I found this one quite funny. I never thought about that, it does makes sense, you wouldn’t know when you were supposed to look frightened, or uncomfortable or even a little uneasy. Those can’t be easy emotions to portray either.
Possibly male psychopaths might have an easier ride here. Not showing fear might be considered brave or simple bravado. Expectations for women might be slightly different.
That’s interesting with the Rottweilers. No chemical or physical signs of fear which would be evident in most humans and other dogs. You might read as ‘unknown’ to dogs.
Similar with humans. Lack of fear despite physical stature would read as ‘unknown’ or ‘ other worldly’ to humans who have no understanding of psychopathy.
Would love to see your ‘scared’ face though Haha! (I’m imagining a comedy shock horror face)
I wonder if that's true about male psychopaths, though. They have testosterone, which can create aggression, so that might bring about situations that a female psychopath wouldn't find themselves in.
Years ago, I was talking with my grandfather about how our small cat cornered and intimidated a giant husky. He said something along the lines of “well of course the dog was scared. If something smaller and weaker than you isn’t scared of you, then they must have something else up their sleeve.”
I have had an insight recently that there is a lot of overlap between male normal behaviours and so called psychopathic behaviour. It is a very confusing thing. The culture is more irredeemably feminised than I had realised.
It is a very subtle thing but it is something like that. I was listening to a philosopher who was describing how men are generally not keyed in to people having physical issues and illnesses and such.
I think in the general left wing touchy feely culture we live in they feel they are expected to. It's not directly stated but it is there and the opposite isn't talked about at all. Like, male psychology in general.
I was also reading an article that links to psychological research that says men are not able to access their feelings in general. But this is not something that is really known about. Men are expected to immediately articulate emotions.
I have to agree with you. In fact in some ways I think young men are being forced to be more feminine in outlook and behaviour, whilst women are becoming more masculine in the same areas. There’s a move towards a general blurring of gender roles and behaviours.
This upcoming generation of men don’t have it easy. That’s not to say I support or condone toxic masculinity, rather that the move to rectify that specific male element has led to a percentage of men being unsure as to what is expected of them.
This allows people such as Andrew Tate to get a foothold, capitalising on the confusion.
This is already my favorite of your posts ever. I really like you talk about your own self and your own experiences. You are really good person to have in emergencies. As all purpose "emergency person" how can there be anyone better than you?
this post reminded me of this video of a failed robbery. i feel like the effects of no one acting afraid on someone attempting to be intimidating is a loss of confidence in their intimidation.
On the subject of males psychopaths being more aggressive. I had a confrontation similar to that one you described with your sisters SO. I recall feeling every hair on my body seeming to stand up and my senses heightened. I was told that all I said was “run” . And they did. Felt mildly nauseated about half an hour later
Invisigoth, when you said, “Run” what was your intention in the moment you said it? Do you recall? Was it a threat designed to bluff, to purposely scare off your opponent? Or, was it more the idea that if he didn’t run, you were unsure as to what you might do in terms of your own self control?
Both your and Athena’s responses seem similar. I wonder if you have learned that dropping the mask and issuing a warning is usually enough, or whether there is a genuine holding back behind the response, a more predatory feeling that threatens to get away from you?
I remember reading an anecdote in Kevin Dutton’s The Wisdom of Psychopaths. He and Andy McNab ( diagnosed psychopath) were both in a pub with their wives. There was a group of guys watching the football on TV. Lots of swearing, rowdy, nasty swearing too and it was a family pub with kids around. Dutton was ordering drinks, McNab in ear shot went to order food. McNab informed the group of guys that they were going to put their drinks down and quietly leave the pub or he would “hurt them like they’ve never been hurt before” or words to that effect. They put down their drinks and left. Dutton wonders if it’s the conviction behind what is said that does it. He questions if this could be replicated by a neurotypical. I suspect lack of fear ties in along with mask removal, confidence and sheer conviction.
It is interesting though. Very similar statements with similar results. Interesting to know your mindset when the threat is issued, very helpful.
It absolutely is about the lack of fear. Normal people get a stress response when they are in an escalating confrontation. When they see someone dead calm but ready to escalate things, that tips the scales of their fight or flight response towards flight. It works because it can't really be faked.
