Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, remorse, and antisocial behavior. Psychopaths can seem charming on the surface, but lack the ability to form meaningful connections with others. This raises an interesting question – do psychopaths experience loneliness like the rest of us? In this article, we will examine what the research says about psychopaths and loneliness.
What is psychopathy?
Psychopathy is not an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but it is closely associated with antisocial personality disorder. Some key traits of psychopathy include:
- Lack of empathy and remorse
- Impulsivity and poor behavior controls
- Superficial charm and charisma
- Dishonesty and manipulation
- Irresponsibility and antisocial behavior
It’s estimated that around 1% of the general population meets the criteria for psychopathy. The cause is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Psychopathy exists on a spectrum – some psychopaths exhibit more severe and dangerous behavior than others.
Do psychopaths experience emotions?
One of the hallmarks of psychopathy is a lack of empathy and reduced emotional experience. However, research shows that psychopaths do feel basic emotions like anger, frustration, and pleasure. What they lack is the ability to feel more complex social and moral emotions like guilt, remorse, and sympathy.
Brain imaging studies reveal that psychopaths show reduced activation in regions associated with emotion processing during emotional tasks. This suggests they have trouble generating the appropriate emotional experience when faced with emotional stimuli.
So while psychopaths are not completely emotionally numb, their emotional world tends to be more shallow and focused on self-gratification rather than relating to others. This emotional deficit underlies their interpersonal difficulties and antisocial behaviors.
Can psychopaths feel lonely?
Loneliness is the distressing feeling of being disconnected or isolated from others. Because psychopaths lack empathy and don’t value emotional intimacy, they may be less prone to loneliness than the average person.
Some research supports this notion. For example, studies measuring loneliness in criminal psychopaths using self-report surveys have found that they score lower on loneliness compared to non-psychopathic criminals. Additionally, when asked if they want to change, psychopathic criminals report being satisfied with themselves and do not express a strong desire for close relationships.
However, some experts believe psychopaths may still experience loneliness occasionally, but in a more shallow way than others. For example, they may feel bored or restless when unable to find stimulation or admiration from others. Or they may become irritated and empty when unable to exploit relationships that benefit their own interests.
So in summary, psychopaths seem less burdened by loneliness and social isolation than the general population. But they may subjectively experience these feelings to some degree, especially when lacking external sources of reward or entertainment.
Do psychopaths desire relationships?
Though psychopaths do not feel a deep need for intimacy and attachment, research suggests they do seek out relationships for other reasons:
- Excitement – New relationships are a source of entertainment and thrills for psychopaths.
- Status – Psychopaths enjoy the power and social standing that can come with relationships.
- Resources – Psychopaths use relationships to acquire money, housing, status objects, etc.
- Sex – Relationships provide psychopaths access to sex and sexual gratification.
However, these relationships tend to be transient and shallow, as psychopaths struggle to genuinely connect with others. They get bored easily once the excitement wears off, or when resources have been extracted.
Psychopaths also tend to maintain multiple shallow relationships at once, seeking excitement and advantage from each. They are prone to infidelity and breaking things off abruptly when it suits them.
So in essence, psychopaths do not feel compelled to pursue relationships for emotional reasons like non-psychopaths. But they do value relationships for practical reasons and the gratification they provide.
Are psychopaths doomed to loneliness?
The emotional deficits inherent to psychopathy make it very challenging for psychopaths to achieve true intimacy, belonging, and reciprocity in relationships over the long-term. However, some evidence suggests that in certain contexts, psychopaths may experience relative success:
- Within the family – Psychopaths may be better able to bond with and remain committed to family members than non-family.
- In restricted settings – Prison settings for example, where exit is not easy, may encourage psychopaths to invest more in relationships.
- With early intervention – Teaching youth with psychopathic traits relationship skills before dysfunctional patterns take root may help.
- With rewards – Providing psychopaths external rewards for relationship commitment and effort may improve outcomes.
Additionally, cognitive and compassion-based therapies show some promise in helping psychopaths improve empathic functioning and perspective-taking. So while lifelong intimacy likely remains out of reach, psychopaths may not be entirely doomed if afforded these specialized interventions.
However, in most cases, the emotional gaps inherent to psychopathy severely limit relationship duration and satisfaction over time. Loneliness and isolation may be an enduring struggle for many afflicted with this disorder.
Conclusion
Psychopaths differ from the general population in profound ways when it comes to relationships and loneliness. Research suggests key points:
- Psychopaths have a reduced capacity for empathetic and social emotions like loneliness due to brain differences.
- They seem less bothered by isolation than non-psychopaths and do not deeply wish for emotional intimacy.
- They do seek relationships for excitement, resources, and status, but these ties tend to be shallow and short-lived.
- With therapy and interventions, psychopaths may improve relationship skills and functioning to some degree.
- However, lifelong intimacy likely remains challenging due to the emotional gaps inherent to psychopathy.
So in summary, psychopaths do not experience or desire relationships and closeness in the same way as the typical population. Though not completely immune to loneliness, they are less troubled by isolation on average. Their underlying neuropsychological deficits make profound intimacy difficult to achieve long-term without significant intervention and support. Understanding these emotional differences provides insight into the interpersonal struggles faced by those with psychopathy.
| Psychopath Traits | Impact on Relationships |
|---|---|
| Lack of empathy | Inability to genuinely connect with others |
| Impulsivity | Difficulty maintaining long-term commitments |
| Superficial charm | Relationships lack deeper meaning |
| Need for stimulation | Boredom and restlessness arise easily |
Key Resources
[1] Dutton, K. (2012). The wisdom of psychopaths: What saints, spies, and serial killers can teach us about success. Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
[2] Hare, R. D. (1999). Without conscience: The disturbing world of the psychopaths among us. Guilford Press.
[3] Patrick, C. (2018). Psychopathy as masked pathology. In C. Patrick (Ed.), Handbook of psychopathy (pp. 3-21). The Guilford Press.
[4] Dargis, M., Newman, J. P., & Koenigs, M. (2016). Clarifying the link between childhood abuse history and psychopathic traits in adult criminal offenders. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7(3), 221.
[5] Philippi, C. L., & Koenigs, M. (2014). The neuropsychology of self-reflection in psychiatric illnesses. Journal of psychiatric research, 54, 55-63.