Psychopathy is a disorder in which the individual feels no remorse in situations he would be expected to feel or in causing harm to others . However, there are different degrees of psychopathy, and types of personality traits associated with this phenomenon.

Personality types associated with psychopathy

Depending on the type of psychopathy, Ronald Blackburn proposed 4 types of psychopaths: the primary psychopath can be very extroverted, impulsive, hostile and aggressive; introverted with the same previous traits, which is called a secondary psychopath. On the other hand there is the one who has a great need for control, is always defensive, has high self-esteem and keeps his or her anxiety at low levels so he or she is called a controlled psychopath. The one who is withdrawn, shy, anxious and with a low level of self-esteem is called an inhibited psychopath.

On the other hand, within the classification of personalities, there are some that due to their characteristics have a high relation with psychopathic behaviours. Each one is described below:

1. Paranoid personality

They tend to be distrustful, suspicious, suspicious and resentful. They may interpret external signals as hostile or threatening even if they do not intend to. If someone hurts them, they seek revenge. When they feel threatened they choose to attack before they are attacked; they use reactive violence . This personality is highly related to crimes of passion.

2. Schizoid personality

Usually they are isolated people, they can be considered by others as “rare” . They avoid relating to others and if they have to establish contact, this represents a discomfort for them. They tend to be apathetic and insensitive. This personality is related to highly violent crimes, since they use instrumental violence, so they have time to plan the crime with a “cool head” and are 100% focused on doing harm.

3. Antisocial personality

This personality may be observable from childhood, as children with it tend to frighten others and mistreat animals. They easily break rules , seek immediate satisfaction in their actions; they use reactive violence. They tend to blame their victims, as if they had provoked them, and to force sexual relations.

Two variants of criminal psychopathy

Within criminal psychopathy, a classification can be made of:

Organized crime

He is the one who plans his behavior, thinks about everything; how to catch, how to commit the crime, where, what to do with the victim. He uses instrumental violence, takes pleasure in both the execution and the damage done, gets excited about the crime to be committed.

He carefully chooses his victims , since they mean something within the fantasy of the crime, they must fulfill certain characteristics. It is possible to identify a modus operandi, the crime scene can be modified to represent something. Neurobiologically, there is a high degree of activation in the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex, which allows for planning of their actions.

Disorganized criminal

He who does not regulate his behavior, is impulsive to the stimulus that causes him discomfort or anger . He uses reactive violence, which means that he “acts in the heat of the moment”. He has a great need to act so he does not choose his victim, it can be anyone, therefore they are usually called “crimes of opportunity”. He is just looking for a way to unload himself. It’s hard to find a pattern unlike the organized criminal.

In the neurobiological aspect, unlike the previous one, there is little or no activity in the orbitofrontal cortex so there is no inhibitory control. It is hypersensitive to social and emotional issues, there is a distortion in its social cognition. And, like the organized one, there is a high activation in the amygdala.

What to do to intervene psychologically?

While there is no specific treatment for psychopathy, there are suggestions for intervention. It is recommended that therapies are given that focus on behaviour , one should work with awareness of the consequences of the acts carried out by the person, control over themselves, self-observation and not seek immediate rewards. It is important to promote critical thinking, the meaning of one’s emotions, feelings and perceptions. Work on the locus of external control. Within the psychopharmacological treatment, aggression and/or impulse inhibitors are used.