Psychopathy - signs in men and women, the most famous psychopaths. Who is a psychopath and how to recognize him Pure psychopathy

Psychopathy is a pronounced antisocial personality disorder that creates serious obstacles to adaptation in society. Typically, such a character anomaly is congenital, but it is finally fixed in adolescence, after which it does not change throughout life.

Once you experience a psychotic disorder, you will never confuse it with other mental illnesses.

Who are psychopaths?

An example of a psychopathic personality. Still from the film "A Clockwork Orange".

Many psychopaths are not ruthless criminals. On the contrary, they can often be successful businessmen, responsible managers, and excellent specialists in their field. Men with psychopathy are famous for their very high intelligence, they are excellent at making money, and have excellent manners, which often creates the illusion of normality. Psychopathic women are bright and artistic personalities who enjoy great success among men.

The problem with psychopaths is their absolute lack of higher moral feelings. A psychopath does not know what conscience, shame or compassion is. He cannot experience feelings of love, sympathy, affection. It's sad, but for psychopaths there are no such concepts as honesty and remorse.

Psychotic disorders

Psychopathy or psychotic disorder is a personality anomaly (congenital or arising in early childhood), character pathology, defect of higher nervous activity, leading to mental inferiority. The name of the disease comes from two Greek words: soul and suffering. It is psychopaths that can be called “mentally ill” in the truest sense of the word.

There are no signs of organic brain damage in psychopathy, this indirectly confirms the high development of intelligence of the patient with this disorder. Anomalies of IRR usually manifest themselves in a pronounced imbalance of nervous processes (inhibition and excitation), in their special mobility, the predominance of any signaling system, or insufficient regulation of the subcortex. The combination of these anomalies in different combinations determines the form of psychopathy.

The behavior of a psychopathic personality is very variable, it changes depending on the form of the disorder. Any psychopathy develops when a biologically congenital or acquired in early childhood deficiency of the nervous system reacts with unfavorable external conditions. The characteristic feature of a person diagnosed with psychopathy is the dissonance of the emotional and volitional spheres with intellectual integrity. The psychopathic characteristics of such a person greatly complicate his adaptation in society, and in the event of acute psychotrauma they lead to antisocial behavior.

Psychopathy is a reversible personality defect. If favorable conditions for life are created for a psychopath, then their mental anomalies will be significantly smoothed out. But we must take into account that such people always walk on the edge of normal behavior. In all problematic situations, psychopaths always break down, which is a manifestation of behavioral maladjustment. A psychopath is characterized by an immature psyche, immaturity, suggestibility, a great tendency to exaggerate, and suspiciousness. In addition, psychopaths occupy almost the main place among people prone to violence and crime.

Even if psychopathy is inherent in a completely respectable citizen, his tendency to strange and unusual behavior, as well as sudden, causeless mood changes, will always be an integral sign of such a person. The presence of psychopathy always leaves an imprint on life.

Reasons

A combination of various factors is involved in the emergence of different types of psychopathy, but one of them is always of decisive importance.

Sometimes the leading factor in the occurrence of psychopathy is the innate features of the constitution, and sometimes it is the psychogenic interaction of society and the environment.

There are three groups of psychopathy according to their leading factors:

  1. Nuclear or constitutional psychopathy. The main cause of disease is heredity or constitution (ie, biological factors), but situational factors are also significant (eg, family dysfunction);
  2. Organic psychopathy. The cause of such psychopathies is mild organic deficiency (MCD) acquired in childhood. External situational factors play a more significant role the less pronounced the organic anomaly itself is. This type of psychopathy is also often called mosaic.
  3. Edge psychopathy. The role of biological factors is minimal, and the formation of the disorder depends on psychogenic and situational factors.

Symptoms

Psychopathy, regardless of its type, always has common symptoms. The disorder must meet the following criteria:

The diagnosis is made in the presence of three of the above characterological signs.

There are five major types of psychopathy: asthenic, schizoid, hysterical, paranoid and excitable psychopathy. Each type of psychopathy has its own symptoms:


Features of the disease

The peculiarity of psychopathy is that its signs appear much more often in men than in women. But psychopathic disorders in modern children are much more common conditions than people think (primary signs of the disorder can be noticeable as early as three years of age).

Psychopathic men

An example of a psychopathic personality. Still from the film "The Shining".

What are the most common manifestations of psychopathy in men? Regarding such men, it can be said that they are all pretenders and hypocrites. They simply portray their feelings and do not experience them in reality. Such men always have a strong desire to manipulate people around them. These are cold and immoral people, so there is emotional discord in the personal lives of psychopathic men. They constantly cause only anxiety and suffering to loved ones, as well as employees.

Women who are in personal relationships with them especially suffer from these men. As a rule, love relationships with psychopaths lead to severe psychological trauma. A distinctive feature of these men is the constant abuse of trust and humiliation of women, numerous senseless betrayals. Among male psychopaths there are a lot of bright personalities who have problems with the law. A close relationship with a psychopath puts a woman at risk of sexual and physical violence.

Psychopathic women

How does psychopathic disorder manifest itself in women? Features of manifestations of psychotic disorder in women have been studied less than in men. This is due to the fact that psychopathy is much less common in women. Researchers of female psychopathy argue that the behavior of typical psychopaths has its own characteristics. So, female psychopaths are still not as aggressive and cruel compared to male psychopaths. In addition, female psychopaths are much less likely than men to commit crimes while in a state of passion.

Psychopathy in women is usually accompanied by kleptomania, alcoholism, dependence on other psychoactive substances, a tendency to vagrancy and sexual promiscuity. Symptoms of antisocial behavior in women with psychopathy are detected as early as eleven years of age. However, if you do not pay attention to excessive sexual activity, then psychopaths are almost no different in their characteristics and behavior from men with psychopathy.

Children with psychotic disorders

The first signs of childhood psychopathy can appear as early as 2-3 years, but more often this occurs in adolescents. Psychotic disorder in a young child can be expressed in his inability to sympathize and compassion, in the absence of remorse for unacceptable behavior, but a particularly clear sign is cruelty to other children, as well as animals.

Having matured, such children “do not fit” into the standards and norms of society. They like to constantly commit antisocial acts, take drugs or alcohol, and break the law (steal, hooliganism). Psychotic disorder in adolescents usually leads to registration in the children's police room, since their parents are extremely reluctant to go to doctors.

The main signs of a child with psychopathy traits:

  • regular fights, theft or damage to other people's things;
  • violation of parental prohibitions, for example, running away from home;
  • there is no feeling of guilt for negative actions;
  • indifference to the feelings of others;
  • indifference about school performance;
  • shows vivid emotions when he wants to greatly frighten or subjugate him to his will;
  • refuses to take responsibility;
  • lack of fear, conscious desire for risk;
  • lack of response to the threat of punishment;
  • values ​​personal pleasure most of all.

Psychopathy is often disguised as a “difficult character.” A person with psychopathy seeks to manipulate other people and does not take their interests into account at all. A psychopath does not care about other people's feelings; he has absolutely no remorse for his actions, even the most unpleasant ones. People with psychotic disorders never draw conclusions from their behavior when problems arise and do not try to change it. Their behavior is very impulsive and deceitful, they ignore any danger, and are prone to cruelty to people and animals.

(constitutional psychopathy, personality disorders) - mental disorders in which there is a persistent disturbance of character and behavioral tendencies, affecting several areas of the personality. Arises from birth or early childhood and persists throughout life. Accompanied by social and personal maladaptation of varying degrees of severity. Psychopathy is a multifactorial disease, the significance of various factors can vary significantly. The diagnosis is made taking into account the history and clinical symptoms. Treatment – ​​assistance in adaptation, psychotherapy, drug therapy.

General information

mental disorders observed throughout the patient's life. They are characterized by persistent disturbances of character and behavior, leading to deterioration of social and personal adaptation. According to statistics obtained in 2008 as a result of large-scale international studies, more than 10% of the population suffers from psychopathy (including mild forms). At the same time, the prevalence of emotionally unstable, schizotypal, histrionic and dissocial personality disorder is approximately 2% for each disorder, and the frequency of anxiety and narcissistic disorder ranges from 0.5 to 1%.

A connection with gender is revealed. Asthenic, hysterical and emotionally unstable personality disorder are more often diagnosed in women, other psychopathy - in men. Some patients experience a combination of symptoms characteristic of several personality disorders. Due to its widespread prevalence, the diagnosis and treatment of psychopathy is becoming a problem of high medical and social significance. Treatment of this pathology is carried out by specialists in the field of psychiatry, psychotherapy and clinical psychology.

Causes of psychopathy

The significance of certain factors in the development of psychopathy has not yet been reliably clarified, which is due to the difficulty of studying the circumstances influencing the formation of this group of mental disorders. The undoubted importance of the genetic factor has been established - relatives of patients with psychopathy are more likely to have similar disorders than the population average. Often representatives of two or more generations of the same family, for example, father and son or mother and daughter, suffer from psychopathy. At the same time, one cannot ignore the influence of a vicious system of relationships in the family of a psychopath and a large number of pathological beliefs and patterns of behavior acquired by a child who, from the first days of life until reaching adulthood, communicates with a patient with psychopathy.

Many experts believe that complicated pregnancy, difficult childbirth, and early childhood illnesses may play a certain role in the development of psychopathy. There is a connection with physical, psychological and sexual abuse suffered in childhood. Researchers believe that unfavorable living conditions during childhood aggravate genetically determined character traits and personality traits and increase the risk of developing psychopathy.

