A personality disorder, psychopathy has been determined to affect a certain percentage of the population of the world. There are specific characteristics impacting those afflicted with this issue. These may include emotions that are shallow, impulsive behavior, a lack of empathy or remorse for people and situations, as well as antisocial and criminal potential.
While this is extreme on one side of the spectrum of personality traits, most individuals fall closer to the center of the continuum. There are extremes on both sides that may cause concerns. While psychopathy is one extreme, the other may be that of an altruist. This person is a genuine, unselfish and giving person with a concern for others.
Biology Affecting Individuals
There is a basis for many that are affected by both psychopathy and altruism. There could be a chemical imbalance, alterations in the brain and other concerns that may affect the behavior of the person. The brain structure often sheds light on how a person acts or may act according to these differences from the average structure of the brain. Various tests are performed on a test group to determine average results in regards to these two extremes. One such test measured the results of facial expressions when matching the emotions that they convey. Another test included positive and negative feedback with a card game that involved potential rewards. The feedback was used to measure chemical and electrical signals in the brain.
Physiological Differences
Research into these extremes in the personality spectrum takes into account several different factors. One of these is gender. It has been determined through one test that fearful recognition is more recognized in men and related with the right side of a portion of the brain. This is the side that may be more associated with psychopathic traits. This may mean there are structural and functional brain irregularities in physiology. The altruistic individuals are said to be the inverse of those with potential for psychopathic traits. These persons have been tested and often show signs of giving or donating when there is no direct reward for these actions. One particular difference noticed in altruist persons is that their blood flows to the right amygdala portion of the brain. This occurs when viewing certain images of facial patterns showing emotion. Angry faces caused the blood to flow to the corresponding left side of the brain.
Impairment Involving Psychopathy
There are suggested results that explain that those with psychopathic traits may be impaired in a functional capacity when involving the amygdala part of the brain. The farther away from altruistic traits a person may be, the greater reaction there may be to anger in this location of the brain. These persons may have a super sensitivity to anger that causes either heightened emotional responses or lower emotional responses. These issues depend upon the situational factors an individual is subjected to on a daily basis. It appears through this research that abnormalities in the brain may lead to the development of psychopathic disorders for many suffering from these concerns.
The inverse of this issue is the altruistic version. Those that are on this extreme may be considered impaired in thinking about themselves or lacking the capability to give of themselves. Most studies that involve these individuals are due to the actions they performed in donating an organ when it was not required of them by someone they knew. Often in these situations, the altruistic donor did not even know the person to receive these organs. The facial recognition matches were used on them with successful results in determining brain patterns that were frequently the opposite of those with potential for psychopathic traits.
Relating to Criminal or Generous Behavior
Data based on research into these two extremes in personality provide a basis for understanding why a person may commit crimes either occasionally or repeatedly. These concerns are often based on structural or functional alterations in the brain for those repeat offenders. The disorder involving psychopathy is a medical condition that should be treated in order to assist these individuals with their impairments. It is suggested that those suffering from these disorders should not be imprisoned but treated for the medical issues they possess. With further study and research into the matter, it may be possible to reduce the crime rate occurring through these persons.
The opposite side of altruistic individuals shows that their giving nature is needed in society. When many do not have the capacity to give in this regard, there are numerous areas that lack beneficial behavior of positive aspects. Though this inverse behavior is not enough to counter psychopathic disorders, it does assist society when others are incapable of performing these duties.
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