Today we talk about the three types of psychopaths . If you still don’t know exactly what psychopathy is, we recommend that you take a look at the article “Psychopathy: what goes on in the psychopath’s mind” before you start reading.

Types of Psychopaths: the aggressive (primary), the destabilized and the withdrawn (secondary)

Psychopathy has long been and remains an enigma for psychiatry . Because of a failure in the processing of feelings, individuals with no morals emerge who often end up becoming middle-class and apparently normal criminals.

They are a great challenge to understand because of the complexity involved in trying to delve into the motivations of those who seem to feel nothing. Next we will describe the different types of psychopaths categorized by Lykken.

1. Primary Psychopath

It is the one that most closely fits the definition of the term psychopath, which means “psychologically damaged”. His main feature is a deviation in his temperament that is very difficult to master from childhood. As dedicated as parents may be, they are not to blame for how complex dealing with their offspring can be.

It should also be mentioned that there are subjects who can be considered psychopaths and sociopaths at the same time, since in addition to possessing these temperamental characteristics of birth, they do not have good family support or a facilitating environment that allows them to channel their behavior. Therefore, their origin may be both humble and middle class.

2. Destabilized Psychopath

Although they can enjoy normal socialization, they suffer from an organic disorder that when manifested unbalances them to such an extent that they are considered less responsible for the antisocial behavior they will incur during the duration of such an episode.

Epileptic equivalents

Some brain lesions (tumours, for example) can cause abnormal and even antisocial behaviour.David T. Lykken also suggests in this section the idea of a “short circuit” that would occur in the mechanisms of sex and aggression of the brain of these individuals.He proposes that “(…) the biographies of some serial killers start with the obtaining of sexual pleasure when they tortured animals as children and suggest in a clear way the existence of a kind of short circuit between the motivational systems in the brain architecture” (p.63).

Choleric type

It includes those who suffer from outbursts of cholera. Those at the upper end of the normal distribution would be framed in relation to their predisposition to anger and the intensity of it. Despite venturing to give a taxonomy of psychopathy and its causes, the author acknowledges how little is known about the relevance of individual differences to these types of issues, wondering whether the anger experienced by those who are most easily angered is more intense, or whether greater irascibility also causes a greater explosion of anger.

Hypersexuality

Just as with anger, there would be a tendency towards a more intense sexual appetite. But questions also arise as to whether the frequency of arousal predicts the maximum intensity of the sex drive, or whether the intensity of sexual arousal during intercourse will determine the number of orgasms required to be satisfied. As with the members of the previous subgroup, those we would find here are also at constant risk because they are at the upper end of the normal distribution of appetite and sexual intensity.

Pathological wishes

They feel the need to satisfy illicit or morally reprehensible pleasures by taking risky actions. Various stress situations stimulate the secretion of endogenous opiates that help to endure pain and also contribute to experiencing the so-called “high”. In individuals with greater susceptibility, crime (and above all, violence), these endorphins produce only a pleasant state as there is no pain or discomfort to mitigate. Therefore it is easy to conclude that for them, “crime itself is their reward” (p.65).

Hysterical type

The basic characteristic here lies in the duality between the indifference between the actions committed by these people and the remorse or anxiety they may otherwise feel. Despite being well socialised, a young person who thinks about doing something forbidden and feels uneasy when reflecting on the consequences, is also more vulnerable to being tempted, because he or she may come to repress this unease. However, this repressive action is prone to exhaustion, so in the periods when it is not active, this type of psychopath will feel resentment and guilt for what he may have done.

3. Secondary Psychopath

Similar to the primary ones in terms of impulsivity, aggressiveness and low socialization, but with a marked tendency to guilt and withdrawal . According to Fowles and Gray’s neurophysiological model, impulsive and psychopathic behaviour may be due to a poor ‘behaviour inhibition system’ (BIS) or to an excessive activation in the ‘behaviour activation system’ (BIS).

The first case would lead to primary psychopathy, while the second would lead to secondary psychopathy. The latter feel overwhelmed, stressed and are dissatisfied with themselves and their lives. Like the other group , they carry out crimes driven by their impulses , but they differ in the remorse and subsequent stress they suffer, which may even be higher than that of ordinary people.

You can already visit the article in which we talked in detail about the differences between psychopathy and sociopathy

Bibliographic references:

  • Lykken, D. (1994) Antisocial personalities . Barcelona: Herder.