Classification of psychopathy

The traditional Gannushkin classification, used by Soviet and Russian psychiatrists, included seven types of psychopathy: asthenic, psychasthenic, schizoid, paranoid, excitable, hysterical, affective and unstable. Since 1997, after the transition to the ICD-10 classification of diseases, psychopathy began to be called personality disorders. The ICD-10 identifies the following types of personality disorders:

  • Schizoid disorder (corresponding to schizoid psychopathy)
  • Paranoid disorder (corresponding to paranoid psychopathy)
  • Schizotypal disorder
  • Antisocial disorder
  • Emotionally unstable disorder (corresponding to excitable psychopathy)
  • Histrionic disorder (corresponding to hysterical psychopathy)
  • Narcissistic disorder
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (corresponding to psychasthenic psychopathy)
  • Avoidance disorder
  • Dependent disorder (corresponds to asthenic psychopathy)
  • Passive-aggressive disorder.

It should be noted that, despite the adoption of ICD-10, there is still no absolute unity among psychiatrists on the issue of classification of psychopathy, which is due to the complexity and significant polymorphism of the clinical picture of this mental disorder.

Forms of psychopathy

Schizoid psychopathy (schizoid personality disorder)

The main signs of schizoid psychopathy are a lack of need for close relationships, a persistent desire to minimize social contacts, some disregard for social norms, emotional coldness and detachment from one’s own feelings, combined with theorizing and withdrawal into fantasy. Patients suffering from schizoid psychopathy are unable to express any strong feelings - both positive (joy, tenderness, delight) and negative (rage, anger).

Such patients have little interest in sexual contacts, friendships and creating a family. They prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. People suffering from schizoid psychopathy find it difficult to work in a team, so they choose professions that require individual activity. They either enjoy a small number of activities or do not enjoy them at all. They are indifferent to both condemnation and approval, they care little about accepted social norms.

Psychoanalysts believe that the reason for the development of schizoid psychopathy is the duality of parental messages and the need for intimacy, combined with the fear of absorption, which forces one to maintain a distance in communicating with people. Intellectualization becomes the main mental defense. There is a pronounced tendency to sublimation. The diagnosis of schizoid psychopathy is made in the presence of four or more of the listed symptoms at the age of 18 years or older, their manifestation in different contexts and persistence throughout life. Treatment – ​​social adaptation, long-term psychoanalytic therapy.

Paranoid psychopathy (paranoid personality disorder)

The hallmarks of paranoid psychopathy are resentment, suspicion, overreactions to rejection or the inability to satisfy needs, as well as a distorted perception of the environment with a tendency to distort facts, take everything personally, interpret the actions of other people in a negative way and suspect them of bad intentions. Patients suffering from paranoid psychopathy are constantly dissatisfied with someone or something. It is difficult for them to forgive the mistakes of others; behind any accident they see malicious intent, build conspiracy theories, are sensitive to issues of individual rights, and consider neutral or positive words and actions of other people as an attack on their own reputation. A characteristic feature of this psychopathy is constant excessive jealousy.

The main defense mechanisms of the psyche are projection, denial and reactive formation. Patients suffering from paranoid psychopathy experience many pronounced negative emotions (anger, envy, resentment, desire for revenge, anger, fear, guilt, shame), but they deny their feelings and project them onto others. The diagnosis is made when three or more of the above signs of psychopathy are identified. A prerequisite is the constancy of these signs and their influence on several aspects of the patient’s life. Treatment includes social adaptation measures and long-term psychotherapy.

Excitable psychopathy (emotionally unstable personality disorder)

There are two types of excitable psychopathy: impulsive personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Both pathologies are characterized by impulsiveness, a tendency to violent, bright, uncontrollable expression of emotions, often inconsistent with the significance of real circumstances. The distinctive features of psychopathy are instability of the self-image, serious problems in building social relationships, high tension in personal relationships, fluctuations from idealization to devaluation of the partner.

Patients suffering from excitable psychopathy experience a pronounced fear of loneliness, but due to beliefs that arose in childhood, they cannot build stable relationships. On the one hand, people with excitable psychopathy doubt their own worth and significance, consider their feelings and interests unimportant and try to hide them, on the other hand, they assume that others can use them and suspect others of selfish interests. High emotional stress “splashes out” in the form of uncontrollable outbursts of rage and anger, often incomprehensible to others. This psychopathy is characterized by periods of anxiety and irritability, self-aggressive behavior and sexual promiscuity.

Many patients attempt suicide and abuse substances. The impulsive version of excitable psychopathy differs from borderline disorder by more pronounced aggressiveness, cruelty and emotional instability and a lower level of control over one’s own behavior. The diagnosis of psychopathy is made in the presence of severe impulsivity, a significant decrease in the ability to plan and uncontrollable outbursts of anger. Treatment is long-term psychotherapy aimed at correcting pathological beliefs and stabilizing the image of one’s own “I”, in combination with measures for social adaptation.

Histrionic psychopathy (hysterical personality disorder)

Characterized by excessive emotionality combined with the need to remain in the center of attention of others in any way. Emotions are superficial, unstable, and often overly exaggerated (theatrical). To attract attention, patients suffering from hysterical psychopathy actively use their own sexuality and view their appearance as a tool for manipulating others.

There is egocentrism, superficiality of judgment, lack of need for a full analysis of situations, and high suggestibility. Patients with hysterical psychopathy easily fall under the influence of others. The diagnosis is made in the presence of three or more stable signs characteristic of this disorder. Treatment – ​​assistance in social adaptation, long-term psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic therapy is considered the most effective method.

Other psychopathy

Psychasthenic psychopathy(obsessive-compulsive personality disorder) is characterized by indecisiveness, stubbornness, excessive attention to detail, perfectionism, neatness, and the need to control the environment. Patients with psychasthenic psychopathy constantly plan something aimlessly, trying to take into account the smallest details. It is difficult for them to relax; they constantly strive to find some “useful activity” for themselves, preferring unnecessary work to relaxation and communication with friends.

Asthenic psychopathy(dependent personality disorder) is manifested by vulnerability, high sensitivity and an excessive need for the care of others. Patients suffering from this psychopathy are afraid of imaginary separation, get lost in unusual surroundings, become overly attached to other people and are afraid of loneliness. They tend to take the position of a follower, avoid responsibility, and have difficulty making any decisions. Concomitant autonomic disorders and increased exhaustion are observed.

Schizotypal psychopathy(schizotypal personality disorder) is characterized by an inability to form close relationships, unusual behavior, and mystical thinking. Patients believe that they have some kind of extraordinary, usually extrasensory, abilities: they read the future, see and understand something hidden from the eyes of other people, have telepathy, etc. They are characterized by unusual behavior and speech rich in metaphors.

Antisocial psychopathy(dissocial personality disorder) is accompanied by a gross disregard for generally accepted social norms and disregard for the rules of behavior in society. Patients show indifference to the feelings of others, are prone to risk, aggression and impulsive behavior. If desired, patients suffering from antisocial psychopathy can easily get along with other people, but have an extremely limited ability to form attachments. They do not feel guilty, they tend to blame other people for everything and find plausible explanations for any of their own actions.

Narcissistic personality disorder– psychopathy, in which there is a belief in one’s own uniqueness, a need for admiration and a lack of empathy. Patients are convinced that they are different from the “gray mass”, that their talents and achievements are of particular significance. They believe that they should be loved, admired and obeyed. At the same time, the “empty” inner “I” of a person suffering from psychopathy requires constant external confirmation of its own significance and uniqueness. The patient experiences envy of others and believes that other people envy him.

Avoidant personality disorder(anxiety disorder) is a psychopathy in which patients constantly suffer from feelings of inferiority. They are extremely sensitive to criticism, fear the displeasure and disapproval of other people, restrain emotions when communicating with strangers, and avoid new activities. They believe in the superiority of others. They are so afraid of being rejected that they maintain a distance that prevents other people from getting close enough for approval or rejection.

Passive-aggressive personality disorder– psychopathy, in which there is constant passive resistance to any type of activity. Patients fluctuate from protest to repentance, easily enter into conflicts with other people, complain and criticize others, and envy other people's successes. They tend to take the position of an “eternal sufferer,” exaggerating their own troubles.

The basis of treatment for all of these psychopathies is long-term psychotherapy. The technique is chosen taking into account the characteristics of the disorder. In most cases, the most effective are classical psychoanalysis, Jung's depth psychoanalytic therapy, and various combinations and modifications of these methods. If necessary, tranquilizers and antidepressants are prescribed for psychopathy. Purposeful social adaptation in adolescence and youth plays an important role: support when joining a team, help in choosing a profession, etc.

Classifications of psychopathy are very diverse. There have been attempts to reduce all types of psychopathy to two - excitable and inhibited; there were descriptions including more than a dozen types. The following types are included in ICD-10.

Schizoid personality disorder(schizoid psychopathy) according to ICD-10 is characterized by the following character traits:

  • inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia);
  • emotional coldness and inability to express warm or hostile feelings towards others;
  • weak reaction to praise and blame; little interest in sexual intercourse with others;
  • a tendency to fantasize to oneself (autistic fantasy) and introspection (immersion in the inner world);
  • lack of close, trusting contacts with others;
  • difficulty in understanding and assimilating generally accepted norms of behavior, which is manifested by eccentric actions.

