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The Psycho in 'Psycho' is not a Psychopath?

R

Riva

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Isn't the Psycho in Psycho (1960s film) a Sociopath?

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Anyway,
The word psychopath is used so much in movies and dramas in a misrepresentative way, people probably think a psycho is a person who always kills people for fun and screams -

HaHaHa!

Well a psychopath could probably do what I mentioned above without any remorse but it does not mean that a Psychopath would always be violent.

Psychopaths are -
'intraspecies predators whose hallmark is a lack of empathy'.

Psychopaths use charisma, manipulation, intimidation, sexual intercourse and violence to control others and to satisfy their own needs. Lacking in conscience and empathy, they take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without guilt or remorse". "What is missing, in other words, are the very qualities that allow a human being to live in social harmony."

Scary isn't it?

Psychopaths are glib and superficially charming, and many psychopaths are excellent mimics of normal human emotion; some psychopaths can blend in, undetected, in a variety of surroundings, including corporate environments. There is neither a cure nor any effective treatment for psychopathy; there are no medications or other techniques which can instill empathy, and psychopaths who undergo traditional talk therapy only become more adept at manipulating others.


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Imagine the damage such a person could cause. Apparently 1% of the world's population are Psychopaths. Which means you probably know 1 or 2 of them. :shock:

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One of my Badge mates was (is) one and he was freaky as hell. All of of tried to avoid him. There was something about him which was off, no matter how friendly he was trying to be. He is quite smart too.

Luckily non-psychos feel strange when interacting with one. Their try hard fake behaviors tips people off. Good for us.

But would a guy feel it when interacting with a psychotic (attractive) girl?
Would you know it if your colleague is a psycho?
 

Shaunward

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I've been accused of being a genuine psychopath. When a tragic event happens, I'm able to recognise it's tragic, understand the pain people go through, but I don't personally feel upset for it. I know people that have cried about terrible things that have happened, even recently, around the world. It all feels clinical to me. I can recognise how people feel, but my understanding of such situations is entirely intellectual. No feeling, I don't think.

That being said, I wouldn't say I'm completely emotionless. I don't know what constitutes emotion. I feel a profound duty, from birth, to lead my family to security and prosperity. When those in my family are harmed, seems to be the exception. When I saw my mother fall, I called out her name in a concerned panic. There was no thought to it, it didn't even feel like I did it. I understand loyalty and duty. Violations garner what I imagine is an emotional response from myself. Beyond immediate reactions however, no, I don't know if I feel emotions or have feelings. Simply apathy and greed.
 

Thalassa

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No, I don't think he's a sociopath. I think he's a severely deluded schizophrenic, the diesease then compounded by child abuse and sexual neurosis.

Sociopaths don't lose touch with reality like Norman Bates did. They often lead highly functional lives.
 
G

Ginkgo

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One of his personalities may have been psychopathic; but the brunt of his mental instability stemmed from multiple personality disorder...

So, in that context : no, I probably wouldn't know if a colleague or co-worker was psychopathic unless I was intimately close with them.

Also... "psychotic" refers to a different disorder known as psychosis... You mean psychopathic. Psychotics are simply delusional...

Psychosis (not to be confused with psychopathy) is a mental illness in which an individual divorces from reality due to distorted perceptions about what is actually taking place (including delusions or visual/auditory hallucinations). These delusions are defined as magnified deviations from commonly held beliefs, and can assimilate to form an alternate mental reality in which the psychotic inhabits. Disturbances in cognitive and sensual faculties produce a number of specific symptoms which are commonly associated with psychosis; though the distinctions between them and other illnesses such as neurosis or schizophrenia are still debated in reference to modern psychiatric classification systems. Nevertheless, the paradigm remains accepted because it encompasses relatively vague diagnosis standards; thus coping with varying individual cases - while being exact enough to distinguish itself from other mental ailments. Psychosis entails a number of causes, symptoms, treatments, and prognosis; all of which vary according to their contexts.