I think there's a type of intense but calm attention that just rings all of them ancient alarm bells, and for a good reason. If you've been to the zoo and looked a jaguar or another big cat in the eyes, you've experienced this dialed up to 11. When you lock eyes with that thing, you just know it in your bones that you're going to have a really bad time without the barrier between you. They stare right through you.
I couldn't tell you, I have no idea. Possibly annoyance, but the only reason that I recall this event is because of the response to the situation when I told people.
“The fear issue, however, is the one that gets me chastised the most often…”
Congratulations you have people who love you.
I’ve said this on Quora and I’ll say it again here. My impression of psychopaths is that you guys do stupidly dangerous stuff that can get yourselves killed. Perhaps I’m wrong in that generalization, but literally every single psychopath online that I’ve looked into has gotten into scenarios just like the ones in your post.
This explains why psychopaths are rare. Lack of fear is not a trait favoured by natural selection. It’s also why I don’t believe you’re romanticizing psychopathy like many people think you are. Almost dying multiple times due to being literally unable to feel fear is not something to brag about.
I don't really understand the 'romanticising' thing either. Doesn't romanticising something mean that you see it as all-good, or only see the good sides of it?
Athena's view of psychopathy seems pretty balanced to me - she recognises that it has its advantages, especially in certain situations, but she also acknowledges that it has its downsides, and talks about them openly. She's almost died multiple times due to not recognising the danger in a situation, and her lack of boundaries and self-protection in practicing ballet have left her with physical damage to her body. She's obviously put quite a bit of effort into developing cognitive empathy, which to me says that she recognises that lack of emotional empathy can sometimes be a problem, and needs to be compensated for. That doesn't sound like someone that only sees the good sides of psychopathy to me.
Granted she portrays psychopathy in a more positive light than the TV and movie stereotypes do, but maybe that's because those stereotypes are wrong? When I went down my Athena-Walker-is-a-fraud rabbithole, one of the arguments I came across was that Athena's view of psychopathy isn't aligned with the mainstream view, the current 'experts' and the DSM, so it must be wrong - which is just laughable really. Most great scientific discoveries are not aligned with the mainstream view initially, and there's often quite alot of resistance to them for a while - that doesn't make them wrong. That's just not how science works.
A psychopath is just a person who can't process oxytocin at the end of the day, and since oxytocin has so many varied roles in the brain and body, it's bound to create both advantages and disadvantages, that's just common sense.
To me it seems like it's those commentators on Quora who are struggling to see things in a realistic light, and can only see them as all-good or all-bad, eg romanticising or demonising them. So by their logic, since Athena isn't demonising psychopathy, she must be romanticising it. Maybe they have BPD?
I don’t think the black and white thinking is a sign of BPD. That sort of thinking is normative human thinking. While plenty of people do see shades of grey.
Taking a look at history reveals how easy it is for large groups of people to have this idea of ‘all-good’ or ‘all-evil’. This is especially true when it comes to the history of Christianity, where having a slightly different belief than other Christians meant someone was going to hell.
People are also quick to say a member of their group wasn’t a true member to begin with, if said member did something morally reprehensible. Thus they perform mental gymnastics in order to keep their black and white thinking.
I so desperately want to see your frightening stare without the mask. Also the line about having a staredown with the Rottweilers and send them in their way was hilarious to me, like it was just nothing😂. Also despite nearly dying several times, you are alive and have lived a life with interesting experiences. Makes me think about how much fear holds us back🥲. And how did you think of that line, You should run now. What would you have done if he did not?
Have you ever had such a staredown with a baby??? I wonder how they would react to it, especially as you have mentioned earlier that babies generally love you.
I do think that being in fear changes your body chemistry, and that all living beings are able to sense it on a subconscious level. In a research it was seen that strippers who were in their ovulatory phase were tipped more than those who weren't, even though the male customers had no way of knowing these things.
I think this is the reason you get stared a lot if you walk into a room. And this is what is portrayed in certain media as 'energy, frequency ,vibration.'
I try to avoid babies. They really really like me. Even the babies of total strangers will lean out and reach for me in restaurants, and I am not trying to encourage that
I think you just told us the easiest way to 'identify a psychopath'. Just put them in a room with a bunch of babies and see whether all of them are swarming this person😂.
