PSYCH230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Empathy, Psychopathy, Etiology

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH230
• Professor: John Rempel

Document Summary

Psychology and law march 23 psychopathy: etiology and treatment. There is a genetic component: there are biological differences in brain functions when it comes to psychopaths. There are environmental influences: very significant, in any situation where you have an individual at risk for psychopathic behavior, will hinge greatly on the individuals personal experiences throughout their life. There is a distinction between dysfunctional vs functional psychopaths: dysfunctional psychopaths (i. e. , serial killers) Characterized as the criminal psychopaths (i. e. , deliberately acting in ways that harm others because to them these individuals do not matter) This doesn"t imply that functional psychopaths don"t engage in criminal behavior. These individuals become the offenders because their experiences have taught them that it is beneficial or desirable for them to do so: functional psychopaths (i. e. , ponzi schemes) Have learned the ethical rules, they understand how things are supposed to operate. They possess cognitive empathy, but not necessarily emotional empathy.