Is All Psychopathy Bad?
This question arose after an interesting discovery from neuroscientist Dr. James Fallon. Dr. Fallon’s studies involved Alzheimer’s and brain scans of serial killers/psychopaths through Positron Emission Tomography “PET” imaging. The scans of serial killers sparked an interest and led to more studies, this time a control was involved and Dr. Fallon’s brain scan was part of the control. It wasn’t until this that he discovered he is a psychopath.
(Left brain scans are of Dr. Fallon’s son and this is what a normal brain scan looks like. The brain scans on the right belong to Dr. Fallon and you can see that the orbital cortex is dormant. Photo courtesy of James Fallon and NPR’s Barbara Hagerty.)
A history of violence was later revealed by Dr. Fallon’s mother that includes descendants like Thomas Cornell (hung for murdering his mother) and the infamous Lizzie Borden (acquitted for the murder of her two parents).
This of course led to further research and most of the studies were conducted on the “12 genes related to aggression and violence.” (Hagerty, 2010). Out of the 12 genes, the MAO-A (monoamine oxidase A) a.k.a. the “warrior gene,” caught his attention “because it regulates serotonin in the brain” which is known as a calming agent that affects one’s mood. (Hagerty, 2010). “Scientists believe that if you have a certain version of the warrior gene, your brain won’t respond to the calming effects of serotonin.” (Hagerty, 2010). Additional studies conducted by other researchers led to the nature v. nurture effect that suppresses the MAO-A gene. The research determined that children with the warrior gene that were abused and/or experienced significant traumatic moments sparked the warrior gene, but children with the warrior gene that were brought up in a positive environment did not become violent psychopathic killers. An example of this is none other than Dr. Fallon.
Well, the PET scans, PCL-R along with Dr. Fallon’s therapist indicate that he is a true psychopath, but he is not a serial killer – so is all psychopathy bad?
Let’s think about this one with an open mind the way Dr. Fallon did. In one of Dr. Fallon’s live presentations at the World Science Festival that can be viewed through YouTube, he fearlessly explored this inquest.
Dr. Fallon asked his audience a couple of questions: do you really want a surgeon that is too emotional/empathic or do you want someone that is more detached from all the feelings and more focused on performing the calculative surgery? Do you want a green beret that gets emotional or one that can go in and complete the mission successfully? Do you want a CEO that doesn’t want to win and make the big bucks?
All of this sparked a new way of thinking and that not all psychopaths are monsters or serial killers. A good depiction of this is the film “I Am Fishead,” which revealed the studies from Paul Babiak and Robert Hare which explored the corporate psychopath based on their research and book “Snakes in Suits.” They derived that the corporate psychopath may not be easy to get along with since they lack empathy, they’re charming, egotistical, and they are manipulative to name a few (20 total traits).
(Photos courtesy of pixabay.com)
These corporate psychopaths do not kill (well, at least that we know of), and they may be horrible team players, but they do play a big role in business economy.
All in all, research on the intricacy of psychopathy is still in its infancy and we hope to find more answers as research continues.
Not all bad is bad and not all good is good.
References:
Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. (2010, 29 June). A Neuroscientist Uncovers a Dark Secret. NPR. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127888976
Hare Psychopathy Checklist. The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health. . Retrieved December 01, 2018 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hare-psychopathy-checklist
Vortruba, Mishba, and Dejcmar, Vaclab. (2011, 11 Sep.) I am Fishead. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://www.fisheadmovie.com/watch1
World Science Festival. (2014, 21 Oct.) The Moth: Confessions of a Pro-Social Psychopath – James Fallon. YouTube. Retrieved December 8, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzqn6Z_Iss0
ZeitgeistMinds. (2014, 16 Sep.) James Fallon, Neuroscientist – A Scientist’s Journey Through Psychopathy. YouTube. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOjykLQAdaE