I was editing and accidentally deleted my comment. ☹️
My Basic Points:
1. No one without training in the differential diagnosis of personality disorders or other disorders like psychopathy should be giving information on them.
2. I haven’t found any suggestion that she is trained to diagnose and treat ANY personality disorders.
3. Anyone who thinks Anti-Social PD is more than a “Dumb, Dump, Disorder” (the 3 D’s) is not a real diagnostician.
D1= Dumb because they are in jail.
D2=Dump because anyone who commits a crime gets dumped there as if being a criminal is a mental health issue.
D3=Disorder because they want to make being a nasty person into a disorder.
4. She should just say “I can’t answer those questions because I do not have any meaningful data about those diagnoses. Ask me about treating victims of relationship abuse. That is my area of expertise.
How lovely that would be, but that isn't glamorous, so it is unlikely that she will have motivation to shift her behavior.
I like the 3 Ds. It makes sense to me, and there does seem to be a real push to make bad people into disordered people. It seems to me that there is a heavier presence of people in media, those with credentials in psychology, and those without, that are using terms like
narcissism and psychopathy to label the current world.
It seems to me that if you are labeling wide swaths of people with such terms, then perhaps you are misusing those terms, and should rethink your opinions on disorders, versus human nature.
Hi Athena, nice post as always. Some comments on the psychopathic intelligence myth:
Psychopaths perform way better than NTs in high-stress situations, especially when there is a social element to the stress (shame, embarrassment, etc). In fact, as far as I'm aware, psychopaths perform better than their baseline in situations that would be so stressful to an NT that the NT would be barely functional at best.
This makes psychopaths functionally way more intelligent than NTs in certain situations. Because of this crazy difference in functionality, it makes an impression and causes the myth that psychopaths are more functional generally instead of specifically in this context.
I don't know if you've watched the Alex Honnold movie about him solo free climbing El Capitan, but in that movie they did a brain scan and didn't say Alex is a psychopath, but they did say he has an unusually underactive amygdala and atypical fear processing, so... yeah. Scientists were so puzzled how he remains sharp, alert, and actively enjoying the process in a situation where a normal person would be an absolute nervous wreck that they wanted to look at his brain.
It's a fantastic documentary IMO. If you're interested, the trailer:
Magnus is the most popular climbing youtuber, he's an elite guy and an absolute monster. Alex put him on a rock that Magnus could climb with his eyes closed if he had ropes... and Magnus barely made it. It was a grueling experience. Meanwhile, Alex is climbing it together with him, holding the camera in one hand and filming, joking around and being super chill about it.
I think this video is one of the great demonstrations of the functionality advantage psychopaths get in high-stress situations.
In the documentary, I thought I recall him mentioning that he dealt with anxiety and fear in his life. I can't recall the context, but I am fairly certain he said as much. It has been a long time since I have seen it, but I am pretty sure he isn't a psychopath.
He did make some polite noises about fear but I'm not convinced it wasn't part of him masking. Of course, he might not be a psychopath, I don't want to presume - but it does seem he's at least functionally pretty close.
Just a perspective on the Alex Honnold question (I'm extremely familiar with him and have watched every documentary on him as well as interacted with him personally/digitally--I am a mountaineer myself, but would never do what he does): You need to understand that what he does is his form of "walking" to you or I. He's been doing it since he was a child, and he does it everyday. He has absolutely discussed being afraid--he says when that fear starts to creep in, he has to actively shelf it or it could be a death sentence to allow it to resonate, which makes sense. So I think what you may be categorizing as lack of fear is actually just elevated comfort. Just like if I'm using an ice axe to lift myself up on a ledge, and I've done it so many times to know what feels right and what doesn't, it's not as scary anymore because I know the likely outcome. And just as he states, you simply cannot allow fear to be an active element, or you will make a mistake.
An even more impressive side note is about his mother and her climbing journey--she set records at 70 years old and has only been climbing for 15 or 16 years now (I don't think she attempts free solo--she uses ropes). But, it is something that clearly runs in the family--both the capabilites and the mindset.
