TypoC Psychopaths

[Riva]

So Riva the Lionheart could be a psychopath and we would never know, or Victor the .... the .... oh something, could also be a psychopath and you would never know. I mean Riva's charm precedes him and Victor follows in his footsteps - and all the time the footsteps of a psychopath pad behind you.

Taking what you said literally - My charm precedes me? Lets just say it had been more than 3 months since I last had sex - to prove you wrong.

 

[wildcat]

We wouldn't know a psychopath if we meet one in RL let alone online. They are social chameleons. the nicest person we meet in RL could be the most dangerous psychopath. But eventually he/she would get caught. But online??? Oh almost never.

Yet trolls get frequently banned.

 

[Lark]

Yet trolls get frequently banned.

I dont think trolls are in the same league, a psychopath would be charming online, get the relationship to an offline stage and pull all kinds of shit at that point.

 

[Rasofy]

Some of them seem to use the internet as a place to talk about things that they can't talk about offline.

Also, not every psychopath is a killer - many of them are smart enough to know that killing has serious consequences.

Even though they wouldn't feel remorse about killing, this doesn't mean they disregard the possible consequences.

 

[Salomé]

I think diagnosing someone with a disorder over the internet is borderline impossible.

And maybe this is a product of me reading biographies about too many serial rapist and serial killers but... Some of the most 'notorious' psychopaths in history were so very successful at getting away with their crimes long-term because of how normal they appeared on the surface - their acquaintances and neighbors usually never had a clue. Given their manipulative nature... Especially with a medium like the internet to hide behind? I'm convinced you'd never know.

I think a lot of the people who 'act like' sociopaths on the internet are just in it for attention.

I disagree. There are clear patterns and diagnostic criteria. Just because most of the people are fooled, doesn't make it an impossible feat.

Just for thread in general... there is no definition of 'psychopath'. It's a catch all ranging from emotionless to very emotional, from anti-social behavior (the better clinical term) to smooth talking manipulator.

Not true. Psychopath has gone out of fashion, it has been replaced by sociopath. The disorder is called anti-social personality disorder, but the terms are all synonymous. It has nothing to do with being a serial-killer. That's just a common misconception rooted in slasher flicks and bad journalism.

I guess the question I would ask you/everyone; pretty much all of us have watched people die on screen. Hundreds of people. We enjoy it, if we are truthful to ourselves. Where do we fit in the definition?

Speak for yourself.

Internet psychopaths might simply be a subset of the population who are more susceptible to these behaviors, perhaps due to the fact that they do not readily sympathize or empathize with people who aren’t right in front of them.

I maintain it's a misleading misuse of the term. A person can be deficient in empathy without being a psychopath. In fact, psychopaths display good use of cognitive empathy - that is to say, they understand how other people feel and what their motivations are (aka theory of mind). They just don't care.

 

[Jonny]

I maintain it's a misleading misuse of the term. A person can be deficient in empathy without being a psychopath. In fact, psychopaths display good use of cognitive empathy - that is to say, they understand how other people feel and what their motivations are (aka theory of mind). They just don't care.

I use the term only as a placeholder for the purposes of brevity. I do believe that people who display such behaviors more readily are closer to psychopathic than those who don’t, and I do think that they should be distinguished in a meaningful way from those who don't, but I don’t mean to suggest that they should be classified as psychopaths. I’m very much against equivocation, and since I can see how using the term internet psychopath to refer to these sorts of people opens that door, I hold no major attachment to the term. What about using the term internet-generated-ostensible-pseudo-psychopathy instead? (IGOPP for short)

 

[ptgatsby]

Not true. Psychopath has gone out of fashion, it has been replaced by sociopath. The disorder is called anti-social personality disorder, but the terms are all synonymous. It has nothing to do with being a serial-killer. That's just a common misconception rooted in slasher flicks and bad journalism.

The only truth in this is that it's badly defined, historically and currently. People fill in the definition to the question you asked.

