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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Inside the mind of a PSYCHOPATH: Researchers find they do feel fear - but don't recognise danger Inability to experience fear has been thought to drive psychopaths' actions But, researchers say these individuals may actually feel the emotion Rather than lacking fear, they struggle to recognize and respond to threat Psychopaths are known to be manipulative and callous towards others, with severe emotional disturbances driving their antisocial actions. Neuroscientists have long attributed this behaviour to a general lack of fear – but according to a new study, psychopaths might not be as fearless as once thought. Researchers have found that these individuals may actually experience this emotion, but fall short in their ability to recognize and respond to threats. Neuroscientists have long attributed the behaviour of psychopaths to a general lack of fear – but according to a new study, they might not be as fearless as once thought. A scene from the film American Psycho is pictured +2 Neuroscientists have long attributed the behaviour of psychopaths to a general lack of fear – but according to a new study, they might not be as fearless as once thought. A scene from the film American Psycho is pictured THE 'DARK TRIAD' OF TRAITS Narcissism: Tendencies of attention-seeking, charm, vanity, grandiose yet low self-esteem, and a willingness to manipulate others. Machiavellianism: Coldness, immoral thinking, long-term manipulation, blunt practicality, and hunger for money, success or power. Psychopathy: Antisocial behaviours, thrill-seeking, manipulation and impulsivity. In the study, published to the Psychological Bulletin, researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen analyzed the relationship between fear and psychopathy in adults. For decades, the supposed deficit in this emotion has been seen as an ‘etiologically salient factor’ in psychopaths’ risk-taking behaviours. These types of emotional disturbances are among the traits that distinguish psychopathy from other psychiatric disorders. ‘Psychopathy is a severe personality disorder that entails affective dullness, a deceitful and entitled interpersonal style, and often impulsive, irresponsible, and reckless behaviour,’ the authors wrote. ‘The interpersonal and affective components are believed to lie at the core of psychopathy, whereas the antisocial features are shared with other disorders.’ The team created a model to separate the brain mechanisms involved in the automatic detection and response to threats from the conscious experience of fear as an emotion, and examined earlier works dating as far back as 1806. Psychopaths occasionally tend to exhibit unconvincing emotional responses , with slip-ups including tone of voice or body language. They will also offer to do favours and tell false secrets (stock image) to people to gain their complete trust +2 Psychopaths occasionally tend to exhibit unconvincing emotional responses , with slip-ups including tone of voice or body language. They will also offer to do favours and tell false secrets (stock image) to people to gain their complete trust Through the ‘meta-analysis,’ the researchers found little evidence to support the idea that psychopaths have impairments in the brain that prevent them from consciously experiencing fear. But, they did find that psychopathic individuals have trouble detecting threats. According to the team, this study offers the first empirical evidence that automatic and conscious processes can be affected independently within one disorder. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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