Thank you for the info. I suppose I got a bit carried away due to the brain scan that did show he has an underactive amygdala. I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions based on little information, especially nowadays when we have a political climate that is increasingly hostile to differences and some people are talking about registries for non-neurotypicals (autistics). This is a way of thinking and looking at the world that I find both stupid and morally reprehensible so I should be a bit more mindful when I'm flapping my gums. :)
Maybe we need to rethink the brain and diagnosis and terminology. I don’t think you have to be a psychopath to be very comfortable and fearless in odd situations.
Dear Elinor, I've read many of your posts on Quora and it does seem to me you have a good old atypical noggin. I am merely an armchair psychologist, the most dangerous kind, so grain of salt and all that.
I also identify with most of the things you wrote about your own weirdness. Many years ago, I discovered Athena and for a little while I thought, "Hey! I might be a high-functioning psychopath!"
Then I read more of her posts and realized that I'm definitely not. I have been depressed, I have been in love, I do occasionally experience anxiety and hot empathy. Most of this has been in my teens, but still... However, in many other situations, I have atypical responses that at least superficially overlap with psychopathy. I've been in a number of conflict situations where the other person realized that I was dead calm and lost any desire to pursue the conflict further - so much so that I haven't been in a physical confrontation since I was 14 (and I grew up in 1990s Bulgaria, it was a bit rough).
I've tried to fit my weird brain in all sorts of different labels and categories and it refuses to fit neatly in any even though there are overlaps with many.
Experiencing an emotion that someone else is experiencing. For example, if someone is hurt and upset in some way and I realize I've contributed or caused it, I can be moved to tears - I experience their emotional state. It is super rare and unpredictable but it still happens every now and then.
I think it's triggered by the realization I have caused it and I am in the wrong.
The other scenario where I can be moved to tears is if I'm watching a really good and impactful movie. This one is even more rare. I think the last time it happened was when I saw the ending of Schindler's List. There may be other instances that I cannot recall.
I'm not sure about the frequency of these hot empathy events but it might be once per year or less.
Outside of these situations, I am generally completely unbothered by stuff that would be quite upsetting to most people. I can watch a Holocaust documentary, read about Unit 731, read about serial killers, or watch a true crime documentary about something truly heinous, and I won't experience any particular emotion. I was the one who wrote and read the speech for my brother's funeral (he died of drugs last year after a ten-year struggle with severe addiction that really sucked). I didn't cry - I don't think I've ever cried for my brother, and over the years he turned my parents into absolute wrecks. Years ago, after one of his suicide attempts where he had cut his forearms pretty badly - deep, vertical cuts, the entire bed was soaked with blood - I was the one who called the ambulance because I was calm and functional. The parents were the opposite of that. I've had many situations like that, and not just with the brother.
My most predominant negative emotion is anger, and that's pretty well controlled and infrequent too nowadays. Overall, my emotional affect is flat.
How is that "empathy" though? It sounds more like an emotional acknowledgement that you did something that made you feel bad. I get they're upset, but isn't the emotion you're feeling in that moment more akin to guilt than empathy?
This is the definition of empathy: "being aware of and sharing another person's feelings, experiences, and emotions". I recognize that someone is upset and I experience their negative emotional state.
2. Isn't the emotion I'm feeling in that moment more akin to guilt:
No. It's completely different. I have actual sadness.
I don't really experience guilt - partly because I haven't done anything I should feel guilty about in a very long time. I have had it in my early 20s, and I generally had way more emotions up until my early 20s, so I have a baseline for comparison. Even if I realize I've hurt someone, I don't get guilty about it because these days I never actually intend to do so. There is no culpability without intent, there's just the recognition of a mistake, and an experience of the hurt I've cause to someone else. Apart from being rare, it should be no surprise that these events are not particularly severe because I don't do bad shit. I mostly do neutral or helpful shit.
I do experience shame, though, also rarely, and in similar situations: if I realize that I've fucked up (without having hurt someone). Still happens every now and then if I'm interpreting at a live event in front of a high-ranking audience, with cameras and microphones, and it's not going well. Once again, this is a rare occurrence because at that point I'm pretty good at verbal interpretation (used to only do written stuff back in the day).
I could go on but my main point is that apparently my “ability” to enjoy certain situations that others do not—like working with people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder—could just be another brain variation. I like it. It is useful. But currently brains like mine are never talked a
about or studied.
By the way, I was born this way. I coldly assessed everyone for dominance as a 3 year old living with extended family. I only respected the ones I mentally decided were worth respecting.
