The Psychopath: Nature Or Nurture?

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The Psychopath: Nature or Nurture? To what extent is psychopathy attributed to biological predisposition? Name: Nicolette Nuutinen Candidate #: Subject: Psychology – Extended Essay Word Count: School: Land O’ Lakes High School Date: August 2014 Abstract This paper investigates the research question: to what extent is psychopathy due to biological predisposition? The concept of the psychopath has existed for centuries, and while extensive studies have been performed, there is still no definitive answer for what causes psychopathy. The definition, the diagnosis, the treatment-- all parts of the psychopath that have been figured out. But the cause is still up for debate, by looking at both the biological …show more content…

J. Eysenck based his theory of psychopathy on the three dimensional model of personality. “There are certain major personality variables, independent of each other; that these are in great measure genetically determined...” (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1978, p.198) Eysenck regarded the three dimensions as Extraversion (E), Neuroticism (N), and Psychoticism (P). Psychopaths were expected to be defined by high E, high N, and high P. A high N meant that one would overreact to stimuli overtly. A high E meant one craved excitement and change, tending to be aggressive and unreliable. Meanwhile, a high P implied they were solitary, uncaring of other people, insensitive, sensation-seeking, liking odd things, foolhardy, and enjoyment from other people’s discomfort. (Eysenck, 1977, p.58) Eysenck believed that psychopaths “because of their hereditarily based characteristically low level of cortical arousal, condition poorly to environmental contingencies.” Without conditioned moral and social responses, the psychopath behaves in ways that do not follow society’s laws and rules. (Doren, …show more content…

There is some sort of mixture of biology and society that creates the psychopath, or at the very least cultivates them. The culture of modern America no doubt supports sociopathic behaviors, seeing them as “tough” rather than cruel. In 2013, a book by Kevin Dutton was released, titled The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. When Pritchard referred to psychopaths as suffering from “moral insanity,” it is doubtful he ever imagined that one day those very same qualities would be considered

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