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Emotional Processes in Psychopathy

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Violence and Psychopathy

Abstract

Emotion is important to understanding aggression and violence because it is the force that drives behavior. Individuals who behave violently usually do so because they are moved to do so by strong emotions. However, empirical research indicates that psychopaths are highly aggressive, but also detached and unemotional. To resolve this apparent contradiction, it is necessary to consider that there may be different forms of aggression and different aspects of psychopathy. This paper outlines a theoretical model of emotion, and a methodology (the startle-probe technique), for investigating basic emotional processes in normal and abnormal individuals. Recent research of this kind in criminal offender populations suggests that the detached, predatory style of the “true” psychopath is related to a weakness in the defensive system of the brain that governs negative emotional response. In turn, this emotional weakness is related to a particular set of temperament traits, and specific forms of aggressive behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, USA

    Christopher J. Patrick

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  1. Christopher J. Patrick
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Adrian Raine

  2. Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of Valencia & Queen Sofia Center for the Study of Violence, Valencia, Spain

    José Sanmartín

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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Patrick, C.J. (2001). Emotional Processes in Psychopathy. In: Raine, A., Sanmartín, J. (eds) Violence and Psychopathy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1367-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1367-4_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5519-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1367-4

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