The most striking character trait is isolation and unsociability (from childhood they preferred to play alone). They often live by their unusual interests and hobbies, in which they can achieve success (unique information in a narrow field, deep interest in philosophical and religious issues, unusual collections, etc.). Hobbies and fantasies fill the inner world, almost always closed to others. Fantasies are intended for oneself and can be ambitious or erotic (with outward asexuality). Emotional restraint looks like coldness, although inner feelings can be strong and deep. It is difficult to establish informal emotional contacts. Lack of intuition is manifested by the inability to understand other people's desires, fears, and experiences. They are prone to nonconformism - they do not like to act “like everyone else.” Situations where it is necessary to quickly and indiscriminately establish informal contacts, as well as the violent invasion of strangers into one’s inner world, are difficult to bear.

Dissociative identity disorder(psychopathy of an unstable type, antisocial personality disorder) according to ICD-10 is recognized by the following characteristics:

  • disregard for the feelings of others and lack of empathy - the ability to penetrate into their experiences;
  • irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules and responsibilities;
  • inability to maintain stable relationships with others; low tolerance to frustration (inability to get what you want);
  • ease of aggressive outbursts, including violence; lack of guilt and inability to learn from the past, especially from punishment;
  • a tendency to blame others for everything and complain about failures;
  • constant irritability.

The main feature is a constant thirst for light entertainment and pleasure, an idle lifestyle with evasion of all work, study, and fulfillment of any duties, both social and family. From adolescence they are drawn to antisocial companies, alcohol, and drugs. Sexual life serves only as a source of pleasure. They are unable to fall in love or become attached to loved ones and friends. They are indifferent to their future - they live in the present. They are weak-willed and cowardly, they try to run away from any difficulties and troubles. They do not tolerate loneliness well - they are unable to occupy themselves with anything. The situation of neglect, lack of guardianship and strict control is detrimental.

Emotionally unstable personality disorder(emotionally labile type of psychopathy, explosive, affective, impulsive, excitable, epileptoid psychopathy) according to ICD-10 represents a combined group with various disorders of the emotional sphere. In Russian psychiatry, it is customary to distinguish between two close, but not identical, types.

Explosive (affectively labile) psychopathy characterized by emotional outbursts at the slightest provocation, but anger is easily replaced by tears, swearing and throwing things - by moaning, aggression towards others - by self-harm, attempted suicide. The mood often changes, which leads to restlessness, lack of composure, and distractibility. They are completely uncontrollable, boil over at the slightest comments or opposition, and react extremely painfully to emotional rejection and any stress.

Epileptoid psychopathy differs in that, in addition to explosiveness (a tendency to uncontrollable affective reactions with aggression and auto-aggression), states of dysphoria periodically arise - a dark and angry mood, during which patients are looking for something to vent their accumulated evil on. Dysphoria lasts from several hours to several days. Violent affective reactions are usually preceded by a gradual boiling of initially suppressed irritation. In the heat of the moment, during fights, they become wild and are capable of inflicting heavy damage. Sometimes disturbances of impulses are revealed, most often sadistic-masochistic tendencies. They take pleasure in tormenting, sophisticatedly mocking or brutally beating the weak, defenseless, dependent on them, unable to fight back. Often, from childhood, they love to torture and kill animals. But they can receive sensual pleasure by causing pain to themselves with cuts and burns from burning cigarettes. Alcohol intoxication is more often of the dysphoric type. They like to get drunk to the point of insensibility. Suicidal attempts can be either demonstrative with the aim of blackmailing someone, or during dysphoria with the actual intention of committing suicide.

Histrionic personality disorder(hysterical psychopathy), according to ICD-10, can be diagnosed with:

  • the presence of a tendency to self-dramatization, theatrical behavior, exaggerated expression of emotions;
  • suggestibility, easy susceptibility to the influence of others;
  • superficial and labile effectiveness; self-centeredness with the desire to forgive oneself everything and not take into account the interests of others;
  • constant desire to be appreciated and slight vulnerability;
  • thirst for situations where you can be the center of attention;
  • manipulative behavior (any kind of manipulation) in order to achieve their goals.

Among the listed character traits, the most striking is the constant desire to be in the center of attention of others, demonstrativeness, and pretentiousness. For this purpose, they even resort to performances depicting suicide attempts. Suggestibility, often highly emphasized, is in fact very selective: one can only suggest that which does not contradict egocentric aspirations. But the level of aspirations is high: they claim much more than their abilities and capabilities allow. Under the influence of severe mental trauma, hysterical psychoses can occur - twilight states, pseudodementia, etc.

Anancastic (obsessive-compulsive) personality disorder(psychasthenic psychopathy) according to ICD-10 is characterized by:

  • indecision, constant doubts;
  • excessive precautions regarding a possibly dangerous or unpleasant course of events;
  • perfectionism (i.e. the desire to always achieve the highest results, to do everything in the best way, regardless of the unimportance of the matter);
  • the need to re-check what has been done;
  • extreme preoccupation with detail in trivial matters and loss of broad perspective;
  • extreme conscientiousness, scrupulousness, concern, preventing one from experiencing pleasure;
  • pedantry and adherence to conventions with limited ability to express warm feelings;
  • rigidity and stubbornness, insistence that others obey the order they have established;
  • the appearance of unwanted thoughts and impulses, which, however, do not reach the level of severe obsession;
  • the need to plan all activities in advance in the most insignificant details.

Obsessive thoughts, movements, rituals, fears, self-invented “signs” and “prohibitions” are observed almost constantly, sometimes intensifying and sometimes weakening (for example, for important occasions, always wear the same clothes, walk only one route, do not touch anything). why black, etc.). Pedantry, the desire to foresee everything in advance and plan it in the smallest detail, and minute adherence to rules serve as compensation for constant fear for the future - one’s own and that of one’s loved ones. Other compensatory mechanisms may turn out to be exaggerated: indecision when a decision has already been made turns into impatience, shyness into unexpected and unnecessary categoricalness. This type of psychopathy usually manifests itself from school years, but intensifies when they begin to live independently and need to be responsible for both themselves and others.

Anxious (“avoidant”) personality disorder(sensitive psychopathy) according to ICD-10 criteria can be recognized by:

  • constant feeling of internal tension and anxiety;
  • shyness and feelings of inferiority, self-doubt;
  • constantly trying to please and be accepted by others;
  • increased sensitivity to criticism from others;
  • by tendency to refuse to enter into relationships with others until they are sure that they will not be criticized;
  • a very limited circle of personal attachments;
  • tendencies to exaggerate the potential danger and risk of everyday situations, avoiding some of them, which, however, does not reach stable phobias (obsessive fears);
  • according to a limited lifestyle that allows you to feel safe.

Great impressionability and a sense of inferiority are two main traits. They see many shortcomings in themselves and are afraid of being ridiculed and condemned. Their isolation is purely external - a consequence of being fenced off from strangers and unfamiliar situations. They are quite sociable with those they are used to and trust. The situation in which they become the subject of unkind attention from others, when a shadow falls on their reputation or they are subjected to unfair accusations, becomes intolerable. They are prone to depressive reactions, during which they can gradually and secretly prepare for suicide or are capable of unexpected desperate acts leading to serious consequences (including causing serious harm or killing their offenders).

According to ICD-10 criteria, dependent personality disorder corresponds to one of the types of asthenic psychopathy. It is characterized by a tendency to shift responsibility for oneself to others and to completely submit to the interests of the one on whom one depends, neglecting one’s own desires. They evaluate themselves as helpless, incompetent and unbearable. They have a fear of abandonment and a constant need for reassurance in this regard. They cannot stand loneliness and feel empty and helpless when ties with those on whom they depend are severed. Responsibility for misfortunes is transferred to others.

Mixed types of personality disorder are diagnosed when it is difficult to identify a separate type due to the fact that the traits of different types are represented relatively evenly. However, completely “pure” types of psychopathy are relatively rare - the type should be determined by the predominant features. Just as with character accentuations, mixed types can be intermediate (mainly hereditarily determined, for example, schizoid-epileptoid psychopathy), or amalgam (the endogenous core of one type is overlaid with the traits of another due to the long-term adverse influence of the environment, for example, on the constitutional traits of emotional lability during education in childhood, as a “family idol”, histrionic, i.e. hysterical, traits are superimposed).

Organic psychopathy is most often mixed, representing various combinations of emotionally labile, histrionic and dissociative traits (i.e. explosive, hysterical and unstable psychopathy). Diagnosis of organic psychopathy is based on the following signs. There is a history of intrauterine, birth and early postnatal (first 2-3 years of life) traumatic brain injuries, brain infections and neurointoxication. Residual neurological “microsymptoms” are revealed: asymmetry of facial innervation, mild oculomotor disturbances, uneven tendon and skin reflexes, mild diencephalic disorders. An X-ray of the skull shows abnormalities of ossification and signs of increased intracranial pressure; the EEG usually shows pronounced diffuse changes. A pathopsychological examination reveals attention deficits and fatigue when repeating tasks.

Other classifications of psychopathy. Many classifications have been proposed. Some of them are descriptive - types are distinguished according to the most striking character traits, others are based on a certain principle. In Russian psychiatry, an example of the first is the taxonomy of P. B. Gannushkin (1933), and the second - his student O. V. Kerbikov (1968), as well as B. V. Shostakovich (1988) and A. E. Lichko (1977) .

P.B. Gannushkin described several groups of psychopathy.

