Science > Psychopaths at Home, at work, and in the Garden
Thomas Sheridans books and videos on youtube about Psychopaths
Laura:
I should add: he writes a bit about psychopaths always "getting theirs" eventually. I sort of think that maybe he wrote this so as to give the reader some hope, but in general, it isn't really true. Only the failures of the taxon "get theirs" and I'm not even sure that it can be described that way because, since they don't really care, is it really some sort of justice?
Another item was his claim that there are as many female psychopaths as male. Well, that's a thorny issue for sure, but what he says makes sense. I did read a study that suggested that borderline personality disorder in women was really just how many female psychopaths were diagnosed. But there are other types of female psychopaths - the defining feature being "without conscience" - that are not obviously disordered in the "borderline" way; just think of Madeline Albright and Condoleeza Rice and Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton.
Sheridan is obviously not trying to be academic about the topic, but that's really what is good about the book. It is engaging and pretty darn accurate and he draws obvious conclusions that academic types would not dare to do because the system would come down on their heads!
Scarlet:
I am reading this book right now too and its confused me a bit about how he believes psychopathy is just as common in men as it is in women. I would think that testosterone levels would play a factor in it being more common in men. I also read from other researchers that it's ten times more common in men, which is a huge difference!
It was nice to see that he referenced Political Ponerology in the back of his book and also that he discusses how we are ponerized here and there throughout the book.
Approaching Infinity:
--- Quote from: Scarlet on October 29, 2011, 06:39:23 PM ---I am reading this book right now too and its confused me a bit about how he believes psychopathy is just as common in men as it is in women. I would think that testosterone levels would play a factor in it being more common in men. I also read from other researchers that it's ten times more common in men, which is a huge difference!
--- End quote ---
See Laura's post just above yours. He could be right. It could be that female psychopaths just aren't diagnosed as such, e.g. borderline (also, see Barb Oakley's latest book Cold-blooded Kindness, which has an interesting view of what definitely looks like female psychopathy). Also, Lobaczewski hypothesized (probably incorrectly) that psychopathy was strictly an x-linked genetic disorder. In that case, women with only one psychopathic x-chromosome are more 'carriers' because the effects are mitigated by their healthy other x-chromosome. Perhaps it has a different effect, and they just present trickier symptoms?
Psyche:
--- Quote from: Approaching Infinity on October 30, 2011, 02:21:12 AM ---Also, Lobaczewski hypothesized (probably incorrectly) that psychopathy was strictly an x-linked genetic disorder. In that case, women with only one psychopathic x-chromosome are more 'carriers' because the effects are mitigated by their healthy other x-chromosome. Perhaps it has a different effect, and they just present trickier symptoms?
--- End quote ---
Yeah, perhaps it is not necessarily mitigated, but there is more "garden variety".
I remember reading information that supported Lobaczewski's theories. He said:
--- Quote ---Daltonists, men with an impaired ability to distinguish red and green colors from grey, are now barred from professions in which this could cause a catastro-phe. We also know that this anomaly is often accompanied by a decrease in esthetic experience, emotions, and the feeling of linkage to people who can see colors normally. Industrial psychologists are thus cautious whether such a person should be entrusted with work requiring dependence upon an autonomic sense of responsibility, as workers safety is contingent upon this sense.
It was discovered long ago that these two above-mentioned anomalies – hemophilia and color blindness – are inherited by means of a gene located in the X chromosome, and tracking their transmission through many generations is not difficult. Geneticists have similarly studied the inheritance of many other features of human organisms, but they have paid scant attention to the anomalies interesting us here. Many features of human character have a hereditary bases in genes located in the same X chromosome; although it is not a rule. Something similar could apply to the majority of the psychological anomalies to be discussed below.