The conversation on psychopathy is too binary IMHO.
Right now, we need more brain research on people like me.
That's interesting. Kevin Dutton says similar things. His father was a psychopath as well, and when asked how high he scored on the tests, he said quite high, but not past the threshold. I wonder how much is your brain mapping to be similar to your father's based on the circumstances in which you were in, trusting that he had everything covered, and how much is due to genetics.
If sociopathy is formed through the failures of caregivers, then perhaps a more logical and clear minded state can be induced by caregivers as well.
What I mean is that there are probably lots more people like me. I am not a psychopath.
1. I actually had an anxiety disorder a couple of times in my life and figured out some fixes I use with my clients.
2. I can feel fear in lots of different circumstances.
3. There are lots of other circumstances where I am abnormally calm and having a good time in what I have later learned are usually scary to other people. Two examples:
1. Homeless for a year in my teen living at crashpads in Greenwich Village. Had a great time. No fear. Just fun strategizing occassionally.
2. With parents age 13 living in Havana. Get caught in Cuban revolution. New Years Eve and Day, fighting in the streets outside our building, cars crashing, bullets flying outside.
I’m calmly and happily reading my book crouched below window level and reading my book somewhat sheltered by the toilet.
Castro makes the medical offices on the floors below us into a blood bank. He has a Victory parade. I decide to go see the parade. I am so unafraid that I forget to mention what I am doing to my parents. I did not think about safety. My parents actually told me they were very concerned when they couldn’t find me. I was surprised. It made cognitive sense to me but…….
I also only recently started reflecting on how easily bored I am. I am not as restless as my psychopathic father was (I think), but I always need a few complicated and engrossing things to be working on. I make almost EVERYTHING into a game I play with myself to keep myself engaged.
I usually have four or five different things that I am doing at one time. It is rare that I focus on one thing, and without other things going on, I will be disengaged. It's like having to entertain multiple aspects of my brain.
I also took my cues from my father. I had lots of confidence in his ability to assess danger and that he would find a way to keep us safe. He was smart, unafraid, and competent.
What I mean is that there are probably lots more people like me. I am not a psychopath.
1. I actually had an anxiety disorder a couple of times in my life and figured out some fixes I use with my clients.
2. I can feel fear in lots of different circumstances.
3. There are lots of other circumstances where I am abnormally calm and having a good time in what I have later learned are usually scary to other people. Two examples:
1. Homeless for a year in my teen living at crashpads in Greenwich Village. Had a great time. No fear. Just fun strategizing occassionally.
2. With parents age 13 living in Havana. Get caught in Cuban revolution. New Years Eve and Day, fighting in the streets outside our building, cars crashing, bullets flying outside.
I’m calmly and happily reading my book crouched below window level and reading my book somewhat sheltered by the toilet.
Castro makes the medical offices on the floors below us into a blood bank. He has a Victory parade. I decide to go see the parade. I am so unafraid that I forget to mention what I am doing to my parents. I did not think about safety. My parents actually told me they were very concerned when they couldn’t find me. I was surprised. It made cognitive sense to me but…….
It is true that psychopaths have no idea what sadness is. However, I am either happy or content pretty well all the time. However, he is comparing the neurotypical experience of happiness to what psychopaths feel is a pointless venture. There are likely much deeper feelings of happiness that are experienced by neurotypicals, but that does not mean that level of happiness is better, nor would a psychopath see any value in it.
The comment section on that video is like a smorgasbord of people having no idea what psychopathy is.
Well, My late father and my cousin living off the grid had fun and I was around watching them enjoy themselves. For people who do not know me, one male per generation in my father’s family was born a psychopath. Their other siblings are always born boringly normal—like surburban normal. Not exciting people—My psychopathic cousin’s brother is a happily married accountant with kids and his sister was a school teacher who adopted a child.
Indeed. I think this comes down to neurotypicals assuming that if their version of happiness is not experienced, then it is not valuable or definable as, "happiness".
How does a psychopath study, what would their memorization methods be, given that their emotional memory is different? Of course, if this study were merely an objective means to achieve an end.
Hmm, you would have to ask someone that actively studied. I didn't. I didn't care about school, and no amount of prodding, begging, threatening, by those around me changed that. I remember what interests me. If someone else wants to remember something, they had best send it to me in writing that I can reference.
Athena, I’ve always been curious about how a psychopath would behave in exams for public contests, schools, or universities. The neurotypical process is heavily influenced by anxiety, which causes students to forget and fail to properly formulate things they have the cognitive potential to do. This also leads to lack of attention and loss of points related to attention. I know your brain thinks differently in this situation. How does this apply to you? If you were truly interested in the benefits that performing well in this exam would bring you...
In my case, I would make a show of taking it, but I don't care about the results. If I fail, whatever. If I pass, whatever. It was just somewhere I had to be at that moment. It didn't mean I had to participate in any meaningful way.
Oh I cannot stand Kyle or Dr. D! Is he banging her? Sure sounds like he wants some. Every time I listen to her, it's, like , oh you fucking windbag, shut up! After 3 minutes I need to turn those two off, and Now I know why. Thanks for debunking the quack. The food Dr. Is so far off course, should stick to substance abusers, maybe she won't mess them up, gawd…
It was a tool used in situations that warranted it, not out of any emotion, but because it was what was necessary. However, the list didn't ask for motivation, and likely there may have been a less brutal way to deal with the circumstance. It was the most straightforward option that got me to the solution fastest
I was editing and accidentally deleted my comment. ☹️
My Basic Points:
1. No one without training in the differential diagnosis of personality disorders or other disorders like psychopathy should be giving information on them.
2. I haven’t found any suggestion that she is trained to diagnose and treat ANY personality disorders.
3. Anyone who thinks Anti-Social PD is more than a “Dumb, Dump, Disorder” (the 3 D’s) is not a real diagnostician.
D1= Dumb because they are in jail.
D2=Dump because anyone who commits a crime gets dumped there as if being a criminal is a mental health issue.
D3=Disorder because they want to make being a nasty person into a disorder.
4. She should just say “I can’t answer those questions because I do not have any meaningful data about those diagnoses. Ask me about treating victims of relationship abuse. That is my area of expertise.
How lovely that would be, but that isn't glamorous, so it is unlikely that she will have motivation to shift her behavior.
I like the 3 Ds. It makes sense to me, and there does seem to be a real push to make bad people into disordered people. It seems to me that there is a heavier presence of people in media, those with credentials in psychology, and those without, that are using terms like
narcissism and psychopathy to label the current world.
It seems to me that if you are labeling wide swaths of people with such terms, then perhaps you are misusing those terms, and should rethink your opinions on disorders, versus human nature.
Yes. I just made up the 3 D’s when I was writing my reply. We could call them “The Dumb Triad.”
Hi Athena, nice post as always. Some comments on the psychopathic intelligence myth:
Psychopaths perform way better than NTs in high-stress situations, especially when there is a social element to the stress (shame, embarrassment, etc). In fact, as far as I'm aware, psychopaths perform better than their baseline in situations that would be so stressful to an NT that the NT would be barely functional at best.
This makes psychopaths functionally way more intelligent than NTs in certain situations. Because of this crazy difference in functionality, it makes an impression and causes the myth that psychopaths are more functional generally instead of specifically in this context.
I don't know if you've watched the Alex Honnold movie about him solo free climbing El Capitan, but in that movie they did a brain scan and didn't say Alex is a psychopath, but they did say he has an unusually underactive amygdala and atypical fear processing, so... yeah. Scientists were so puzzled how he remains sharp, alert, and actively enjoying the process in a situation where a normal person would be an absolute nervous wreck that they wanted to look at his brain.
It's a fantastic documentary IMO. If you're interested, the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WU&ab_channel=NationalGeographic
To see what an elite climber looks like when free soloing, here's a fun video for contrast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyya23MPoAI&t=25s&ab_channel=MagnusMidtb%C3%B8
Magnus is the most popular climbing youtuber, he's an elite guy and an absolute monster. Alex put him on a rock that Magnus could climb with his eyes closed if he had ropes... and Magnus barely made it. It was a grueling experience. Meanwhile, Alex is climbing it together with him, holding the camera in one hand and filming, joking around and being super chill about it.
I think this video is one of the great demonstrations of the functionality advantage psychopaths get in high-stress situations.