The onset of psychosis often begins with prior mental ailments or drug abuse (especially involving hallucinogens, PCP, amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana); both of which may cause irreparable disruption to mental faculties or the nervous system. Psychosis is frequently assorted with the concept of brain degeneration or brain malformation. In addition, some contemporary psychologists theorize that biological changes and physiological abnormalities in the brain are the primary conductors of the illness. Therefore, psychosis could be the result of personality inflictions or jumbled thought processes induced by developmental disturbances or traumatic experiences. It has also been speculated that psychosis develops in adaptation to stress or undernourished child development. Preconditions such as dementia, manic depression, brain tumors, epilepsy, psychotic depression, and schizophrenia may also dilute perceptions enough to affect psychosis temporarily or permanently. Of course, these supposed causes cannot be identified by a medical physician without observable symptoms and medical evaluation.

Common warning signs of psychosis include numerous subdivisions which overlap other mental illnesses such as neurosis or schizophrenia. However, the overall conjunction of symptoms produces behaviors that are readily seen and identified as a whole; consequentially signaling a need for medical care. Psychosis manifests in the form of abnormal displays of emotion, confusion, depression, disjointed thoughts and speech, mania, false beliefs, loss of touch with reality, dysfunctional perceptions, visual/auditory hallucinations, unfounded fear or suspicion, catatonic behavior, vegetative states, or erratic physical tendencies. As a result, psychotics are somewhat difficult to empathize with in relation to the majority of society, despite the fact that they may have parallel experiences with most people. Therefore, it is deducible that exaggerated projections of reality are apparent for the psychotic, which is reflected by their emotionally charged or erratic behavior.

On the other hand, many of these symptoms are not always discernible in comparison to normal modes of thought; and there is often a multitude of etiological routes a practitioner may find when diagnosing psychosis. These factors can make identification of psychosis a daunting task for even a skilled clinician. Thorough psychological evaluation is necessary for such diagnostics, and may be reinforced by laboratory testing. In fact, methods such as drug screens, MRI, and syphilis tests are sometimes used to pinpoint exact biological causation behind psychosis, though they may not identify “functional” causation (manic-depression, schizophrenia, or other diagnostic criteria).

Upon diagnostic procedure, a physician may utilize an array of remedies for the mental illness which are selected for respective causes. Hospital care is often needed to guarantee the patients safety, while anti-psychotic drugs such as risperidone (Risperdal), thioridazine (Mellaril), halperidol (Haldol), chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (Clozaril), loxapine (Loxitane), molindone hydrochloride (Moban), thiothixene (Navane), and olanzapine (Zyprexa) subdue hallucinations and delusions. Treatments such as these help expunge harmful psychotic behavior. Recently, group therapy has been implemented for those who experience schizoid or psychotic symptoms, apparently reducing the likelihood of mental degeneration (suggesting that isolated individuals and families are more likely to develop and compound mental illnesses). New formed therapies such as these derive from cognitive behavioral approaches developed for neurotic disorders.

Even so, there are preventative measures one might take to avoid diagnosis and treatment simultaneously. For instance, one might heed alcohol abuse to prevent alcohol-induced psychosis – which is triggered by the depression of the nervous system. Alcohol abuse is discouraged in general, especially when mixed with medication, while hallucinogens and other drugs increase the likelihood of the user experiencing a psychotic attack. In addition, safe-sex practices and medication inhibit the contraction of syphilis, which can catalyze brain degradation or even death. Healthy social stimulation and interpersonal communication is also linked to brain development, especially within emerging families and communities. Therefore, gregariousness may help prevent psychotic tendencies.

Overall, the success of prognosis relies on the circumstance of the patient. Those who experience longer and more intense psychotic episodes may be less likely to receive beneficial results from extemporaneous treatment. One the other hand, earlier diagnosis and immediate treatment are more likely to produce a positive outcome for the patient by quelling the disease before it causes irreparable damage to the structure of the brain. Schizophrenia has a 60% treatment success rate , while, according to European studies, 50-80% of all patients have no further major psychiatric problems. Generally, prognosis of brief psychotic episodes often lasts approximately a month with a good success ratio.
 

Killjoy

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Norman was a psychotic; His mother was the psychopath.
 

6.4

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They fascinate me.

I've posted about them here before. I personally believe the study of sociopathy might be one of the most important subjects in the history of humankind. I like this article Damn Interesting; The Unburdened Mind

Maybe one day, I'll be involved in rounding up sociopaths... and removing them from society.

One question puzzles me; Peter Sellers is considered a sociopath. Now I don't really know what art is, but he was definitely an artist. How can a sociopath produce great art? It makes no sense to me...

Taken from his wikipedia:

Personal and professional struggles

Sellers had a difficult personal life. He often clashed with actors and directors, including a strained relationship with friend and director Blake Edwards, with whom he worked on the Pink Panther series and The Party. The two sometimes stopped speaking to each other during filming.[2]


Sellers's personality was described by others as difficult and demanding. His behaviour caused physical and emotional hurt to others, notably his first three wives and his children. As portrayed in the film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, he told his seven-year-old son Michael that he thought that his mother, Anne Howe, was having an affair, around the time that the couple divorced. Sellers is known to have assaulted Britt Ekland,[2] prompted by unsubstantiated jealousy. On occasion however, Sellers blamed himself for his failed marriages. In a 1974 Parkinson interview, he admitted that "I'm not easy to live with". He explained that the divorce from Howe had been due to a romance with "someone I worked with", suggesting that it had been Sophia Loren, as indicated by Sellers playfully humming their mutual single hit "Goodness Gracious Me", when asked by Parkinson about the purported affair.[7] In an interview on Canadian television, in 1958, he was asked: "You have played so many very different characters:who is the real Peter Sellers?" he paused, tears came visibly to his eyes, he lowered and shook his head and said, "I . . . don't really know."[citation needed]

(bonus psychopath YouTube - Sopranos-Paulie "Hey Shaggy" )
 

Shaunward

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They fascinate me.

I've posted about them here before. I personally believe the study of sociopathy might be one of the most important subjects in the history of humankind. I like this article Damn Interesting; The Unburdened Mind

Ah, I know quite readily that I am not an actual psychopath. I'm quick to feel personal guilt and remorse. I feel as though I cannot lie (that is, state something I believe is untrue), though I feel I can manipulate the language to infer things without explicitly stating them. This person, this psychopath, was able to lie and frame somebody. I couldn't do that.

Where I feel emotions differently, I still feel the need to justify actions. This is why I cannot tolerate certain actions of other people. I guess I'm not a psychopath, simply emotionally retarded.
 

6.4

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I feel you, I've been accused of being a psychopath too, standard reaction of being an intj. We should be thankful. To be honest though our determination may make us cause more suffering to the world than any psychopath, which is kinda funny I guess. At least we can take comfort that we won't cause as much damage to the world as a standard priest :hi:
 

teslashock

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The movie was made in 1960. Didn't all abnormal psychology still fall under the realm of "demonic possession"? I don't think we were taking the time to distinguish between psychopath and sociopath at this point, unless psychopath = possessed by Baal and sociopath = possessed by Lucifer (and if that was the case, then Norman was indeed a psychopath ;)).

Note: I know diddly squat about abnormal psych and its place in history. I'm just talking out of my ass at the moment...
 

Shaunward

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I feel you, I've been accused of being a psychopath too, standard reaction of being an intj. We should be thankful. To be honest though our determination may make us cause more suffering to the world than any psychopath, which is kinda funny I guess. At least we can take comfort that we won't cause as much damage to the world as a standard priest :hi:
The world is not a primary or secondary concern for me. First comes my family. Second comes myself. Third come my associates/partners. Last is society.
 

6.4

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Whatever man, but if you take care of society, it will take care of you and your family
 

Shaunward

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I feel such an investment would give me very, very little gains. It wouldn't be a worthwhile venture, on my part.

Even beyond that, I am very apathetic toward society. Most terrible things that happen outside my circle don't really upset me. I don't feel sympathy for members of society.
 