The group of cycloids (constitutional-depressive, constitutionally-excited, cyclothymic, emotive-labile) are distinguished by the characteristics of the dominant mood - constantly depressed, elevated, periodically or frequently changing. The group of asthenics (neurasthenics, “overly impressionable”, psychasthenics) was united by a tendency to easy exhaustion and “irritable weakness”. In addition, groups of schizoids, paranoids, epileptoids, hysterical and unstable psychopaths, etc. were identified, most of which are included in ICD-10 under the same or different names. For classification, O.V. Kerbikov took the types of higher nervous activity of I.P. Pavlov and first of all divided psychopathy into excitable (explosive, epileptoids) and inhibited (asthenics, psychasthenics). But especially outside the chosen principle were “pathologically closed” (i.e. schizoid), hysterical, unstable, sexual and mosaic (i.e. mixed) psychopathy. B.V. Shostakovich used the psychological principle for taxonomy: the predominance of changes in the sphere of thinking (schizoids, psychasthenics, paranoid), in the sphere of affective disorders (epileptoids, excitables, cycloids, hysterical) or in the sphere of volitional disorders (unstable, sexual). A.E. Lichko combined the taxonomy of psychopathy and character accentuations, describing the same types, which are either variants of the norm (accentuation) or reaching a pathological level of deviation (psychopathy).

The word “psychopath” is often heard in human quarrels and it is permeated with a caustic pathological aftertaste. For the most part, a non-specialist will not be able to determine whether a person really has a congenital or acquired character pathology - psychopathy. Many people believe that only a sick person can suffer and get angry over trifles. But in obvious cases, the child also sees painful behavior and experiences.
Psychopathy is common to almost every person. Psychopathy is viewed by psychologists as a permanent predisposition rather than a sporadic disorder. The main psychopathic traits characteristic of a psychopath are: charm, persuasiveness, fearlessness, lack and lack of conscience.
A psychopath almost always gets his way in an instant. He has a mystical enchanting power - charisma. Amazing. Merciless. Impassive. Super confident. Ruthless and fearless. Many who fall under the spell of a psychopath die as individuals. The main property of psychopathy is the ability to influence others. Psychopaths are recognized as the best at creating scandals and chaos. They can instantly deprive any person of peace and serenity.
The lack of sympathy, or rather cold empathy, of a psychopath always implies calculation and benefit.
There are two types of empathy: “hot” empathy and “cold” empathy.
“Empathy is understanding the feelings of other people and the willingness to provide them with emotional support. Empathy presupposes the ability to put oneself in the place of another person, the ability to empathize, the ability to perceive the inner world of another accurately while maintaining emotional and semantic nuances.
It’s as if you become this other, but you are not completely involved in his state, but while remaining yourself as well: this is what makes it possible to maintain rationality in empathy” (http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/empatiya_dvoe_zn__serdechnoe_ponimanie).
“Hot” empathy implies a feeling of empathy for a person in a difficult situation.
“Cold” empathy always involves calculation and personal gain and is able to impartially evaluate what another person may be thinking.

Dissocial personality disorder (psychopathy) is characterized by a disregard for social norms, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and a severely limited ability to form attachments.

Psychopaths are indifferent to the feelings of others, less emotional and more focused on their needs than ordinary people. They are unable to maintain relationships and experience guilt and benefit from life experiences, especially punishment. They tend to blame others for their troubles and give plausible explanations for antisocial behavior.
Literature:
1. Burno M.E. About the characters of people. M: Academic Project; Mir Foundation, 2008.
2. R. Carson, J. Butcher, S. Mineka. Abnormal psychology. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2004.

Dissocial personality disorder
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
Dissocial personality disorder
ICD-10
F60.2
ICD-9
301.7
MedlinePlus
000921
Dissocial personality disorder (also Antisocial Personality Disorder; Sociopathy; obsolete Antisocial Psychopathy; obsolete Heboid Psychopathy′; obsolete Psychopathy) is a personality disorder characterized by disregard for social norms, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and an extremely limited ability to form attachments.
Diagnosis
ICD-10
A personality disorder, usually characterized by a gross discrepancy between behavior and prevailing social norms, characterized by the following (diagnosed, in the presence of the general diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder, by three or more criteria):
A) callous indifference to the feelings of others;
B) a rude and persistent position of irresponsibility and disregard for social rules and responsibilities;
C) inability to maintain relationships in the absence of difficulties in their formation;
D) extremely low ability to withstand frustration, as well as a low threshold for the discharge of aggression, including violence;
D) inability to feel guilty and benefit from life experiences, especially punishment;
E) a pronounced tendency to blame others or put forward plausible explanations for one’s behavior, which leads the subject to conflict with society.
As an additional symptom, constant irritability may occur. In childhood and adolescence, conduct disorder may confirm the diagnosis, although it is not necessary.
Note: For this disorder, it is recommended to consider the balance of cultural norms and regional social conditions to determine the rules and responsibilities that are ignored by the patient.
Included:
sociopathic disorder;
sociopathic personality;
immoral personality;
antisocial personality;
antisocial disorder;
antisocial personality;
psychopathic personality disorder.
Excluded:
behavioral disorders (F91.x);
emotionally unstable personality disorder (F60.3-).
DSM-IV
For diagnosis, in addition to the general criteria for a personality disorder, the presence of three or more of the following points is necessary:
1. Inability to comply with social norms and respect laws, manifested in their systematic violation, leading to arrests;
2. Hypocrisy, manifested in frequent lies, use of pseudonyms, or deception of others in order to gain profit;
3. Impulsivity or inability to plan ahead;
4. Irritability and aggressiveness, manifested in frequent fights or other physical confrontations;
5. Risk taking, without taking into account the safety of oneself and others;
6. Consistent irresponsibility, manifested in repeated inability to maintain a certain work schedule, or fulfill financial obligations;
7. Lack of remorse, manifested by rationalizing or indifference to harming others, mistreating others, or stealing from others.
Antisocial behavior should not be noted only during an episode of schizophrenia or mania.
Descriptions by various authors
Pyotr Borisovich Gannushkin
In the works of Pyotr Borisovich Gannushkin on constitutional psychopathy, “antisocial psychopathy” is an analogue of dissocial personality disorder.
McWilliams
In the works of Nancy McWilliams, dissocial personality disorder is described within the framework of the concept of “psychopathic personality” and its synonym “antisocial personality”. McWilliams describes this personality disorder as being based on a deep-seated inability (or severely impaired ability) to form attachments with other people, from one's own parents to one's own children. From her point of view, a sociopath does not see attachments between other people, and interprets their relationships solely as mutual manipulation. In accordance with his perception of society, a sociopath builds his relationships with people around him: on manipulation, for the sake of satisfying his own desires. Since a sociopath has no attachments, other people’s needs and desires have no value for him and he acts based only on his own. Since he doesn't expect anyone to consider his own needs, the only long-term plan he can make for safe coexistence with society is to "get everyone to listen to him." The sociopath expects the same from those around him, and, as a result, does not see the long-term benefit of observing social norms, including legally enshrined ones - social norms and moral norms are perceived by the antisocial psychopath as a means of coercion and manipulation. Sociopaths have no qualms about lying and committing illegal acts. In most cases, they are driven by their own benefit/disadvantage, but only in the short term. They act impulsively and are not prone to planning. They take restrictions on freedom and the fulfillment of their desires seriously; they try to prevent this using methods available to them, mainly through threats or the use of physical force. Refusal to use force is perceived as weakness. They can make an extremely positive impression for some time, in order to subsequently use it for their own benefit. They do not experience remorse, or rather, do not have a conscience or have it in an extremely underdeveloped form (the development of conscience is directly related to the formation of a sense of attachment).
It is important to understand that such people fully “understand” social norms, but ignore them. They are able to interact with society according to its rules, but do not feel the need to do so, and have poor control over their own impulsiveness.
Robert D. Hare
Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Psychology, renowned researcher in the field of criminal psychology, Robert D. Hare (English) Russian. uses the word “psychopath” in his works to refer to people with this type of personality disorder.
Related Issues
Antisocial psychopaths are impatient and irritable. It is difficult for them to voluntarily maintain attention on one thing; as a result, they have significant difficulties with learning and are not inclined to systematic work. They may often criticize others, but never themselves; prefer to attribute their mistakes to circumstances and others. Sociopaths also often are not aware of their emotions, especially negative ones, and do not seem to experience them. This is due to the fact that they have a highly developed “reaction”.
The personality traits of antisocial psychopaths often lead them to commit crimes and, as a result, end up in prison, but they never regret committing a crime, only that they got caught doing it. They can also realize themselves as leaders of sects, criminal and fraudulent groups. They often become drug addicts or abuse alcohol, but not so much because they avoid reality, but because they indulge their desires.
Etiology and pathogenesis
see etiology and pathogenesis
The reasons have not been reliably identified to date. There are diametrically opposed points of view, according to one of which sociopathy is a hereditary disease or a consequence of a genetic defect (possibly a mutation), according to another - the reasons for the development of sociopathy in an individual lie exclusively in problems of education and social environment. Most psychologists take an intermediate position on this issue, leaning, depending on their beliefs, in one direction or another. The presence of concomitant mental disorders (psychosis, schizophrenia, mental retardation), as well as a history of traumatic brain injuries, can have a significant impact.
Therapy
They almost never come to psychotherapists on their own and are practically unable to form a working alliance with a therapist, which is critical for many therapies (primarily psychoanalytic). However, sometimes they feel that the relationships of other people are apparently built on different principles than theirs, and as a result - a lack of something important in themselves, which in the end can lead them to a session with a psychologist.
Personality disorders according to ICD-10
(F60.0) Paranoid (F60.1) Schizoid (F60.2) Dissocial (antisocial) (F60.3) Emotionally unstable (F60.4) Hysterical (F60.5) Anancastic (F60.6) Anxious (evasive) ( F60.7) Dependent (F60.8) Eccentric (F60.8) Disinhibited (F60.8) Infantile (F60.8) Narcissistic (F60.8) Passive-aggressive (F60.8) Psychoneurotic

Material from http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/psihopat
Psychopath is an everyday concept, not to be confused with Psychopathy.
A psychopath is a person with violent, inappropriate and unpredictable behavior that makes everyone around him feel bad. A person with a very difficult, bad character. A wild man without culture. As a rule, we are talking about obvious accentuations of character.
Unlike a neurotic who always feels bad, a psychopath may not feel bad about himself. It’s bad for those around him.
Unlike a bully, who causes trouble for others but can control himself, a psychopath does not control himself - he cannot.
Unlike an ill-mannered person who causes trouble for others, but can be trained and educated, a psychopath cannot be trained and educated.
The accentuation of character goes very little beyond the norm. A psychopath is seriously beyond the bounds, but this is not yet a mental illness. The next step is psychopathy (personality disorder), already the field of psychiatry.

