Psychopathic criminals have empathy switch

Psychopathic criminals have empathy switch

Placed in a brain scanner, psychopathic criminals watched videos of one person hurting another and were asked to empathise with the individual in pain.

Only when asked to imagine how the pain receiver felt did the area of the brain related to pain light up.

Scientists, reporting in Brain, say their research explains how psychopaths can be both callous and charming.

Additional Reading
Reduced spontaneous but relatively normal deliberate vicarious representations in psychopathy

Problems with the technology and statistical methods used in such studies.
Scanning Dead Salmon in fMRI Machine Highlights Risk of Red Herrings

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


Hi ATSmediaPRO, I can't believe I'm having to say this to a mod (dont take offense) but you should really add some of your own thoughts and comments (original content) regarding a post rather than just a quote and a link

reply to post by ATSmediaPRO


Then wouldn't watching Horror and Violence teach the brain how to disconnect this switch as well for normal people?

Are we creating an army of Psychopaths through violent media?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

this thread I found to be interesting on the same subject

Can't everyone do this?

Originally posted by superman2012
Can't everyone do this?

I think we can all be trained to do it, this reasearch is claiming psychopaths have thier emapathy switch set to off all the time by default but can turn it on when they want to.

Im not sure i agree. I think psychopaths can learn to fake empathy when they want to but they dont really have it in them.

I seldom make such a piss poor response, but I don't believe this research.
I think we're just building a reality where the Dexters and other serial killer psychopaths, since it seems so many of our highly "successful" leaders are psychopaths, are more likeable, justifiable and excuseable. Perhaps I've just misunderstood the bind, torture, kill guy all these years, huh.....

So they have the empathy switch, but aren't wired to turn it on unless told to? Or, they empathize when it's convenient like in a research study or when they aren't pissed, or have nothing to gain? Or when someone's looking, maybe.....
Tetra50

I remember on the series The Sopranos.....shrinks talking about how psychopaths could show sympathies and protective behavior toward children and pets. And then go "do" jersey sal in the trunk of the car....pick up some cat food on the way home some ice cream for the kids.

reply to post by Logarock


Borderline Personality Disorder.

That is the basis of that particular conversation. And the lines between BPD, sociopathy, and psychopathy are very blurry.