In the documentary, I thought I recall him mentioning that he dealt with anxiety and fear in his life. I can't recall the context, but I am fairly certain he said as much. It has been a long time since I have seen it, but I am pretty sure he isn't a psychopath.
He did make some polite noises about fear but I'm not convinced it wasn't part of him masking. Of course, he might not be a psychopath, I don't want to presume - but it does seem he's at least functionally pretty close.
Just a perspective on the Alex Honnold question (I'm extremely familiar with him and have watched every documentary on him as well as interacted with him personally/digitally--I am a mountaineer myself, but would never do what he does): You need to understand that what he does is his form of "walking" to you or I. He's been doing it since he was a child, and he does it everyday. He has absolutely discussed being afraid--he says when that fear starts to creep in, he has to actively shelf it or it could be a death sentence to allow it to resonate, which makes sense. So I think what you may be categorizing as lack of fear is actually just elevated comfort. Just like if I'm using an ice axe to lift myself up on a ledge, and I've done it so many times to know what feels right and what doesn't, it's not as scary anymore because I know the likely outcome. And just as he states, you simply cannot allow fear to be an active element, or you will make a mistake.
Just my $.02
Thank you, Kate. I thought I had heard similar things from him, so that makes sense.
An even more impressive side note is about his mother and her climbing journey--she set records at 70 years old and has only been climbing for 15 or 16 years now (I don't think she attempts free solo--she uses ropes). But, it is something that clearly runs in the family--both the capabilites and the mindset.
Damn. Now that is impressive
Thank you for the info. I suppose I got a bit carried away due to the brain scan that did show he has an underactive amygdala. I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions based on little information, especially nowadays when we have a political climate that is increasingly hostile to differences and some people are talking about registries for non-neurotypicals (autistics). This is a way of thinking and looking at the world that I find both stupid and morally reprehensible so I should be a bit more mindful when I'm flapping my gums. :)
Cheers.
It may be his amygdala is underactive until he is in certain situations, like climbing.
Please disregard all of my grammatical errors--I am cringing at the moment and hate that editing is not an option.
It's no problem
Maybe we need to rethink the brain and diagnosis and terminology. I don’t think you have to be a psychopath to be very comfortable and fearless in odd situations.
Dear Elinor, I've read many of your posts on Quora and it does seem to me you have a good old atypical noggin. I am merely an armchair psychologist, the most dangerous kind, so grain of salt and all that.
I also identify with most of the things you wrote about your own weirdness. Many years ago, I discovered Athena and for a little while I thought, "Hey! I might be a high-functioning psychopath!"
Then I read more of her posts and realized that I'm definitely not. I have been depressed, I have been in love, I do occasionally experience anxiety and hot empathy. Most of this has been in my teens, but still... However, in many other situations, I have atypical responses that at least superficially overlap with psychopathy. I've been in a number of conflict situations where the other person realized that I was dead calm and lost any desire to pursue the conflict further - so much so that I haven't been in a physical confrontation since I was 14 (and I grew up in 1990s Bulgaria, it was a bit rough).
I've tried to fit my weird brain in all sorts of different labels and categories and it refuses to fit neatly in any even though there are overlaps with many.
What is "hot" empathy?
Experiencing an emotion that someone else is experiencing. For example, if someone is hurt and upset in some way and I realize I've contributed or caused it, I can be moved to tears - I experience their emotional state. It is super rare and unpredictable but it still happens every now and then.
I think it's triggered by the realization I have caused it and I am in the wrong.
The other scenario where I can be moved to tears is if I'm watching a really good and impactful movie. This one is even more rare. I think the last time it happened was when I saw the ending of Schindler's List. There may be other instances that I cannot recall.
I'm not sure about the frequency of these hot empathy events but it might be once per year or less.
Outside of these situations, I am generally completely unbothered by stuff that would be quite upsetting to most people. I can watch a Holocaust documentary, read about Unit 731, read about serial killers, or watch a true crime documentary about something truly heinous, and I won't experience any particular emotion. I was the one who wrote and read the speech for my brother's funeral (he died of drugs last year after a ten-year struggle with severe addiction that really sucked). I didn't cry - I don't think I've ever cried for my brother, and over the years he turned my parents into absolute wrecks. Years ago, after one of his suicide attempts where he had cut his forearms pretty badly - deep, vertical cuts, the entire bed was soaked with blood - I was the one who called the ambulance because I was calm and functional. The parents were the opposite of that. I've had many situations like that, and not just with the brother.