V.B. Shapar. Newest Psychological Dictionary.
Psychopathy (psycho...Greek pathos - suffering) is the characterological characteristics of a personality (the formation of which occurs from the beginning of its formation), expressed in a violation of the relationship of its volitional and sensory properties with the relative preservation of intelligence. This disorder prevents those suffering from psychopathy from adapting to the external environment.
Psychopathy occurs as a result of:
1. diseases - brain injuries, infections, intoxication, mental trauma, etc.
2. congenital inferiority of the nervous system caused by hereditary factors, harmful effects on the fetus, birth trauma, etc.
Based on the predominance of certain personality traits, various clinical types of psychopaths are distinguished, including: asthenic, psychasthenic, excitable, paranoid, hysterical, etc.
the degree of severity of psychopathy in adulthood depends on the conditions of upbringing and environmental influences. Their manifestations are varied. Despite the rarity of pure types and the predominance of mixed forms, it is customary to distinguish the following classical types of psychopathy (P.B. Gannushkin):
1) cyloids, the basis of which is a constant change in mood with cycle fluctuations from hours to months;
2) schizoids, who are characterized by avoidance of contacts, isolation, secrecy, slight vulnerability, lack of empathy, angular movements;
3) epileptoids, whose main symptom is extreme irritability with attacks of melancholy, fear, anger, impatience, stubbornness, and touchiness. cruelty. tendency to scandals;
4) asthenics, who are characterized by increased impressionability, mental excitability, combined with rapid attendance, irritability, indecisiveness;
5) psychoasthenics - anxious, unsure of themselves, prone to constant thoughts and pathological doubts;
6) paranoid psychopaths - prone to the formation of overvalued ideas, stubborn, selfish, characterized by a lack of doubt, self-confidence and inflated self-esteem;
7) hysterical psychopaths - characterized by attracting the attention of others, and their assessment of real events is always distorted in a direction favorable to them;
8) unstable psychopaths - main signs: weak character, lack of deep interests, pliability to the influence of others;
9) organic psychopaths - they are distinguished by congenital mental limitations, can study well, but are helpless when it is necessary to apply knowledge or take initiative; they know how to “conduct themselves in society,” but are banal in their judgments [pp. 506-508].
Literature:
1. Shapar V.B. Latest Psychological Dictionary

Psychopathic personality
In Psychological Encyclopedia, ed. R. Cosini and A. Auerbach wrote: “The moral and active principles of the mind are greatly perverted or corrupted, self-control is lost or limited and the individual is unable to speak and reason about any subject proposed to him, as well as to behave with decency and propriety in affairs of life." This is how the English psychiatrist J. Pritchard defined the concept of “moral insanity.” The same idea is implied in the description of manie sans delire given by the father of French psychiatry, Philippe Pinel. The first American psychiatrist, Benjamin Rush, wrote about individuals possessed by "an innate, unnatural moral depravity." Emil Kraepelin used the term "psychopathic personality."
Family of disorders
The problem is to understand why a rational and intelligent person can engage in antisocial behavior despite the risk of punishment, which would suppress most such impulses in a normal individual. Defined broadly, the psychopathic personality can be viewed as a family of disorders that includes the dissocial psychopath - consisting of individuals who "do not exhibit any significant personality deviations, except those due to adherence to the value orientations or code of their own predatory, criminal or another social group."
The second type, neurotic character, in whose owners antisocial behavior is a response to a neurotic conflict or a manifestation of an unconscious need for punishment.
The third genus includes types of organic dysfunction or abnormality (defect). Some pathologically impulsive individuals have a specific impulse control defect. Some children with hyperactive disorder grow up to become impulsive psychopaths. Other individuals have a tyrannical sexual hunger, or explosive uncontrollable outbursts of rage, or episodes of gratification of aggressive and sexual instincts of the “short circuit” type.
Primary psychopath
The psychopath, according to Harney Cleckley, "while not being deeply malicious, easily carries disaster in each hand." These individuals may have a high level of intelligence, they often give the impression of being charming, which, undoubtedly, is greatly facilitated by the absence of nervousness and other neurotic manifestations. But they are fundamentally unreliable, truth means nothing to them, and they are incapable of true love and emotional attachment. This antisocial behavior often appears to be inappropriately motivated, and such individuals often take unnecessary risks, demonstrate poor judgment, and exhibit an indifference to punishment based on an inability to learn from negative experiences. They do not experience true remorse or shame and often resort to rationalization when assessing their behavior or project guilt onto others. They have a “specific loss of insight,” that is, an inability to judge how they make others feel or to anticipate their reactions to their outrageous behavior. In those four cases, the persons were male.
Cleckley was convinced that this syndrome was the result of some deep, and probably constitutional defect, resulting in an inability to experience the normal, effective accompaniment of life experience. A psychopath may simply be unable to experience normal feelings of guilt, remorse, fearful anticipation of possible danger, or warm affection. This type of psychopath differs from others only low anxiety IQ. All mammals can experience fear and can learn to associate anxiety with impulses, being punished or other stimuli signaling danger. People with a high ability to form a noreflex fear reaction compared to others have a high anxiety IQ. Fear and its allies (shame, guilt and confusion) are largely responsible for preventing most of us from occasionally engaging in some of the unacceptable behavior that characterizes the antisocial behavior of a psychopath.
Literature:
Psychological encyclopedia.

Psychopathy: causes and diagnosis
Material http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/psihopatiya_dvoe_zn__prichiny_i_diagnoz
Causes of psychopathy
Psychopathy is the result of a violation of the process of personality formation, improper upbringing and increased accentuation. It should be borne in mind that behavior in psychopathy can cause a number of damaging factors and diseases, ranging from prenatal brain damage to schizophrenia. Such states are usually called psychopathic-like. Any damaging factor acting on the central nervous system can, in one percentage or another, lead to psychopathic behavior. There is a concept (not generally accepted) as pathological development of personality, which means that character changes under the influence of social factors. It should be noted that, while nuclear psychopathy does not have dynamics, psychopathic behavior can have dynamics: from neurosis to neurotic and pathological development. The formed pathological development of the personality is essentially no different from the forms of nuclear psychopathy.
It should also be noted that the term “psychopathy” itself is outdated. In psychiatry, as in pathopsychology, the term “personality disorder” is used, which is more consistent with the mental state in question
Diagnosis
The disease is a dynamic process that has an occurrence, course and outcome, while psychopathy is a hereditarily determined trait of a person that does not have dynamics throughout life. Another radical difference between psychopathy and a disease is the criterion for making this diagnosis. Unlike a disease, in the determination of which the main criterion is biological, the main criterion (sign) of psychopathy is a social phenomenon (an altered character leads to maladaptive behavior in a given society).
Psychopathy differs from psychosis in the absence of hallucinations, special disorders of consciousness, delusions, and psychopathy is not characteristic of the course of the disease.
Degrees of severity of psychopathy
Moderate - compensatory mechanisms are quite pronounced and can be long-lasting, breakdowns can be proportional to mental trauma, decompensation, sharpening of psychopathic character traits and behavior.
Pronounced - compensatory possibilities are unstable, decompensation - from minor reasons - mental trauma, difficult life situations, incomplete and unstable social adaptation.
Severe - compensatory mechanisms are weakly expressed, short-lived, high decompensation, can reach the level of psychosis.