--- End quote ---
Here is what I remember reviewing:
Genes on the X-chromosome not only influence general intelligence, but also have relatively specific effects on social–cognition and emotional regulation. Differences in cognitive and social abilities between the sexes could be directly linked to the influence of X-chromosome genes. [David H. Skuse. X-linked genes and mental functioning. Human Molecular Genetics, 2005, Vol.14, Review Issue 1]
The X chromosome carries a couple thousand genes, but few, if any, of these have anything to do directly with sex determination. Early in embryonic development in females, one of the two X chromosomes is randomly and permanently inactivated in nearly all somatic cells (cells other than egg and sperm cells). This phenomenon is called X-inactivation and it ensures that females, like males, have one functional copy of the X chromosome in each body cell. [X Chromosome, Wikipedia, _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_chromosome] It was previously assumed that only one copy is actively used. However, recent research have revealed that X-inactivation is not always complete such that as many as least 25% of the genes on the inactive X are either fully or partially active, with the percentage varying from one woman to another. [Carrel, L., & Willard, H. (2005). X-inactivation profile reveals extensive variability in X-linked gene expression in females. Nature, 434,400−404.] Perhaps this may be the reason why expression of pathology varies.
I was also reading today how during a very brief period of time, a fertilized ovule has 3n of DNA, since it has 2n from the mother and n from the father. That is, for a brief period of time in a fertilized ovule, there are 3 sets of 23 chromosomes, two coming from the mother [the 23(X) ones)] and one from the father [either 23(X) or 23(Y)]. I wonder if it increases the chance of recombination and "garden variety".
--- Quote ---http://www.chs.helena.k12.mt.us/faculty/hbosch/biologytopics_files/webnotes/ch14/ch%2014%20notes.htm
2 of the chromosomes are called sex Chromosomes: ♀=XX ♂=XY
44 chromosomes are called autosomes. ♀=46 (XX) ♂=46 (XY)
Egg cells are haploid so they have 23 chromosomes 23(X)
Sperm cells are haploid so they have 23 chromosomes either 23(X) or 23(Y).
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Diploid_vs_Haploid
Gametes or germ cells are haploid cells (example: sperm and ova) containing only one set (or n) number of chromosomes and autosomal or somatic cells are diploid cells containing 2n number of chromosomes. The number of chromosomes (n) differs in different organisms. In humans a complete set (2n) comprises of 46 chromosomes.
--- End quote ---
Pashalis:
--- Quote from: Approaching Infinity on October 30, 2011, 02:21:12 AM ---
--- Quote from: Scarlet on October 29, 2011, 06:39:23 PM ---I am reading this book right now too and its confused me a bit about how he believes psychopathy is just as common in men as it is in women. I would think that testosterone levels would play a factor in it being more common in men. I also read from other researchers that it's ten times more common in men, which is a huge difference!
--- End quote ---
See Laura's post just above yours. He could be right. It could be that female psychopaths just aren't diagnosed as such, e.g. borderline (also, see Barb Oakley's latest book Cold-blooded Kindness, which has an interesting view of what definitely looks like female psychopathy). Also, Lobaczewski hypothesized (probably incorrectly) that psychopathy was strictly an x-linked genetic disorder. In that case, women with only one psychopathic x-chromosome are more 'carriers' because the effects are mitigated by their healthy other x-chromosome. Perhaps it has a different effect, and they just present trickier symptoms?
--- End quote ---
that's what Lobaczewski had to say about it in the interview with SOTT.net:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/159686-In-Memoriam-Andrzej-M-obaczewski
--- Quote ---Q (SOTT): And in this case, what do you think, how one should behave towards such psychopaths? Should one fight psychopathy in general, or should one strive to avoid it in their own life, simply staying as far away from a person like this as possible?
A (Lobaczewski): Well, one should rather keep away from him as far as possible, because psychopathy... the first thing that is claimed, the American sources claim that it occurs three times more rarely among women than among men. In my opinion this is not so. It is inherited equally often. However, there is the second allele, the second chromosome X, which hides the condition to a great degree.
Q (SOTT): In other words, it is more difficult to diagnose?
A (Lobaczewski) : Yes, it is so that the condition does not manifest itself so much. As a result the woman is more normal, although these psychopathic qualities can be noticed and sensed. So, what is going on here? One may... psychopaths have this dream that they would like to govern. "We want to be the government," they think, and this dream is realized from time to time in the human history and this is a gruesome time. Yes?
--- End quote ---
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