My most predominant negative emotion is anger, and that's pretty well controlled and infrequent too nowadays. Overall, my emotional affect is flat.
How is that "empathy" though? It sounds more like an emotional acknowledgement that you did something that made you feel bad. I get they're upset, but isn't the emotion you're feeling in that moment more akin to guilt than empathy?
1. How is that empathy?
This is the definition of empathy: "being aware of and sharing another person's feelings, experiences, and emotions". I recognize that someone is upset and I experience their negative emotional state.
2. Isn't the emotion I'm feeling in that moment more akin to guilt:
No. It's completely different. I have actual sadness.
I don't really experience guilt - partly because I haven't done anything I should feel guilty about in a very long time. I have had it in my early 20s, and I generally had way more emotions up until my early 20s, so I have a baseline for comparison. Even if I realize I've hurt someone, I don't get guilty about it because these days I never actually intend to do so. There is no culpability without intent, there's just the recognition of a mistake, and an experience of the hurt I've cause to someone else. Apart from being rare, it should be no surprise that these events are not particularly severe because I don't do bad shit. I mostly do neutral or helpful shit.
I do experience shame, though, also rarely, and in similar situations: if I realize that I've fucked up (without having hurt someone). Still happens every now and then if I'm interpreting at a live event in front of a high-ranking audience, with cameras and microphones, and it's not going well. Once again, this is a rare occurrence because at that point I'm pretty good at verbal interpretation (used to only do written stuff back in the day).
I agree
SUMMARY:
I could go on but my main point is that apparently my “ability” to enjoy certain situations that others do not—like working with people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder—could just be another brain variation. I like it. It is useful. But currently brains like mine are never talked a
about or studied.
By the way, I was born this way. I coldly assessed everyone for dominance as a 3 year old living with extended family. I only respected the ones I mentally decided were worth respecting.
The conversation on psychopathy is too binary IMHO.
Right now, we need more brain research on people like me.
That's interesting. Kevin Dutton says similar things. His father was a psychopath as well, and when asked how high he scored on the tests, he said quite high, but not past the threshold. I wonder how much is your brain mapping to be similar to your father's based on the circumstances in which you were in, trusting that he had everything covered, and how much is due to genetics.
If sociopathy is formed through the failures of caregivers, then perhaps a more logical and clear minded state can be induced by caregivers as well.
What I mean is that there are probably lots more people like me. I am not a psychopath.
1. I actually had an anxiety disorder a couple of times in my life and figured out some fixes I use with my clients.
2. I can feel fear in lots of different circumstances.
3. There are lots of other circumstances where I am abnormally calm and having a good time in what I have later learned are usually scary to other people. Two examples:
1. Homeless for a year in my teen living at crashpads in Greenwich Village. Had a great time. No fear. Just fun strategizing occassionally.
2. With parents age 13 living in Havana. Get caught in Cuban revolution. New Years Eve and Day, fighting in the streets outside our building, cars crashing, bullets flying outside.
I’m calmly and happily reading my book crouched below window level and reading my book somewhat sheltered by the toilet.
Castro makes the medical offices on the floors below us into a blood bank. He has a Victory parade. I decide to go see the parade. I am so unafraid that I forget to mention what I am doing to my parents. I did not think about safety. My parents actually told me they were very concerned when they couldn’t find me. I was surprised. It made cognitive sense to me but…….
I also only recently started reflecting on how easily bored I am. I am not as restless as my psychopathic father was (I think), but I always need a few complicated and engrossing things to be working on. I make almost EVERYTHING into a game I play with myself to keep myself engaged.
I usually have four or five different things that I am doing at one time. It is rare that I focus on one thing, and without other things going on, I will be disengaged. It's like having to entertain multiple aspects of my brain.
I also took my cues from my father. I had lots of confidence in his ability to assess danger and that he would find a way to keep us safe. He was smart, unafraid, and competent.
What I mean is that there are probably lots more people like me. I am not a psychopath.