Accentuation of character and psychopathy
Criteria (called the Gannushkin-Kerbikov Criteria for Psychopathy), which allow you to assess the degree of character expression and decide whether this is still the norm or already a pathology:
1. Character can be considered pathological, that is, regarded as psychopathy, if it is relatively stable over time, that is, it changes little throughout life. “This first sign, according to A.E. Lichko, is well illustrated by the saying: “As in the cradle, so goes to the grave.”
2. The second sign is the totality of character manifestations: with psychopathy, the same character traits are found everywhere: at home, at work, on vacation, among friends and among strangers, in short, in any circumstances. If a person, let’s say, is alone at home, and another “in public”, accentuations do not always appear and not everywhere, then this is not pathology, not psychopathy.
3. Finally, the third and, perhaps, the most important sign of psychopathy is social maladjustment. The latter lies in the fact that a person constantly faces difficulties in life, and these difficulties are experienced either by himself, or by the people around him, or by both. If character traits do not interfere with satisfactory social adaptation, especially if they even contribute to adaptation, this is accentuation, not psychopathy
In the case of character accentuations, there may be none of the above signs of psychopathy; at least, all three signs are never present at once. The absence of the first sign is expressed in the fact that the accentuated character does not run as a “red thread” throughout life. It usually worsens during adolescence, and smoothes out with age. The second sign - totality - is also not obligatory: the traits of accentuated characters do not appear in any situation, but only in special conditions. Finally, social maladaptation with accentuations either does not occur at all or is short-lived. At the same time, the reason for temporary discord with oneself and with the environment is not any difficult conditions. (as in psychopathy), but conditions that create a load on the place of least character resistance.
If a character trait is so extreme that it constantly interferes with both you and others’ lives, this is psychopathy, or a personality disorder. This is the field of psychiatry.
Less pronounced cases are called character accentuation. Here the character trait may not be as pronounced as with psychopathy; it interferes more with the life of the person himself than with those around him, but it still catches the eye and is regarded by people as a peculiarity or even as an oddity. Obvious accentuation in everyday life is called a Psychopath (not to be confused with Psychopathy as a personality disorder).
This distinction is imprecise, approximately, there are no clear boundaries. And yet, if a person is ready to step “on the throat of his own song” in order to achieve his cherished goal and become a leader in a city or country or a celebrity on the stage, then we will say that this is a paranoid personality pattern. And if someone steps on the throat of his friends, children, wife, forcing them to work for him to become a leader, then this is already a paranoid accentuation. And when someone is already following the destinies of many people, turning them into a means, into the “dough” of a ferocious story, there is obvious paranoid psychopathy. But once again: all this is very approximate, and you can easily make a mistake. The edges are movable. A personality pattern is a normal psychotype, a psychopath is a psychopathic psychotype. Accentuation is in the middle.

Correctional training and education of children with psychopathic forms of behavior
The author is educational psychologist V.S. Gambarov.
If correctional and educational measures are not taken in preschool age to overcome behavioral deficiencies, then such children, as a rule, find themselves unprepared for school education. They do not know how to obey school requirements, do not complete school assignments, enter into conflicts with friends and teachers, violate discipline, and sometimes run away from school and home. Under unfavorable conditions, they may become influenced by delinquents.
Despite the fact that the intelligence of children with organic psychopathy is not impaired, their productivity in learning is often not high enough, since they begin to complete a task without preliminary thinking, are not focused on it, do not retain individual elements of the task in memory, and do not know how to overcome obstacles.
All these components, i.e., the preservation of intelligence in the event of a violation of intellectual activity; the preservation of elementary emotional formations with underdevelopment of more complex forms of the emotional-volitional sphere and determine the originality of the structure of the defect in the development of a child with organic psychopathy, where all the features of his behavior stem from a violation of the core of his personality. The severity of the defect varies, but its structure always remains the same.
In correctional pedagogical work with such children, it is necessary to pay special attention to the correct organization of the initial learning process. These children do not have difficulty mastering reading, writing and counting, but they are poorly involved in activities, do not complete the work they start, and do it carelessly and sloppily. Therefore, the most important thing when teaching children with organic psychopathy is to persistently teach them to carefully complete tasks. At first, you can give children easier tasks, and then the tasks need to be gradually made more difficult.
In the course of correctional pedagogical work, it is very important to prevent the possibility of gaps in knowledge, since pedagogical neglect will significantly complicate further work with such children. Correctional educational activities with children of this group should include types of work that would be aimed at developing skills analyze and correctly evaluate your actions. Considering that these children do not have enough control over their behavior, show instability, are suggestible and easily fall under negative influence, the teacher must constantly place them in a strictly organized regime and not let them out of sight. When working with such children, it is very important to maintain a calm, even tone, since they are easily excitable, often get irritated and reach an emotional outburst over the most insignificant reason. At the same time, the teacher must remember that during the period of passion it is better to switch the child to some other activity than to persuade, and even more so to punish him, since punishment can only increase excitement.
In the course of correctional pedagogical work with psychopathic children, it is very important for the teacher to maintain close contact with the parents of schoolchildren in order to ensure a unified approach to their education and upbringing. In addition, parents can provide significant assistance to the teacher in his work.
Contact with a neuropsychiatrist is also important for use if therapeutic measures are necessary.
There is also a group of children with so-called constitutional psychopathy. The etiological factor of this psychopathy is pathological heredity. Thus, in families where there are cases of epilepsy, there are psychopathic individuals with epileptoid character traits. The main features of this group are the viscosity and rigidity of emotional manifestations. Epileptoids are characterized by being stuck on emotions, gloominess, suspicion, dissatisfaction, a tendency to sharp affective outbursts, vindictiveness, malice, stinginess and greed. Of course, these symptoms do not always occur immediately in one person, and the severity of these manifestations may vary. People with epileptoid psychopathy have many positive traits: good performance, thoroughness in completing tasks, focus, the ability to concentrate on work and overcome difficulties.
The development of children with epileptoid psychopathy has its own patterns. Already in early childhood, they develop increased irritability, and it can be long-lasting and difficult to switch over. At preschool age, such children experience increased affective tension, which is expressed in “getting stuck” on their experiences and actions. At school age, from the combination of these features, a number of secondary characterological traits, both positive and negative, are formed. On the one hand, these children are purposeful in their activities, careful and pedantic when completing tasks, productive in their work, and active. On the other hand, they are vindictive, vindictive, stingy, and prone to affective outbursts. In adolescence, this is compounded by unstable mood, isolation, suspicion, and distrust of others.
Pathological character traits in these children develop gradually and arise only at certain stages of development. Timely correctional and pedagogical intervention can significantly soften the character traits of children with epileptoid psychopathy. And the sooner correctional and educational work begins, the greater the effect can be achieved. The main thing in this correctional and educational work should be the desire to overcome the tendency that these children have to “get stuck” on their experiences. To do this, you need to include them in various types of activities and provide the necessary assistance in the process of its implementation. If stubbornness, negativism, or anger are demonstrated, the teacher should not influence the child in an authoritarian manner. It is best to switch him to some activity that he is good at. Since such children have some slowness of thinking, it is advisable to first go through educational material with the child during additional classes. They should be involved in socially useful circle work. Labor has a particularly beneficial effect on the upbringing of these children, so it is very important to include them in various types of work activities. In case of affective agitation, which can manifest itself in unfavorable conditions, it is best to isolate the child, that is, place him in a calm environment, and give the necessary medications to reduce agitation as prescribed by the doctor.
The distrust and irritability and increased sensitivity of these children often lead to a hostile attitude not only towards their friends, but also towards the teacher. Therefore, it is very important to establish good contact with the child and convince him that the teacher is trying to help him. An individual approach to these children, taking into account the characteristics of their character, usually gives positive results.
For children with hysterical psychopathy, egocentrism is most characteristic. They are prone to boasting and embellishment of their qualities, and strive to put their personality to the fore. These qualities are usually combined with increased suggestibility, instability of emotional manifestations, and mood instability. Already at preschool age, children with hysterical traits conflict with peers, are capricious, they are irritable, not always obedient, prone to hysterical reactions - they throw themselves on the floor, cry, knock their feet, trying in every possible way to insist on their own. At school age, manifestations of egocentrism in these children are accompanied by restlessness at work and the inability to complete the work started.
Correctional and educational work with children who have hysterical character traits must begin from the moment these traits are noticed. Often, hysterical character traits in a child are formed in a family where parents often not only do not counteract the manifestations of egocentrism in the child, but, on the contrary, yield to him in everything, indulge his whims. This approach is very harmful for these children.
For hysterical children, being in a children's group is very useful, since while playing with peers they have to suppress their egoistic tendencies.
Correctional and educational work must be built taking into account their full intelligence and the positive personality traits of these children. First of all, it is necessary to identify his inclinations and abilities, support them and, on this basis, build work to re-educate the child’s personality. It is necessary to help such a child, relying on his positive traits, to take a certain position in the children's team, to form a positive attitude towards him on the part of his comrades.
In order to help children with behavioral difficulties, it is necessary to observe the unity of requirements in work and communication with children both in kindergarten and at home, since the child spends most of his time in the family.
The basic requirements for parents are:
- do not pamper the child;
- do not fight with the child;
- do not capitulate to the child.
Parents should create conditions in the family for the child to be calm and restrained. It is advisable for parents to learn to see themselves and their behavior as if from the outside. Children can be allowed to watch only children's cartoons on TV, no more than 30 minutes a day.

