Psychopathic Personality

It is difficult to find out whether someone is suffering from psychopathic personality disorder, as these people are shrewd enough to keep their negative side under wraps. Their ability to camouflage the negative personality with a positive one helps them close in on you and deliver a severe blow, without you getting slightest hint of what is happening.

Among the various personality disorders in psychology, psychopathy is perhaps one of the most severe, as the person suffering from it can use his cunning nature for heinous deeds, without having the slightest remorse or guilt for the same.

In psychology, psychopathy is a personality disorder, which is typically characterized by lack of any sense of moral principles and emotions, and the ability to display perfectly normal behavior. A person suffering from this personality disorder is often referred to as a psychopath.

The terms psychopathic personality and sociopathic personality are seldom used in international diagnostic manuals today. Instead, these and other such disorders are grouped together into the broad category of anti-social personality disorder.

High on verbal intelligence, but low emotional quotient! That is the basic characteristics of a psychopath. While the absence of a proper definition of psychopathy in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) makes its diagnosis difficult, it is possible if you are well-versed with the generic personality traits associated with this.

Here are some of the most prominent traits which can be helpful in determining whether a person is suffering the condition.

• These people tend to display a superficial charm which is their primary tool to cover up their heinous deeds.
• Individuals suffering from this personality disorder display a behavior typically characterized by a total lack of empathy.

• Pathological lying is yet another characteristic trait which psychopaths use as a tool of success.
• These people also display a total lack of remorse or guilt for their heinous deeds.

• They are very manipulative in nature, as they feel that manipulation is the easiest way to achieve success.
• Psychopaths also have a grandiose sense of self worth. They can't stand anyone else taking the center stage.

• An individual suffering from psychopathic personality tends to display a promiscuous sexual behavior.
• Most often, these people are seen practicing a parasitic lifestyle.
• At times, they also display an aggressive behavior characterized by criminal versatility.

These were some of the most prominent traits which can be helpful in diagnosing the disorder. With all these traits to their credit, it is not surprising to come across a psychopath serving a sentence for some heinous crime.

You need to be careful though, and avoid relating these traits with the behavior of each and every individual you come across. You can't label a person as a psychopath simply because the person displays one or two personality traits that we discussed here.

You need to understand that it is perfectly normal to have one or two of these traits, such as extreme stress or mental illnesses, which are generally triggered under certain conditions. That, however, doesn't mean you can tag the person as a psychopath.