To What Extent Are Psychopaths Born Or Made?

Are psychopaths born or made? This nature versus nurture question has been thoroughly researched without providing any definitive answers. “Psychopathy is a personality disorder defined by a distinctive cluster of behaviors and inferred personality traits, most of which society views as pejorative” (Hare, 1993). Despite the variability of psychological and biological debates that continue to surround this topic, it is widely believed that there was no precise beginning to psychopathy. However, historical mentions of individuals who possessed common psychopathic traits are present in several Shakespearean works, Roman mythologies, and countless early monarchies. Perhaps one of the most prolific psychopaths, dating back to the 16th century, is Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed. …show more content…
It was not until the late 1800s that the term psychopathy, “from the German word psychopastiche… [was] credited to the German psychiatrist J.L.A. Koch… which literally means suffering soul” (Kiehl & Hoffman, 2011). Since then, a drastic increase in research has led to interest in comparing psychopathic criminals to criminals who do not possess psychopathic traits. For example, ”psychopaths are 15 to 25 times more likely to commit crimes that land them in prison than non-psychopaths… and 78% of imprisoned psychopaths are there because of a violent offense.” This means that psychopathy is the most highly correlated variable among prisoners (Kiehl et all, 2011). There is no denying that criminals, in general, possess personality characteristics that are uncommon among individuals of the general public. However, psychopathic criminals display even more drastic and unusual traits in comparison. A checklist of 20 personality attributes was developed that has since become one of the most significant advancements in the study and emergence psychopathy as a