Strategies of psychopaths(Wikipedia material)
According to Robert Hare and Paul Babiak, psychopaths are always looking for victims to scam or deceive. The psychopathic approach includes three phases:
1. Evaluation phase
Some psychopaths are unscrupulous, aggressive predators who will deceive almost anyone they meet. At the same time, others are more patient, waiting for the perfect, naive victim to cross their path. Some psychopaths like to solve any problem, while others only prey on those who are vulnerable. In each case, the psychopath continually evaluates the person's potential suitability as a source of money, power, sex, or influence. During the assessment phase, the psychopath is able to identify the weaknesses of a potential victim and will use them to carry out his plan.
2. Manipulation phase
Once the psychopath has identified his victim, the manipulation phase begins. During the manipulation phase, the psychopath may create a mask specifically designed to "work" to achieve the manipulator's goal. A psychopath will lie to gain the trust of his victim. A lack of empathy and guilt allows a psychopath to lie with impunity; he does not see the importance of telling the truth if it does not help achieve the desired goal.
As the relationship with the victim develops, the psychopath carefully evaluates her personality. The victim's personality gives the psychopath a picture of the traits and characteristics being assessed. An astute observer may discover insecurities or vulnerabilities that the victim would like to minimize or hide from prying eyes. As an expert in human behavior, the psychopath begins to carefully test the victim's inner resilience and needs, and ultimately builds a personal relationship with the victim.
The psychopath's mask - the "personality" that interacts with the victim - is made of lies, carefully woven to lure the victim. This mask, one of many, is designed to meet the individual psychological needs and expectations of the victim. Stalking a prey is inherently predatory; it often results in serious financial, physical or emotional harm to the person. Healthy, real relationships are built on mutual respect and trust, on shared honest thoughts and feelings. The victim's mistaken belief that the psychopathic connection has any of these characteristics is the reason for the success of the manipulation.
3. Breakup phase
The separation phase begins when the psychopath decides that the victim is no longer useful. The psychopath leaves her and moves on to the next victim. In the case of romantic relationships, a psychopath will usually secure a relationship with his next target before leaving his current victim. Sometimes a psychopath has three people with whom he is dealing at the same time - the first one was recently abandoned and is saved only in case of failure with the other two; the second is currently a victim and is scheduled to leave soon; and the third, who is courted by the psychopath, in anticipation of separation from the current victim.

Psychopath: an uncontrollable person with a very difficult character
Material http://www.psychologos.ru/articles/view/psihopat_dvoe_zn__neupravlyaemyy_chelovek_s_ochen_trudnym_harakterom
Author N.I. Kozlov
In everyday life, a psychopath is a person with violent, inappropriate and unpredictable behavior, which makes everyone around him feel bad. This is a person with a very difficult, bad character, one might say - a wild person without culture, a poorly educated person who cannot be re-educated.
As a rule, in the case of a psychopath we are talking about obvious, gross accentuations of character. If a person’s behavior goes very little beyond the norm, they speak of character accentuation. A psychopath is seriously going beyond the limits, here we can talk about gross accentuations, but this is not yet a mental illness. The next step beyond the psychopath is psychopathy (personality disorder), this is already the field of psychiatry.
Once again, psychopath is an everyday concept and should not be confused with psychopathy: a psychiatric term for a specific personality disorder.
Unlike a neurotic who always feels bad, a psychopath may not feel bad about himself. It’s bad for those around him.
Unlike a bully, who causes trouble for others but can control himself, a psychopath does not control himself - he cannot.
Unlike an ill-mannered person who causes trouble for others, but can be trained and educated, a psychopath cannot be trained and educated. At the same time, the hypothesis always remains that this is still the result of poor upbringing.
Analogy: There are two stages in puppy training. The first, general stage of training makes the puppy susceptible to serious specialized training, and if the first stage is missed in a puppy in childhood, the puppy will not be trained later. It seems that the psychopath missed the stage of primary education in childhood.
How can you calm a psychopath, who can influence him? - The best influence on a psychopath is a team of orderlies from a psychiatric department or a police officer on duty. For everyone else, the recommendation is that if possible, it is better not to get involved with psychopaths, and look for an opportunity to live away from them. Even if they are relatives.

Terminology notes
Recently, there has been a tendency to call a psychopath a sociopath. It must be admitted that “sociopath” more accurately reflects the situation of ignoring social norms and at the same time sounds more accurate and politically correct. It appears that a sociopath is a psychopath in a calm state, and a psychopath is a sociopath in a violent stage. Nevertheless, in a situation where the concept of “psychopath” has in fact become a household insult, the use of the wording “sociopath” to describe the syndrome of psychopathic (in the previous scope of the concept) behavior seems quite successful.

– a congenital or acquired defect in the functioning of higher nervous activity. Mental disorder is expressed in a person’s lack of basic emotions: affection, love, empathy and compassion. Psychopaths do not feel shame and do not repent of their crimes. This is why such people often become criminals.

A psychopathic person lacks real emotions, he constantly tries to replace them with something

Reasons for the development of psychopathy

Psychopathic disorder can develop as a result of both internal and external factors.

There are 3 main groups of psychopathy due to its occurrence:

  1. Nuclear (constitutional). Psychopathy is inherited or occurs as a result of damage to the fetus, before birth. The influence of the environment is also important, but it influences the formation of the defect to a lesser extent.
  2. Organic (mosaic). The disease is caused by cerebral-organic insufficiency. The role of external factors depends on the degree of this anomaly: the less pronounced the deficiency, the more significant they are.
  3. Edge and post-processual. Pathology arises as a result of interaction with the environment. The appearance of psychopathy is influenced by psychogenic, situational, reactive and neurotic reasons. The role of biological factors in the formation of the disorder is insignificant or completely absent.

The groups of causes that give rise to psychopathic disorders do not affect the type of pathology and its characteristic symptoms. In most cases, the etiology of psychopathy is mixed.

Types of psychopathy and their symptoms

Regardless of what form of psychopathy is observed in the patient, it is always accompanied by characteristic signs:

  • violations of social adaptation;
  • development of stress personality disorder;
  • disharmony of behavior and personality in general;
  • the presence of deviations from childhood or adolescence;
  • behavior that does not fit into the norm and mental illness;
  • problems with social or professional productivity.

The generally accepted classification of psychopathy includes 9 large groups: asthenic, schizoid, paranoid, hysterical, epileptic, cycloid, unstable, antisocial and constitutionally stupid disorder.

Each type of pathology has its own characteristic features.

Asthenic subtype

Asthenic psychopathy characterized by timid, shy, indecisive behavior. This psychotype combines self-doubt with painful, hypertrophied pride. Asthenic psychopaths have difficulty withstanding changes and innovations in their lives and are very sensitive to any external stimuli.

The responsibility, diligence and discipline of such people allows them to achieve career growth. Leadership positions, however, are not suitable for asthenic psychopaths: they are unable to make independent decisions and take initiative.

The asthenic subtype tends to analyze and control everything that happens to him, but his thoughts and plans are always far from reality. Asthenics often suffer from obsessive thoughts and ideas, and are characterized by increased anxiety and suspiciousness.

Schizoid subtype

Schizoid psychopaths– closed, secretive individuals, divorced from reality. They are characterized by emotional duality: such people experience their own problems very acutely, and at the same time show complete indifference towards other people, including loved ones.

Schizoid psychopathy is characterized by unconventionality and extravagance. This psychotype has his own opinion about the world around him, which does not fit into generally accepted concepts. Among schizoid psychopaths there are many creative individuals and scientists - people for whom an original view of things is important.

Schizoid psychopaths do not tend to form permanent connections with other people. They treat others with disdain, often with hostility. Their activity is very selective: such people are inactive in solving everyday problems, but are persistent and persistent in achieving personal goals.

Paranoid subtype

Paranoid psychopaths distinguished by the formation of highly valuable ideas. Unlike delusional ideas, they have specific content and are confirmed by facts or events. However, the essence of such ideas is based on subjectivity and a one-sided view of things, so they often make no sense.

Due to his one-sided view of things, his ideas are considered crazy, so, as a rule, no one listens to him

Paranoid psychopaths are stubborn, self-confident, vindictive, suspicious and extremely touchy. They are distinguished by one-sidedness of hobbies and thinking, inability to tolerate criticism, and a strong desire for self-affirmation.

People of this psychotype are prone to conflict behavior. Lack of recognition and criticism of them leads to confrontation with other people. Paranoid individuals often organize “fights for justice”: they write letters of complaints to various authorities, and file lawsuits for any reason.

Hysterical subtype

Hysterical psychopathy is manifested by the patient’s desire to attract the attention of people around him. The behavior of such individuals is demonstrative, theatrical, expressive and always very pretentious. To be the center of attention, hysterics shock other people with their appearance, behavior or stories.

Hysteria is typical for children who try to attract attention to themselves, but do not know how to do it correctly

Pathological lies- the main characteristic of hysterical psychopaths. They exaggerate their merits and experiences, embellish the events that happen to them, and often invent situations that never happened. Lies can expose hysterics not only in a positive light: in order to gain attention, they do not hesitate to slander themselves.

Hysterical personalities are mentally infantile, characterized by superficial judgments and feelings. They are prone to suggestion and self-hypnosis, and often play a certain role. Such people lack critical thinking, their ideas and thoughts often contradict themselves.

Epileptoid subtype

People with epileptoid psychopathy are irritable, excitable, and prone to aggression. Outbursts of anger and rage occur regularly, most often for no reason or for an insignificant reason. After the epileptoid psychopath calms down, he repents of his behavior, but in a similar situation he does exactly the same.

Psychopathic epileptoids stubborn, inflexible, vindictive, always convinced that they are right. Depending on their mood, they can be gloomy and pedantic, or flattering and sanctimonious. Such individuals are prone to arguments, scandals and nit-picking, and are unable to compromise. Due to their inability to get along with other people, they often change jobs and almost never start long-term relationships.

Epileptic psychopaths often break the law while in a state of passion. During an attack of anger, they are capable of any crime: beating, rape, murder. Also in this subgroup there are marginal individuals: alcoholics, drug addicts, gamblers, perverts, homeless people.