Southern Kross

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Isn't the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath, nature vs. nurture. In other words:

Sociopaths have become what they are because of their experiences
Psychopaths are born that way

That's how I always understood it. I may be wrong.
 

Skyward

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I can usually tell by a person's eyes if they're 'odd' or 'just a little too weird.'

In the Damn Interesting link, the picture had exactly the eyes I notice and avoid. They're too sharp inside, as if nothing is there to soften them. I can't trust anyone who has them for the same reason.

But I find psychological phenomena fascinating just because it's what adds different layers to society. If everyone was the same it would be boring.

I also agree with 6.4, though I don't like to think of how many psychopaths are in the higher government. We won't be able to get rid of all psychopaths with government help if there are enough there.

Another thing that is interesting, is that, while NTs or just Ts may be more distant from their emotions, they still can understand them. A psychopath just doesn't understand emotion and feeling.

It could be said that a psychopath could be 'more' human than the average human, but as a Christian, my belief is that humans need a consciousness in order to be the perfect tool in God's work. Psychopaths just cannot have the faith to be religious. They are coldly rational.

This whole thing makes it more natural for me to spot psychopaths now. Sephiroth from FFVII was one, even before he snapped. This guy could be one too.

Fascinating.

...
That's how I always understood it. I may be wrong.

You're right

From the Damned interesting link: Psychopathy has an environmental component like nearly all aspects of personal psychology, but its source is rooted firmly in biology.
 

sculpting

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sociopathy seems to be inherent to the human condition. It wouldnt be here if there was not some evolutionary benefit. Thus you cant get rid of them.

I'd say the intjs are getting a poor rap. A real sociopath actually blends beautifully with society-something intjs cannot do mostly.

Sociopaths lack the emo hooks that link them into the social network-empathy or olbligation. Assuming these come in Fe or Fi varieties, I'd say its related to very odd development of those functions-maybe biological, but cultural/family influeneced as well.
 

SilkRoad

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Imagine the damage such a person could cause. Apparently 1% of the world's population are Psychopaths. Which means you probably know 1 or 2 of them. :shock:

That means there are about as many psychopaths out there as there are INFJs. Help! :cry: :D

I was reading about this recently...apparently they do live among us. Along with narcissists and Machiavellians...they're all a bit different/different levels of lacking empathy and conscience.
 

Thalassa

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Isn't the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath, nature vs. nurture. In other words:

Sociopaths have become what they are because of their experiences
Psychopaths are born that way

That's how I always understood it. I may be wrong.

No. Psychopaths lose touch with reality. Sociopaths do not.

Mental illness is nature.
Personality disorder is nurture.
 
R

Riva

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It could be said that a psychopath could be 'more' human than the average human, but as a Christian, my belief is that humans need a consciousness in order to be the perfect tool in God's work. Psychopaths just cannot have the faith to be religious. They are coldly rational.

Agree. You need to know what is right and wrong to avoid doing the wrong and do what is right when you get a chance.

A question-

How would religion explain (any religion) the reason for psychopaths. The reason why I am saying 'for' is because according to religion all beings are God's creations. Why would God create a being that has no conscience?
 

Lark

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Norman was a psychotic; His mother was the psychopath.

Excellent!

I remember confusing the two a while back, a psychotic could be someone who has schizophrenia or an associated illness and could be characterised by chronic tiredness and lethargy even nothing any more threatening or scary than that.

Would you be able to tell? I think you'd have some incling, the problem is that psychopaths can be highly successful, rewarded and recognised in our society as it is today.

For instance the board room executives who downsize their workforce, resulting in unemployment and an increase in burnouts among the remainder of the workforce, need to have a bit of a slip of conscience and lack of empathy to do that, unless you're just in the grip of administrative cognitive dissonance (spelling) like Eichmann.

I've known at least one head wrecking and manipulative individual who I think would qualify for this label, I know about lots of lying, manipulation and controlling behaviour they were engaging in and suspect a lot more besides. All because it gave them a thrill, they'd talk about knowing someone else and use examples of them engaging in criminality despite not needing to for any fiscal reason but I think they were talking about themselves in the third person.
 
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