The Psychology of Evil
Aug 11, 2013True evil seems easy to recognize: the killing of innocent children; assigning whole populations to death by gassing, or napalm, or aerial bombing.
Psychopathy and Evil
Sarah Kahn
12 June 2017
There is a certain diagnosis considered rare and nearly untreatable in the mental health community: psychopathy. Of course, a small amount of psychopathy may be socially advantageous. Consider the cool and collected CEO or saw-toothed lawyer. However, extreme cases illustrated by the fictional Patrick Bateman of American Psycho or the not-so-fictional child, Samantha from the June 2017 issue of The Atlantic, reveal that psychopathy is not only chilling but highly dangerous.
Psychopaths exhibit physiological abnormalities in addition to behavioral ones. As a result, clinicians can distinguish between average violent convicts and psychopaths. Given this, more and more psychopaths are sent to treatment centers over correctional facilities in an attempt to tame rather than cure this mental disease.
As attitudes shift from punishment to rehabilitation for curbing the threat to society posed by psychopaths, should our moral appraisal of their actions shift as well? How ought we to understand psychopathy, especially child psychopathy? If some unlucky children are wired to lack empathy or remorse, can we justifiably call them evil?
University of Pennsylvania Psychologist, Adrian Raine, argues that psychopathy is not a choice. So, to what extent can an action be labeled evil in the absence of choice? What must be true about the agent such that she is freely choosing to commit evil acts?
Intrigued? See the full article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/when-your-child-is-a-psychopath/524502/
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Related Shows
The Psychology of Evil
Aug 11, 2013True evil seems easy to recognize: the killing of innocent children; assigning whole populations to death by gassing, or napalm, or aerial bombing.
Evil
Feb 01, 2005Is there such a thing as pure evil in the world? How should we confront evil? Can evil ever be finally overcome?
Diseases of the Mind: Philosophy of Psychiatry
Nov 19, 2017The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is the primary reference catalog for mental health illnesses.
Blog Archive
2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2016
December
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2014
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2013
December
October
September
June
May
April
March
February
January
2012
December
November
April
March
February
January
2011
December
November
October
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August
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Comments (1)
Cristy NL.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017 -- 2:29 AM
It's terrible! We can't callIt's terrible! We can't call children with psychopathy evil. I understand that psychopathy is not a choice, but people with this diagnosis must be isolated. One day they can hurt someone.
Cristy NL.