Jokes aside, you could really do this, you know, for research purposes. Babies might not find the lack of emotional feedback as jarring as adults or children. They might not have been exposed to it so much for them to relegate it to background noise.
In any case, you had given an interview, to a show or something on your experience being a psychopath, I think? Could you send me the link to that video or audio, whatever it was?
I know a friend that has the same problem with babies, and he definitely isn't psychopathic. It would be interesting, but without being able to ask the babies, it would be pointless
What confuses me is what about your "mask off look" that's so terrifying? I just imagine it to be a neutral or emotionless look. What's the difference if a neurotypical & a pyschopathic person does a neutral look?
Awesome post. Gives me a much better sense of what your inner world is like re things like no fear. Awesome protection of sister from the bad man. Awesome stroll through back yard. Did you encounter that person who had ripped off the phone line? Or had that been "old news"?
I’m curious about a pretty sensitive subject (although, maybe not as sensitive to you, or maybe I’m wrong)… I want to give a trigger warning here for anyone who don’t want to read further and I apologize to anyone if this subject matter is a lot.
But I truly just have curiosity about it. Something you mentioned made me wonder about child sexual abuse and how that could differently affect a young girl (or boy) who is a born psychopath. You mentioned not having the fear like a neurotypical would have. But if you were a child, even if you were able to drop your mask, a larger human (especially if they, themselves were ASPD, could still quite likely overtake any child and do some harm.
Especially if you were much younger. I guess I have a few questions re a situation like this. First of all, depending on the age, younger neurotypical children who are groomed might not necessarily feel fear but would probably have a gut instinct that the situation is not ok and that it makes them very uncomfortable. Would a psychopath child not be affected by being sexually abused in the same way? Would it be less likely that the child develop ptsd and behavioral problems problems? Would they more easily be able to “get over” a situation like that?
I do understand that pedophiles are pretty good at finding children who are easier “prey” (those from broken homes, etc) and are probably likely to avoid a psychopathic child based on their energy but it could happen. What are your thoughts on that and do you know of any research into the subject of childhood trauma, ptsd, etc with psychopaths. I guess I don’t even know if psychopaths are capable of having ptsd.
I hope this wasn’t too dark of a subject for anyone.
I have no idea, really. I haven't had occasion to meet such a person, and it isn't a part of my history, so I couldn't really guess. I don't think a psychopathic child would be a good target for grooming. There is no leverage to keep them quiet.
So a chase section in a horror game where you're being chased by an enemy wouldn't get you excited and thus increasing your heart rate or giving you slight heart palpitations?
Nope, those are just annoying. I do not like run and hide games. I fight, I don't hide. Unless that game has something else going for it, if they rely on that sort of gameplay, I will almost always shut it off. I haven't time for that.
Jumpscares don't scare me either, but sudden extreme loud noises and flashing lights do make me jolt. I don't think it's a fear thing, since the reaction is way too quick and fleeting for it to be emotional in nature, so I would assume psychopaths wouldn't be different in that regard.
Psychopaths have a startle response. Actually, every human being alive has one.
Why is that? The startle response is hardwired into the primal part of the brain, the brain stem.
Psychopaths do have a reduced startle response when compared to neurotypicals. This means that while we can be made to jump, it is a less sensitive response that you will find in people with higher emotional responses than psychopaths do.
My Significant Other has a preternatural ability to trigger my startle response, and he takes unreasonable joy in his talent for this.
The man is a ninja. He can sneak around the house without our dogs hearing it, and they get up whenever he does to follow him around like stalkers.
Other than him and his weirdly quiet way in the world, and his very gleeful satisfaction when he can startle me, jump scares don’t work. They actually annoy me a great deal in movies, in video games, and on television. It was one of the reasons that I did not care for American Horror Story this season. It was cheap scares throughout and made ample use of jump scares.
If something is directly in front of me, like a massive car crash, it doesn’t give me a jump scare if that is what you are referring to. They are interesting, but it doesn’t trigger that response.
Hm. I wonder why they'd have a reduced startle response. Since it's hardwired in the brain, I don't know what about psychopathy would have any influence on it.
