Psychopathy and Juju

Statistically 1% of the general population is diagnosed with psychopathy, which is something the night's talker, Jessica, points out in the first couple of minutes. She has worked in the forensic field for awhile and specialised in uncovering the characteristics of the darker, callous, impulsive side of human nature. This, as expected, does involve perusing horrific case studies and interviews with murderers and serial killers.

"There's probably one in the room tonight."

The statement inspired a spell of laughter, but I couldn't help but look around wondering which one of the slightly liquored up, inquisitive Londoners might just be the One.

Juju's Stage&Bar in Shoreditch was just the place for a gathering harbouring people who want to listen to a talk about psychopaths. Whether the name Juju was of more marketing value for the talk could be debated. The bar itself was one of the many brilliantly atmospheric establishments resembling the "It" alter district with its mediterranean vibe paired with mulled wine and coloured iridescent lighting. It was comfortably busy when I arrived, people, as a good British tradition, went straight for the alcohol before settling in a chair despite it being a Tuesday night, so there were more than enough spare seats close to the purple-green lit stage.

Fortunately, I had come prepared and was somewhat versed in the topic itself, but admittedly there is a certain un-life-like dryness to academic journals, so illustrating it with modern lingo and visuals never hurts, especially for the everyday layman.

Jessica was a pleasant presence, someone you would not tell could be an expert in this field. She highlighted genetic and biological factors, psychopathy's connection to the amygdala, our centre of fight-and-flight fear responses, and the frontal lobe's role in the regulation of the Freudian, basic "id" impulses, showing a reduced activity in psychopaths.

Impulsivity and a lack of fear are just two of the well-known and advertised features of psychopathy. Callousness, deceptive tendencies, superficial charm are also part of the package.

We watched several videos demonstrating each characteristic and examined case studies from adults committing horrendous acts to children carving up and murdering other children.

Probably the most shocking watch proved to be a little girl, grey eyes, all brown curls, no more than seven or eight, being asked why her parents locked her room at night, unflinchingly answer, "because they're afraid I'd hurt my little brother."

What bothered me about her approach is that especially in the cases of these children, she obviously talked about treatment. It was dealt with as if psychopathy was a disease that should be corrected and snuffed out to fit the norm.

In these cases I always make the argument about how it never distresses the people who suffer from the crazies. It's only deviant behaviour to the societal norm whichis defined by society. So to them it's the norm. They do not know how else to behave. That does not necessarily make it a disease. Obviously that is not the case concerning clinical psychopathy, which is the disruptive kind and the serial-killer kind of crazies.

However the Dark Triad traits, which psychopathy is a part of, are just normal personality traits like extraversion or agreeableness. These are dimensional measures to determine a person's basic personality traits. An individual can score high on extraversion or low on agreeableness, which means they're exhibitionists who don't get along well with others, the same way they can have a high score in psychopathy. That does not make them a psychopath.

It means that people inherently have these traits and they can have psychopathic tendencies. This does not mean skinning kittens in your aunt's backyard. It means that you might be operating well under pressure on tasks or you're more impulsive than other people—in a non-violent way.

The bad connotations with psychopathy unfortunately come from its representation in the media because all we see is the horrid side of it, namely serial killers.

In cases such as the child murderers, it is important to circumvent their impulsive urges to satisfy their own distressing thoughts because they will be able to cope with life later on and be a functioning member of society. However, I found it of critique not to mention that trait psychopathy exists and it is probably an evolutionary remnant of trying to adapt to hostile environments.

I am writing an essay about female psychopathy, why they're less advertised or why there's less research going into why psychopathy favours the male sex in granting it a favourable lifestyle.

So there is probably going to be more... Soon.