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Originally Posted by Unfriendly
The definition I keep hearing is "someone who breaks laws a lot" but I feel like that's a stereotype rather than a useful definition.
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You're most certainly correct. The aforesaid definition doesn't encompass all psychopaths, as not all psychopaths act criminally.
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Is it someone who doesn't have feelings? Is it someone who has trouble feeling feelings? Is it a response to trauma/conditioning or can it be genetic?
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These definitions are quite difficult to explain and have been debated since they were conceived. So I'm just going to give you the cliffnotes version...
Primary psychopaths: Primaries are the unfeeling type, the "true psychopaths", if you will. I use "unfeeling" loosely, as we can experience shallow emotions, such as agitation. These lot are mostly the product of nature. However, environmental factors can trigger psychopathic behaviour and/or influence how the psychopathic behaviour manifests.
Secondary psychopaths: ... are almost entirely the product of their environment. They are deemed "pseudo-psychopaths" because they lack the low anxiety and callousness psychopaths are known for. But they are still considered psychopaths because they got a 30 or higher on the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R). Of these two types, secondaries are more likely to commit violent crimes and/or become habitual criminals. It's been theorised by one expert (whose name escapes me) that secondaries feel guilt constantly, a result of severe and chronic childhood abuse or neglect.
ASPD: Antisocial personality disorder is basically a wastebasket term for habitual criminals. It covers a wide range of mindsets, from a generally good kid who got caught up in gang activity to an actual psychopath. But, for the most part, antisocials are essentially secondary psychopaths who didn't quite get that 30+ score on the PCL-R. Most were simply socialised into a criminal lifestyle or were subject to abuse as children.
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Is it possible for someone who has trouble feeling to one day do so uncomplicatedly?
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I suppose anything is possible, but I highly doubt it.
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Is Dexter (Lila, from the second season, especially) an accurate portrayal?
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Dexter, no. Lila, iffy. Miguel, probably.