My family has said similar things about me being very quiet when I walk, but I don't purposely sneak up on them. The reason that I personally walk so quietly is because of my feet's bone structure being messed up. It causes me to naturally walk toe-to-heel, which happens to be very quiet. I jump scare my family constantly because of it. Perhaps your significant other has something similar which accounts for his insane stealth ability.
Athena, you mentioned you have this "mask" you keep all the time for neurotypicals' sake and if you didn't it would freak people out. But what about when you were a child?
For example, 3 year old Athena is walking in the park and someone think it would be hella funny to jump and scare you, but when they do it, you don't react at all. Was that something other people considered scary? Well maybe you don't have such early memories, but what about when you were 7? Or 10? When did your mask started to develop?
I recall a few very serious incidents where I should have been terrified and wasn't. The reaction from my mother was that it was very strange, and that is the most I recall about her response
The "big because" I imagined, if I were in similar situations might be - Because I meditate, I've found that mindfulness under such situations is more useful, as there are times to feel afraid, and times to be in the moment. Have you read any Marcus Aurelius?
I found this one quite funny. I never thought about that, it does makes sense, you wouldn’t know when you were supposed to look frightened, or uncomfortable or even a little uneasy. Those can’t be easy emotions to portray either.
Possibly male psychopaths might have an easier ride here. Not showing fear might be considered brave or simple bravado. Expectations for women might be slightly different.
That’s interesting with the Rottweilers. No chemical or physical signs of fear which would be evident in most humans and other dogs. You might read as ‘unknown’ to dogs.
Similar with humans. Lack of fear despite physical stature would read as ‘unknown’ or ‘ other worldly’ to humans who have no understanding of psychopathy.
Would love to see your ‘scared’ face though Haha! (I’m imagining a comedy shock horror face)
I wonder if that's true about male psychopaths, though. They have testosterone, which can create aggression, so that might bring about situations that a female psychopath wouldn't find themselves in.
I’ve pondered the role of testosterone in male psychopathy too.
Years ago, I was talking with my grandfather about how our small cat cornered and intimidated a giant husky. He said something along the lines of “well of course the dog was scared. If something smaller and weaker than you isn’t scared of you, then they must have something else up their sleeve.”
Wise words! That would be the logical consideration.
I have had an insight recently that there is a lot of overlap between male normal behaviours and so called psychopathic behaviour. It is a very confusing thing. The culture is more irredeemably feminised than I had realised.
Stoicism, emotional self control is a classic male trait.
Are you in the US JLW?
No, the UK.
Do you mean that normal masculine behaviours are now regarded as psychopathic?
It is a very subtle thing but it is something like that. I was listening to a philosopher who was describing how men are generally not keyed in to people having physical issues and illnesses and such.
I think in the general left wing touchy feely culture we live in they feel they are expected to. It's not directly stated but it is there and the opposite isn't talked about at all. Like, male psychology in general.
I was also reading an article that links to psychological research that says men are not able to access their feelings in general. But this is not something that is really known about. Men are expected to immediately articulate emotions.
I have to agree with you. In fact in some ways I think young men are being forced to be more feminine in outlook and behaviour, whilst women are becoming more masculine in the same areas. There’s a move towards a general blurring of gender roles and behaviours.
This upcoming generation of men don’t have it easy. That’s not to say I support or condone toxic masculinity, rather that the move to rectify that specific male element has led to a percentage of men being unsure as to what is expected of them.
This allows people such as Andrew Tate to get a foothold, capitalising on the confusion.
This is already my favorite of your posts ever. I really like you talk about your own self and your own experiences. You are really good person to have in emergencies. As all purpose "emergency person" how can there be anyone better than you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO07h7qrWEY&pp=ygUfcm9iYmVyIGZhaWxzIHJvYmJpbmcgbmFpbCBzYWxvbg%3D%3D
this post reminded me of this video of a failed robbery. i feel like the effects of no one acting afraid on someone attempting to be intimidating is a loss of confidence in their intimidation.
That's funny
On the subject of males psychopaths being more aggressive. I had a confrontation similar to that one you described with your sisters SO. I recall feeling every hair on my body seeming to stand up and my senses heightened. I was told that all I said was “run” . And they did. Felt mildly nauseated about half an hour later
It's interesting that telling them to "run" works in certain circumstances.
