are not around us. A colleague or even a boss may also have traits characteristic of the psychopathic type.
According to research by psychologist Kevin Dutton, people with psychopathic tendencies are most often found among surgeons, lawyers, police officers, or, even more surprisingly, clergymen.
Jim Coury, Vice President of the American Association of Police Officers, goes even further: “The characteristics common to all serial killers – exaggeration of their importance, the gift of persuasion, superficial charm, composure, lack of remorse and manipulative tendencies – are also found in many police officers. and world leaders.
Not only maniacs
“Some traits associated with mental illness can be practically useful at the right time,” says Kevin Dutton. – Of course, this does not mean that for the sake of success you need to “go over the heads.”
He compares psychopathy to the sun: prolonged exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, but walking on a sunny day with all the precautions can have a positive effect on health and well-being. There is a difference between maniac criminals and “civilized” psychopaths: the former do not care about the social, moral or legal consequences of what they do, while the latter are aware of the possible damage from their actions and keep their dark side under control.
Such people may be pleasant to communicate with, but it is you who make them so. And that gives you tremendous power over them.
As Dutton notes, psychopaths are distinguished not only by ruthlessness and disregard for the feelings of others, but also by charisma, the ability to concentrate, a powerful mind, fearlessness, full awareness of their actions and energy in achieving a goal: “These qualities, if properly developed and applied with moderation , allow you to achieve goals; for example, to act instead of enduring the blows of fate, to be the master of the situation, and not its victim.
The secret of magnetism
The paradox of psychopaths is that they can win wide recognition in their environment. “These people can be nice to talk to, but you make them like that. And that gives you tremendous power over them,” the psychopath interviewed by Kevin Dutton specifically states.
Even being cold-blooded killers, in ordinary life they can give the impression of absolutely normal people. Kevin Dutton cites the example of John Wayne Gacy, a ruthless child killer… who liked to dress up as a clown. The author quotes another criminal, Ted Bundy. This brutal serial killer, however, lived the life of the “perfect American”.
Their hypnotic mannerisms are mesmerizing, confusing. This ability to mingle also explains why there are many psychopaths among spies, while the ability to seduce works wonders in the business world. Some even suggest that the character of James Bond has the traits of a psychopath. It’s just that he doesn’t implement them on the dark side.
One way or another, there are no traits that would unambiguously predetermine what the life path will be. “The fate of a psychopath is determined by a number of factors: genes, family background, education level, intelligence level, capabilities and a person’s own choice,” explains Kevin Dutton.
No pain – no interference
Pain, anxiety, sadness are feelings that most people experience at certain moments in life, but not psychopaths. They are immune to pain, insensitive to suffering. Tests have shown that their heart rate even slows down in moments of danger, as they have an incredible sense of self-confidence. That is why they can often be found in professions that require self-control. In addition, their desire for reward is so strong that they forget about pain. Neuroscientists have found they have disturbances in the dopamine system, which is responsible for the feeling of reward.
This explains why psychopaths plan their actions so carefully and never miss an opportunity. Subject to a positive bias in development, “they are among those rare daredevils who will rush to save you from the fire.” In other words, these people have such a valuable quality as the ability to live in the present, even more valuable if you remember that 99% of the things people fear never happen to them.
The Art of Cold Empathy
One of the claims against psychopaths is the inability to empathize. In a sense, this is true. Here is what a prominent surgeon with psychopathic traits says: “I don’t feel any compassion for those I operate on. This is a luxury that I simply cannot afford … Feelings bring with them a mess that can derail the operation. From these words it can become creepy, but think about it: this is spoken by a professional who has hundreds of successfully cured patients on his account. “A psychopath might say, ‘I love you,’ but that phrase carries as much meaning to him as ‘Pour me some coffee,’” notes Kevin Dutton.
In addition to reduced anxiety, their ability to concentrate and analyze is above average.
Yet a psychopath, like a good hunter, must be able to put himself in the place of prey. Kevin Dutton talks about a serial killer who claimed to be able to identify a “good victim” by her walk alone. The psychopath reveals the emotions of the other (and, first of all, microexpressions) without adopting them. This ability is called cold empathy. “He knows where the cherished “buttons” are and does not hesitate to press them, so he has every chance to hit the jackpot,” suggests Kevin Dutton.
Buddhist serenity
Kevin Dutton’s mention of the jackpot is not accidental. Psychopaths can be great poker players. In addition to reduced anxiety, their ability to concentrate and analyze is above average. They are endowed with a strong will and think with amazing clarity. It can be said that they are constantly in a state of “awareness”, to which we so strive.
According to Kevin Dutton, the brain wave frequency that normally corresponds to a state of meditation is observed in psychopaths when awake and even during periods of arousal. So Dutton compares them to Tibetan monks who practice mindfulness meditation daily. The advantage of psychopaths is that they are able to make quick decisions in difficult situations.
Of course, these arguments are not at all an attempt to convince you how good it is to be a psychopath, Kevin Dutton explains. “Rather, it is about learning to see behind the ominous picture in our imagination the real source of effectiveness of people with psychopathic tendencies,” the expert says. – If in certain situations feelings knock down concentration, we need to learn to cool them down. And of course, this book can give hope to those who feel psychopathic tendencies in themselves.
About the author: Kevin Dutton is a writer and psychologist at the Anthropogenesis Research Center at the University of Oxford. Author of the book The Wisdom of Psychopaths.