Eva Christine from It Affects Us All (Det angår oss alla) sends over a link to a review paper by Kent A. Kiehl, “A cognitive neuroscience perspective on psychopathy: Evidence for paralimbic system dysfunction,” Psychiatric Research 142: 107-128 (June 2006). The author, Dr. Kiehl, was recently profiled in the New Yorker, “A Reporter at Large, Suffering Souls, The search for the roots of psychopathy,”
by John Seabrook . Taken together, these two articles are about the best primers for the biological basis of sociopathy (psychopathy, whatever) for the uninitiated.
In fact, Dr. Kiehl: Will you please make some videos explaining what you have found, and put on YouTube so we can take a look? The less jargon the better, and I promise, we’ll make you a Youtube star. . . .;)
Thank you Eva Christine and we’ll be posting more from It Affects Us All (Det angår oss alla)
A cognitive neuroscience perspective on psychopathy: Evidence for paralimbic system dysfunction
this is a great and informative article. despite the severity of the behaviors described in psychopathic behaviors and personalities, it is amazing how many shared traits can be seen in people who are less overtly violent but who meet the criteria for one or more personality disorders. thanks for the research and the history and the utility of the article.
Hi Dave, your site is great, and people should click on your name and check it out.
The propensity toward violence isn’t necessarily a trait according to the research, but it seems like the absence of emotion, empathy and compassion are mainstays, as far as phenotype. There are recent researches on some serotonin-related genes that may swing one way or the other on violence and aggression.
Keep your eye out on this research because it’s moving pretty fast.
http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=neon&s=int
Interesting photos on Dave’s slide show.
By violence I wasn’t speaking of just the overt physical acts of behavior. Violence is done to people in all kinds of ways especially owing to a lack of emotion, empathy, insight and compassion. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could learn to avoid certain types of people before we figure them out. Thanks for the feedback about my blog. It amuses me, anyway.
Dave, you’re preaching to the choir on this blog. You’re welcome for the comments re your photos and blog, and yay for citizen bloggers/photographers/social observers.