Invisigoth, when you said, “Run” what was your intention in the moment you said it? Do you recall? Was it a threat designed to bluff, to purposely scare off your opponent? Or, was it more the idea that if he didn’t run, you were unsure as to what you might do in terms of your own self control?
Both your and Athena’s responses seem similar. I wonder if you have learned that dropping the mask and issuing a warning is usually enough, or whether there is a genuine holding back behind the response, a more predatory feeling that threatens to get away from you?
I think telling them to run was a warning. There was no bluff at all things were going to get loud and bloody if they'd stayed much longer
Thank you for answering that.
I remember reading an anecdote in Kevin Dutton’s The Wisdom of Psychopaths. He and Andy McNab ( diagnosed psychopath) were both in a pub with their wives. There was a group of guys watching the football on TV. Lots of swearing, rowdy, nasty swearing too and it was a family pub with kids around. Dutton was ordering drinks, McNab in ear shot went to order food. McNab informed the group of guys that they were going to put their drinks down and quietly leave the pub or he would “hurt them like they’ve never been hurt before” or words to that effect. They put down their drinks and left. Dutton wonders if it’s the conviction behind what is said that does it. He questions if this could be replicated by a neurotypical. I suspect lack of fear ties in along with mask removal, confidence and sheer conviction.
It is interesting though. Very similar statements with similar results. Interesting to know your mindset when the threat is issued, very helpful.
It absolutely is about the lack of fear. Normal people get a stress response when they are in an escalating confrontation. When they see someone dead calm but ready to escalate things, that tips the scales of their fight or flight response towards flight. It works because it can't really be faked.
Makes sense
That’s interesting Milen. If an individual can’t compute the reaction of another in an escalating situation, it would be logical to withdraw.
I think there's a type of intense but calm attention that just rings all of them ancient alarm bells, and for a good reason. If you've been to the zoo and looked a jaguar or another big cat in the eyes, you've experienced this dialed up to 11. When you lock eyes with that thing, you just know it in your bones that you're going to have a really bad time without the barrier between you. They stare right through you.
I couldn't tell you, I have no idea. Possibly annoyance, but the only reason that I recall this event is because of the response to the situation when I told people.
“The fear issue, however, is the one that gets me chastised the most often…”
Congratulations you have people who love you.
I’ve said this on Quora and I’ll say it again here. My impression of psychopaths is that you guys do stupidly dangerous stuff that can get yourselves killed. Perhaps I’m wrong in that generalization, but literally every single psychopath online that I’ve looked into has gotten into scenarios just like the ones in your post.
This explains why psychopaths are rare. Lack of fear is not a trait favoured by natural selection. It’s also why I don’t believe you’re romanticizing psychopathy like many people think you are. Almost dying multiple times due to being literally unable to feel fear is not something to brag about.
I don't really understand the 'romanticising' thing either. Doesn't romanticising something mean that you see it as all-good, or only see the good sides of it?
Athena's view of psychopathy seems pretty balanced to me - she recognises that it has its advantages, especially in certain situations, but she also acknowledges that it has its downsides, and talks about them openly. She's almost died multiple times due to not recognising the danger in a situation, and her lack of boundaries and self-protection in practicing ballet have left her with physical damage to her body. She's obviously put quite a bit of effort into developing cognitive empathy, which to me says that she recognises that lack of emotional empathy can sometimes be a problem, and needs to be compensated for. That doesn't sound like someone that only sees the good sides of psychopathy to me.
Granted she portrays psychopathy in a more positive light than the TV and movie stereotypes do, but maybe that's because those stereotypes are wrong? When I went down my Athena-Walker-is-a-fraud rabbithole, one of the arguments I came across was that Athena's view of psychopathy isn't aligned with the mainstream view, the current 'experts' and the DSM, so it must be wrong - which is just laughable really. Most great scientific discoveries are not aligned with the mainstream view initially, and there's often quite alot of resistance to them for a while - that doesn't make them wrong. That's just not how science works.
A psychopath is just a person who can't process oxytocin at the end of the day, and since oxytocin has so many varied roles in the brain and body, it's bound to create both advantages and disadvantages, that's just common sense.
