Psychopathy: 'Madness without confusion'

The phrase was coined more than 200 years ago by Dr Philippe Pinel, who described this condition as ''madness without confusion'': these people are not insane. They are not driven by delusions or hallucinations. They know right from wrong. They just don't care. Psychopaths enjoy what the rest of us consider abhorrent and heinous. They recognise the harmful consequences of their acts, but they're incapable of feeling remorse, and concern for the victim is completely absent. They're not immoral; they're amoral.

They're born with reduced empathy. They're highly impulsive and don't consider the consequences of their actions; they are unconcerned about punishment and social approval; and many have lower resting heart rates (making them prone to sensation seeking).

Not all psychopaths kill or commit crimes. Some of them could be your co-workers or boss. They still go through life wreaking havoc, but of a different type. They will be serially unfaithful; they're emotionally abusive and manipulative; they will take whatever they want without caring at all who they hurt. They lie, won't accept responsibility and are good at getting out of trouble, and persuading others to do what they want. They're also often dominant and arrogant, with an exaggerated sense of their abilities or influence....read more>>>...