How do you know someone is a psychopath? Why do some become psychopaths? And why are we fascinated by them? Psychologist Siri Helle tells us that less than one percent meet the criteria for psychopathy, but that many people have psychopathic traits.
– When you wonder why some people become psychopaths, it is important to remember that it is a mixture of heredity and environment, she says.
What kind of genes you have, and in which context you grow up, for example, has a meaning when it comes to why some people become psychopaths and others don’t. However, psychopaths are born with a reduced ability to empathize, but then it is a lot about upbringing. People who have been exposed to physical or mental abuse, for example, run a greater risk of suffering from psychopathy.
According to Siri Helle, it is usually said that a little less than one percent meet all the criteria for psychopathy, but that it is a matter of a difference in degree.
– We can have more or less empathy and there are quite a few who have psychotic features. Then it looks a little different in different groups – American studies show, for example, that managers are more often psychopaths, she says.
The darkness fascinates
The widespread fascination with psychopaths and psychopathy, she believes, has to do with the fact that many people are enchanted by people who are perceived as charming but who are at the same time manipulative. It may also be the case that some are drawn to the insidious, she believes.
– It’s probably the darkness that you don’t really understand. On the surface, someone may seem like anyone else, but when you take a closer look, it may turn out that the person does not have the same conscience or is driven as much by caring for others.
Debunking the myths
When it comes to psychopaths and psychopathy, there are also a lot of myths. According to Siri Helle, many people have the opinion that psychopaths are a different kind of people, but the fact remains – it’s about differences in degree.
– Your boss can be a narcissistic piece of shit but for that matter be a psychopath. There is also a myth that psychopaths would be very intelligent and calculating who manipulate people, she says.
– But psychopaths are as intelligent as most people are, and because they are often impulsive and don’t care about the consequences, they usually do it for themselves and for people around them. It is not uncommon to find yourself in trouble with the justice system.
It is also not uncommon for people to claim to be able to recognize a psychopath by their appearance, something that is not possible, according to Siri Helle.
– Some say that there are signs by which you can recognize a psychopath, or that you can see it in the eyes, but it’s not something you can notice on the outside.