psychopath

/'saikəpæθ/

Thân thiện

A person with a psychopath may show a lack of empathy.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person with a psychopathic personality: An individual characterized by a chronic mental disorder, especially one manifesting as amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, and often a tendency to engage in criminal or violent acts. The term is often used interchangeably with 'sociopath' in general contexts, though it has been largely superseded by the clinical term 'antisocial personality disorder'.

Usage

• The term psychopath is used to describe a person whose behavior is profoundly antisocial and who lacks empathy or remorse. It is a strong, often clinical term.
• Important Note: In modern clinical and psychological contexts, the term is considered outdated and potentially stigmatizing. The preferred diagnostic term is now antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). The word 'psychopath' is still widely used in popular culture, journalism, and general speech.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The film's villain was portrayed as a cunning and ruthless psychopath.
  • The psychiatrist explained that not all criminals are psychopaths, but many diagnosed psychopaths exhibit criminal behavior.
  • Historical accounts sometimes describe certain tyrants as psychopaths due to their apparent lack of conscience.

Advanced Usage

• In a clinical/forensic context: The term may be used in tools like the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which assesses traits such as superficial charm, grandiosity, pathological lying, and a lack of empathy.
  • The forensic assessment aimed to determine if the defendant met the criteria for a psychopath.

Variants and Related Words

• Psychopathic (adj): Having the characteristics of a psychopath.
  • He was diagnosed with a psychopathic personality.
• Psychopathy (n): The condition or set of personality traits characteristic of a psychopath.
  • The study focused on the neurobiology of psychopathy.

Synonyms

• Sociopath: Often used interchangeably in non-specialist language, though some theories distinguish between the two based on the origin of the disorder (nature vs. nurture).
• Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD): The modern clinical diagnosis that encompasses traits historically labeled as psychopathy or sociopathy.

Related Phrases

• "Corporate psychopath": A metaphorical term used to describe someone in a business environment who exhibits ruthlessly self-serving and manipulative behavior without empathy.
  • The book argues that corporate psychopaths can cause significant harm within organizations.

Học thuật

Noun

1. someone with a sociopathic personality; a person with an antisocial personality disorder (`psychopath' was once widely used but has now been superseded by `sociopath')

Từ đồng nghĩa

• sociopath