To me it seems like it's those commentators on Quora who are struggling to see things in a realistic light, and can only see them as all-good or all-bad, eg romanticising or demonising them. So by their logic, since Athena isn't demonising psychopathy, she must be romanticising it. Maybe they have BPD?
I don’t think the black and white thinking is a sign of BPD. That sort of thinking is normative human thinking. While plenty of people do see shades of grey.
Taking a look at history reveals how easy it is for large groups of people to have this idea of ‘all-good’ or ‘all-evil’. This is especially true when it comes to the history of Christianity, where having a slightly different belief than other Christians meant someone was going to hell.
People are also quick to say a member of their group wasn’t a true member to begin with, if said member did something morally reprehensible. Thus they perform mental gymnastics in order to keep their black and white thinking.
I so desperately want to see your frightening stare without the mask. Also the line about having a staredown with the Rottweilers and send them in their way was hilarious to me, like it was just nothing😂. Also despite nearly dying several times, you are alive and have lived a life with interesting experiences. Makes me think about how much fear holds us back🥲. And how did you think of that line, You should run now. What would you have done if he did not?
It just came to me at the moment, and if he hadn't left, I would have used everything in my arsenal to defend myself
Have you ever had such a staredown with a baby??? I wonder how they would react to it, especially as you have mentioned earlier that babies generally love you.
I do think that being in fear changes your body chemistry, and that all living beings are able to sense it on a subconscious level. In a research it was seen that strippers who were in their ovulatory phase were tipped more than those who weren't, even though the male customers had no way of knowing these things.
I think this is the reason you get stared a lot if you walk into a room. And this is what is portrayed in certain media as 'energy, frequency ,vibration.'
I try to avoid babies. They really really like me. Even the babies of total strangers will lean out and reach for me in restaurants, and I am not trying to encourage that
I think you just told us the easiest way to 'identify a psychopath'. Just put them in a room with a bunch of babies and see whether all of them are swarming this person😂.
Jokes aside, you could really do this, you know, for research purposes. Babies might not find the lack of emotional feedback as jarring as adults or children. They might not have been exposed to it so much for them to relegate it to background noise.
In any case, you had given an interview, to a show or something on your experience being a psychopath, I think? Could you send me the link to that video or audio, whatever it was?
I know a friend that has the same problem with babies, and he definitely isn't psychopathic. It would be interesting, but without being able to ask the babies, it would be pointless
Well, to be a bit pedantic, of course you could ask. You just might not get a massively coherent response.
And the link?
What confuses me is what about your "mask off look" that's so terrifying? I just imagine it to be a neutral or emotionless look. What's the difference if a neurotypical & a pyschopathic person does a neutral look?
I spoke about this in a couple of Quora answers. Here are the links:
https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-psychopath-behave-with-no-lowered-mask-Where-can-I-find-an-appropriate-video-transcript-or-at-least-a-book-that-I-can-read/answer/Athena-Walker
https://www.quora.com/When-would-a-psychopath-use-the-predatory-stare/answer/Athena-Walker
I don't have a problem with the glass floor but that tile on the wall gives me a headache.
Yeah, it's pretty terrible
"Often in not the most patient of tones." LOL!
Awesome post. Gives me a much better sense of what your inner world is like re things like no fear. Awesome protection of sister from the bad man. Awesome stroll through back yard. Did you encounter that person who had ripped off the phone line? Or had that been "old news"?
It had been recent, but no, we never figured out who did it.
Athena,
I’m curious about a pretty sensitive subject (although, maybe not as sensitive to you, or maybe I’m wrong)… I want to give a trigger warning here for anyone who don’t want to read further and I apologize to anyone if this subject matter is a lot.
But I truly just have curiosity about it. Something you mentioned made me wonder about child sexual abuse and how that could differently affect a young girl (or boy) who is a born psychopath. You mentioned not having the fear like a neurotypical would have. But if you were a child, even if you were able to drop your mask, a larger human (especially if they, themselves were ASPD, could still quite likely overtake any child and do some harm.
