Yates VerdictFollow

So he'll come to another funeral?

Dr. Martha Stout theorizes that psychopaths are emotionally infantile - self centered, impulsive, cognitively capable of understanding that actions have consequences but emotionally unable to grasp that those consequences matter.

My own theory is that there are degrees of psychopathy - that it's not on/off but a continuum. Hard to test that, though.

Yep. And that same protective coloration lets them manipulate and con others to an amazing degree. They know, or can calculate, what you want them to say; they have no compunction about saying it, whatever it is. That's one reason they're difficult to test with any validity.

Everyone reading this has probably known a psychopath, without realizing it at the time - possibly never realizing it.

The other thing to remember is that the vast majority of psychopaths are not violent criminals. They're conniving bastards, but if it's easy to get their way legally, why not? There's no compulsion to break laws - just no restraint against it, either. Law, politics, business are all perfectly legitimate undertakings where they can shine with their superb gamesmanship.

It's the same thing. "Sociopath" is the older term.

Or, the book you're reading was written before The Great War!

Maybe not so much misinformed as lying to you. There is no "getting better." They are what they are.

I'll bet she has excellent business cards though.

Maybe a little of both. I'm not sure the condition is irreversible, but there would certainly be little motive on the part of the psychopath to change.