Cycloid subtype

Cycloid psychopaths– these are people with a certain level of mood, which is determined by biological factors. There are 4 subspecies in this group:

  1. Hypothymic, or constitutionally depressive type. Characterized by a gloomy mood, unsociability, and chronic dissatisfaction. Such people are prone to constant self-criticism, despite their diligence and conscientiousness. They always expect the worst, always consider themselves wrong, and do not like to express their opinions.
  2. Hyperthymic. This is excitable psychopathy, also known as “constitutional excitability.” People of this subgroup are positive, active, proactive and energetic. They have great self-confidence, are often optional and undisciplined. They are not afraid of failures, they are prone to adventurism and promiscuity.
  3. Cycloid. Characterized by constantly changing mood: from hypothymic to hyperthymic and vice versa. The duration of one period can vary from 5-6 hours to several weeks. The patient's behavior depends on the current mood.
  4. Emotive/reactive-labile. A subtype of the cycloid type, characterized by excessively rapid changes in mood. The condition changes every few hours or an hour, for no apparent reason.

The cycloid subtype is prone to constant dissatisfaction with the environment, depression, as well as loss of appetite and apathy

Psychopaths of the cycloid type, regardless of the subtype, are not prone to cruelty, aggression and antisocial behavior. Most often these are law-abiding citizens with strange behavior.

Unstable subtype

Volatile psychopaths– weak-willed, suggestible, easily susceptible to the influence of others. Their behavior and actions depend not on personal attitudes and goals, but on the environment, on external circumstances.

An unstable personality type is undisciplined and tends to ignore the obligations assigned to it. Because of his desire to please other people, he takes on a lot, but most often he does not fulfill his promises.

Depending on the environment, an unstable psychopath can become a marginal person or a respectable member of society. He always needs a strong leader to guide him and show him what to do.

Antisocial subtype

Antisocial psychopaths– people characterized by emotional dullness. They are equally indifferent to blame and praise, and have problems with the simplest social emotions. Shame, remorse, fear, sympathy are unknown to these individuals.

Antisocial psychopaths do not feel any sympathy for the people around them. They are often indifferent and cruel even to those closest to them: their father and mother, their pets. They are not inclined to start relationships and do not care about anyone but themselves.

This subtype of psychopathy is more prone to cruelty than others. They enjoy torturing animals and other people, both mentally and physically. In order to hurt others, they do not need to be angry or in a state of passion. This type becomes criminal more often than others.

Constitutionally stupid subtype

A personality type characterized by mental disability. This type of psychopathy is nuclear in origin: constitutional stupidity arises from the moment of birth, as a result of pathologies of fetal development or heredity.

Unlike mental retardation, individuals with constitutionally stupid psychopathy can study well at school and university and have a good memory. Problems arise when applying knowledge in practice: deviating from a memorized pattern, they get lost and cannot reproduce the necessary sequence of actions.

Roughly speaking, these are mentally retarded people who cannot repeat anything after a certain period

In the constitutionally stupid subtype there are 2 large subgroups:

  1. "Unclear" or "Parlor Dementia". Unoriginal people who think in clichés and platitudes. They tend to repeat obvious things after other people. They often don’t understand what they are talking about and like to use unfamiliar terms.
  2. "Philistines" who do not have intellectual needs or requests. They are not interested in learning new things and developing. They successfully cope with simple monotonous work that does not require mental effort.

Constitutionally stupid people love to follow fashion and easily succumb to propaganda and advertising gimmicks. They are prone to conservatism due to their inability to adapt to new things. Despite their meager intelligence, they often have great self-esteem, considering themselves smart and creative individuals.

Features of psychopathy

Psychopathic-like behavior is more common in men than in women. According to statistics, men are 5-6 times more susceptible to this condition. In recent decades, this gap has been gradually decreasing.

Children suffer from psychopathy much less frequently than adults. Despite the fact that signs of pathology can be noticed as early as 3 years of age, most often this condition is found in adolescents over 14 years of age.

In men

Symptoms of pathology in a male psychopathic personality are varied. This is due to the fact that men are much more likely to suffer from psychopathy than women.

The main features of male psychopathy include the following:

Men tend to try to manipulate other people

  • love for other people;
  • depiction of feelings not experienced in reality;
  • tendency to cause physical harm to others;
  • difficult relationships with loved ones;
  • constant violations of the law, minor or major;
  • cruelty towards all living beings.

Psychopathic men are much more likely than women to commit criminal offenses in the heat of passion. They are also more likely to experience physical or sexual violence against family members and other close people.

In women

Female psychopathy is characterized by less cruelty and aggressiveness compared to males. Among the features of psychopathic behavior in women, the following are distinguished:

  • tendency to kleptomania, theft;
  • hypocrisy, constant pretense;
  • addiction to alcohol, drugs;
  • sexual promiscuity, promiscuity;
  • vagrancy, begging.

Psychopathic women tend to have a promiscuous sex life

Women are much less likely to physically harm others. They are more prone to pretense and hypocrisy than men, and more often try to maintain normal relationships with loved ones.

In children

Childhood psychopathy can manifest itself at an early age: starting from 2-3 years of a child’s life. Symptoms become more noticeable with age, so this condition is most often diagnosed in adolescents over 12 years of age.

Features of the manifestation of psychopathy in children are as follows:

  • indifference to other people's feelings;
  • cruelty to other children and animals;
  • lack of remorse and guilt for bad deeds;
  • conscious desire for risk, lack of fear;
  • violation of prohibitions, moral principles and laws.

Psychopathic child indifferent to his performance, he does not seek to take responsibility. He cannot be frightened by the possibility of punishment or shamed for bad behavior. Such a child does not care about the feelings of parents and other people around him. All that interests him is himself and the satisfaction of his desires.

In children, psychopathy often manifests itself as cruelty towards their peers.

Due to their tendency to harm animals and other people, psychopathic children are often registered with the police. As one grows older, if this condition is not corrected by a psychiatrist or, a full-fledged psychopathic personality is formed.

Diagnosis of psychopathy

People tend to confuse psychopathic disorder with simple hysteria, with antisocial behavior. To find out whether illness or bad character is to blame for a person’s behavior, a psychotherapist performs the following diagnostic procedures:

  1. Conversation with the patient. The psychotherapist conducts a consultation with the person, communicates with him, asks questions. Based on the person's communication style, behavior and responses, the doctor makes conclusions about whether the patient is a psychopath.
  2. Communication with loved ones. The specialist contacts the patient’s relatives or friends. He asks questions about a person’s behavior, his inclinations and hobbies, living conditions and relationships with people around him.
  3. Collection of anamnesis and documentation. The doctor studies the records in the patient’s medical record and learns about past illnesses. He also takes a reference from the place of study or work, communicates with law enforcement agencies if the patient is registered.

In some cases, when the picture is unclear after the initial examination, psychological tests may be necessary. Doctors use Haer testing, Levinson Self-Report Psychopathy Questionnaire, PCL-R and MMPI questionnaires.

A diagnosis of “psychopathy” is possible only after a person reaches adulthood.

Treatment of psychopathological syndrome

The psychopathic condition is treated with the help of nootropics, symptomatic drug therapy and psychotherapeutic techniques.

Drug treatment

Treatment of psychopathic syndrome is carried out with the help of nootropics and psychostimulants. Supportive symptomatic therapy is also relevant.

Psychostimulant to neutralize the central nervous system

Drug groupsEffect on psychopathyExamples of funds
NootropicsNormalize cerebral circulation, improve memory and intelligence. They are used for organic brain damage, as well as for constitutional stupidity.Picamilon, Nootropil, Phenibut
PsychostimulantsThey are used for nuclear and mosaic psychopathy, neutralize organic lesions of the central nervous system and developmental pathologies.Vyvanse, Ritalin, Dexedrine
TranquilizersRelaxes, calms, relieves anxiety, stress, panic. They are used for strong emotional manifestations of the disease, for aggressiveness.Phenazepam, Hydroxyzine
Sedatives with natural ingredientsRelieves stress and irritation, calms. Allows you to cope with anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, hysterics and aggressiveness. Used as symptomatic therapy.Persen, Novo-passit, Valerian extract
Chemical sedativesCorvalol, Bromcamphor

Afobazole

NormotimicsRelieves sudden mood swings characteristic of the cycloid subtype. They also help control aggression.Valpromide, Carbamazelide
Antipsychotic drugsIncreases concentration, relieves stress and tension. Used as symptomatic therapy.Haloperidol, Quetiapine, Clozapine
AntidepressantsThey stimulate the production of neurotransmitters and help overcome depression in hypothymic cycloid disorder.Melipramine, Trizadone, Fluoxetine
B vitaminsStrengthens the nervous system, allows you to get rid of stress, depression, psychosis, and increased aggressiveness.Angiovit, Compligam B, Pentovit

Psychotherapy

If external factors have led to the appearance of a psychopathological condition, the doctor can correct this condition with psychotherapy.

The main methods used are:

  1. Individual consultations with the patient, personal communication with the doctor.
  2. Drawing therapy, modeling, other creative activities.
  3. Game activities using role-playing plots.
  4. Family consultations to solve intrafamily problems.

Family consultation with a psychologist or psychotherapist is normal practice

Collective and group therapy, used for other mental disorders, is practically not used for psychopathy.

– a personality disorder that often masquerades as a “difficult character.” These behaviors arise as a result of biological and social factors. The psychopathological condition can be corrected with the help of nootropics, tranquilizers, antidepressants and psychotherapy.