1. I actually had an anxiety disorder a couple of times in my life and figured out some fixes I use with my clients.
2. I can feel fear in lots of different circumstances.
3. There are lots of other circumstances where I am abnormally calm and having a good time in what I have later learned are usually scary to other people. Two examples:
1. Homeless for a year in my teen living at crashpads in Greenwich Village. Had a great time. No fear. Just fun strategizing occassionally.
2. With parents age 13 living in Havana. Get caught in Cuban revolution. New Years Eve and Day, fighting in the streets outside our building, cars crashing, bullets flying outside.
I’m calmly and happily reading my book crouched below window level and reading my book somewhat sheltered by the toilet.
Castro makes the medical offices on the floors below us into a blood bank. He has a Victory parade. I decide to go see the parade. I am so unafraid that I forget to mention what I am doing to my parents. I did not think about safety. My parents actually told me they were very concerned when they couldn’t find me. I was surprised. It made cognitive sense to me but…….
This Cambridge educated criminologist, David Wilson, claims Psychopaths don’t know what happiness is.
And that’s it’s a tragedy they can’t know genuine joy.
what do you make of his comments?
Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/KUtaA4nfKs4?si=Bk8Wy52cF84M-xe4
It is true that psychopaths have no idea what sadness is. However, I am either happy or content pretty well all the time. However, he is comparing the neurotypical experience of happiness to what psychopaths feel is a pointless venture. There are likely much deeper feelings of happiness that are experienced by neurotypicals, but that does not mean that level of happiness is better, nor would a psychopath see any value in it.
The comment section on that video is like a smorgasbord of people having no idea what psychopathy is.
Thanks for your response.
I thought boredom is noticeable part of your life too?
I recall you mentioning boredom in a Quora post / comment,
but that a psychopath is simply use to it.
Yes, indeed it is. I am pretty well adept at solving that problem now, so it isn't too much trouble.
Well, My late father and my cousin living off the grid had fun and I was around watching them enjoy themselves. For people who do not know me, one male per generation in my father’s family was born a psychopath. Their other siblings are always born boringly normal—like surburban normal. Not exciting people—My psychopathic cousin’s brother is a happily married accountant with kids and his sister was a school teacher who adopted a child.
Indeed. I think this comes down to neurotypicals assuming that if their version of happiness is not experienced, then it is not valuable or definable as, "happiness".
How does a psychopath study, what would their memorization methods be, given that their emotional memory is different? Of course, if this study were merely an objective means to achieve an end.
Hmm, you would have to ask someone that actively studied. I didn't. I didn't care about school, and no amount of prodding, begging, threatening, by those around me changed that. I remember what interests me. If someone else wants to remember something, they had best send it to me in writing that I can reference.
Athena, I’ve always been curious about how a psychopath would behave in exams for public contests, schools, or universities. The neurotypical process is heavily influenced by anxiety, which causes students to forget and fail to properly formulate things they have the cognitive potential to do. This also leads to lack of attention and loss of points related to attention. I know your brain thinks differently in this situation. How does this apply to you? If you were truly interested in the benefits that performing well in this exam would bring you...
In my case, I would make a show of taking it, but I don't care about the results. If I fail, whatever. If I pass, whatever. It was just somewhere I had to be at that moment. It didn't mean I had to participate in any meaningful way.
Oh I cannot stand Kyle or Dr. D! Is he banging her? Sure sounds like he wants some. Every time I listen to her, it's, like , oh you fucking windbag, shut up! After 3 minutes I need to turn those two off, and Now I know why. Thanks for debunking the quack. The food Dr. Is so far off course, should stick to substance abusers, maybe she won't mess them up, gawd…
I have to agree, it is a difficult listen/watch
kyle is the equivalent of AI trying to give encouraging responses to a shitty paper you ask it to review
I gotta agree with you there. Kyle was useless in that interview.
Thank you for this!
Hey Andi, and you're welcome
"Oh, damn… I think I hit all of those when I was a kid."
My I ask on what your motavation for violence? Is it just a course of action you use to get what you want, or deemed it as insignificant?
It was a tool used in situations that warranted it, not out of any emotion, but because it was what was necessary. However, the list didn't ask for motivation, and likely there may have been a less brutal way to deal with the circumstance. It was the most straightforward option that got me to the solution fastest
Either they think they dont have to lern or like the message they say because of money.