Especially if you were much younger. I guess I have a few questions re a situation like this. First of all, depending on the age, younger neurotypical children who are groomed might not necessarily feel fear but would probably have a gut instinct that the situation is not ok and that it makes them very uncomfortable. Would a psychopath child not be affected by being sexually abused in the same way? Would it be less likely that the child develop ptsd and behavioral problems problems? Would they more easily be able to “get over” a situation like that?
I do understand that pedophiles are pretty good at finding children who are easier “prey” (those from broken homes, etc) and are probably likely to avoid a psychopathic child based on their energy but it could happen. What are your thoughts on that and do you know of any research into the subject of childhood trauma, ptsd, etc with psychopaths. I guess I don’t even know if psychopaths are capable of having ptsd.
I hope this wasn’t too dark of a subject for anyone.
Thanks in advance!
I have no idea, really. I haven't had occasion to meet such a person, and it isn't a part of my history, so I couldn't really guess. I don't think a psychopathic child would be a good target for grooming. There is no leverage to keep them quiet.
Ooh it makes sense. The whole "don't tell your mother/father or I'll kill you" wouldn't work on a psychopathic child.
No, not at all
Would your heart rate increase playing a horror game?
No, it doesn't. I like survival horror, but only if it has a good story, as jump scares have no effect on me other than annoyances,
So a chase section in a horror game where you're being chased by an enemy wouldn't get you excited and thus increasing your heart rate or giving you slight heart palpitations?
Nope, those are just annoying. I do not like run and hide games. I fight, I don't hide. Unless that game has something else going for it, if they rely on that sort of gameplay, I will almost always shut it off. I haven't time for that.
Do jumpscares startle you?
Jumpscares don't scare me either, but sudden extreme loud noises and flashing lights do make me jolt. I don't think it's a fear thing, since the reaction is way too quick and fleeting for it to be emotional in nature, so I would assume psychopaths wouldn't be different in that regard.
Psychopaths have a startle response. Actually, every human being alive has one.
Why is that? The startle response is hardwired into the primal part of the brain, the brain stem.
Psychopaths do have a reduced startle response when compared to neurotypicals. This means that while we can be made to jump, it is a less sensitive response that you will find in people with higher emotional responses than psychopaths do.
My Significant Other has a preternatural ability to trigger my startle response, and he takes unreasonable joy in his talent for this.
The man is a ninja. He can sneak around the house without our dogs hearing it, and they get up whenever he does to follow him around like stalkers.
Other than him and his weirdly quiet way in the world, and his very gleeful satisfaction when he can startle me, jump scares don’t work. They actually annoy me a great deal in movies, in video games, and on television. It was one of the reasons that I did not care for American Horror Story this season. It was cheap scares throughout and made ample use of jump scares.
If something is directly in front of me, like a massive car crash, it doesn’t give me a jump scare if that is what you are referring to. They are interesting, but it doesn’t trigger that response.
Hm. I wonder why they'd have a reduced startle response. Since it's hardwired in the brain, I don't know what about psychopathy would have any influence on it.
My family has said similar things about me being very quiet when I walk, but I don't purposely sneak up on them. The reason that I personally walk so quietly is because of my feet's bone structure being messed up. It causes me to naturally walk toe-to-heel, which happens to be very quiet. I jump scare my family constantly because of it. Perhaps your significant other has something similar which accounts for his insane stealth ability.
It is due to the fear deficit and the reduced ability to process the emotional stimuli of a jump scare.
Athena, you mentioned you have this "mask" you keep all the time for neurotypicals' sake and if you didn't it would freak people out. But what about when you were a child?
For example, 3 year old Athena is walking in the park and someone think it would be hella funny to jump and scare you, but when they do it, you don't react at all. Was that something other people considered scary? Well maybe you don't have such early memories, but what about when you were 7? Or 10? When did your mask started to develop?
I recall a few very serious incidents where I should have been terrified and wasn't. The reaction from my mother was that it was very strange, and that is the most I recall about her response
Do you think inability to think about consequences might be considered a disability
It's not an inability. We have the ability if we learn it and practice it.
The "big because" I imagined, if I were in similar situations might be - Because I meditate, I've found that mindfulness under such situations is more useful, as there are times to feel afraid, and times to be in the moment. Have you read any Marcus Aurelius?
I haven't, no
I found this article very entertaining as well.