Speak for yourself.

*shrug* Denial is not intellectually honest. In any case, even if you are the sole exception, it's nearly universally true.

 

[Salomé]

I use the term only as a placeholder for the purposes of brevity. I do believe that people who display such behaviors more readily are closer to psychopathic than those who don’t, and I do think that they should be distinguished in a meaningful way from those who don't, but I don’t mean to suggest that they should be classified as psychopaths. I’m very much against equivocation, and since I can see how using the term internet psychopath to refer to these sorts of people opens that door, I hold no major attachment to the term. What about using the term internet-generated-ostensible-pseudo-psychopathy instead? (IGOPP for short)

What about not?
There are not "degrees of psychopathy" it's a binary state. Psychopath's brains are different from normal brains.

The only truth in this is that it's badly defined, historically and currently. People fill in the definition to the question you asked.

It's defined fine in the DSM. I've provided a link to a definition, no need to fill in the blanks.

*shrug* Denial is not intellectually honest. In any case, even if you are the sole exception, it's nearly universally true.

You don't say. Like a lie is dishonest?
I'm sure I'm not the only person who doesn't enjoy watching sentient beings suffer acts of violence, though I'm quite aware there are those who do. I doubt it's as universal as you propose.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

It's defined fine in the DSM. I've provided a link to a definition, no need to fill in the blanks.

The definition of things in the DSM is itself a perennial war.

 

[Salomé]

Whatever, whatever.
Let's get back to outing psychos!!

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

There is a person I know about irl who has to be a psychopath based on what he has done in his private life - not just cruel and dishonest, but strange, and unfortunately intelligent enough to accomplish plenty. He of course is/was highly successful at manipulation.

Years later I read his professional bio online expecting it to be subtle and intelligent in its manipulation. It was painfully transparent filled with passive-aggression, condescension, and mock humility. I think there are several people online right here who could see through it instantly. Of course people are more cynical now than they were when he was young.

edit: I can't name anyone here though. Strangely enough, I think I blank out from my mind the people I don't want to think about.

 

[Wolfie]

Just poppin' in to say Zarathustra.

 

[JAVO]

I'm not a psychopath, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[ptgatsby]

It's defined fine in the DSM. I've provided a link to a definition, no need to fill in the blanks.

It is? I don't remember ever seeing it (well, since DSM III? Maybe before the 80s?). I couldn't find your link to the DSM definition; do you mind reposting it?

I'm sure I'm not the only person who doesn't enjoy watching sentient beings suffer acts of violence, though I'm quite aware there are those who do. I doubt it's as universal as you propose.

You get me wrong; I believe you, specifically, do enjoy it and exist in a state of self-denial about it. I'd put you at a higher rate than the average population; probability is derived for your obvious interest in conflict. It is highly unlikely that you do not enjoy the general arousal that comes with conflict taken farther. Only as a point of conversation - I barely know you.

Anyway, it's fairly universal, but it seems unlikely that it worth arguing over. The central point here is that the definitions are a continuum, with a healthy/unhealthy divide, and we all exhibit various degrees of any definition we choose to use.

 

[Anew Leaf]

I'm not a psychopath, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Well, you didn't SEEM to be an axe murderer, but I never said you weren't a psychopath.

 

[JAVO]

Well, you didn't SEEM to be an axe murderer, but I never said you weren't a psychopath.

Oh good, so I haven't blown it entirely.

 

[Anew Leaf]

Oh good, so I haven't blown it entirely.

The good news is that the second time I make food for friends, I give them the antidote.

 

[JAVO]

The good news is that the second time I make food for friends, I give them the antidote.

Much appreciated!

 

[Anew Leaf]

Much appreciated!

I do enjoy the added layer of the fact that now *I* look like a psychopath.

 

[JAVO]

I do enjoy the added layer of the fact that now *I* look like a psychopath.

It's ok. You're in good company here in this thread, friend.