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Are psychopaths necessarily bad people?

153 Answers
Last Updated: 05/27/2022 at 2:12am
Are psychopaths necessarily bad people?
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Top Rated Answers
Birdie725
January 11th, 2020 4:38pm
Assuming that the psychopathy is actually a medical condition and not just a label that someone stuck on them, I don't think that psychopaths are necessary bad. If one does not have the mental capacity to empathize, how can I blame them for being selfish or mean? They literally have no way of differentiating their good behavior from harmful behavior. Humans by nature are designed to value self-preservation above all, but we are also designed as social creatures who must give up some of our desires in order to live in harmony with the rest of the human race. As far as I can tell (as someone who is not a medical professional), a psychopath is someone with a disorder that impairs or prevents their ability to understand the social aspect of living. Now, personally, I don't think I would be able to become friends with a psychopath, purely due to the two-sided nature of friendship. And I do still believe that their bad behavior is bad. I just have a problem putting the blame on the psychopath when they are physically incapable of acting in the way a normal human should.
Anonymous
November 25th, 2016 10:53am
Not necessarily. Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by boldness, lack of empathy and impulsiveness. Although psychopaths do not always become violent - especially if professional help is ensued -, there is definitely a higher chance of violence to occur than in a person that doesn't suffer from the disorder. Psychopaths rarely feel remorse or guilt, since they lack empathy, they are not afraid of risky situations and hardly abide social norms (they are antisocial). There is an interesting talk from Discovery Channel that says that heroes and villains in stories/movies share a great deal of the same three main characteristics; both are bold, out of the norm figures, they are defined by a lack of personal empathy (putting the greater good or the greater evil above everything else) and are uninhibited by social norms. So, there you go; psychopaths are not necessarily 'bad' people.
afutyel
September 30th, 2018 1:41pm
No, not at all. People with psychopathy can be good, and they can also go to therapy, to heal and recover over time. I personally know and am friends with people that struggle with psychopathy. Some may be bad, and some may be good, but is that not the case with most people anyway (mentally ill or not)? As long as one strives to not harm others and does their best to control their urges, then to me, they are generally good people. Unfortunately, stigma can be extremely harmful and reinforce inaccurate stereotypes, but we must strive to go beyond those and actually try to understand the people involved.
Anonymous
August 20th, 2017 10:20am
No, I believe they are just scared and insecure about the changes happening in their life...like all of us but they can't accept reality as it is too difficult and they bore a lot of pain...or maybe it's their mind playing tricks on them...who knows...
CharlieNoe357
May 27th, 2022 2:12am
In short, no. If someone has a mental health disorder, they can’t help that. The actions they take may be bad, but the person isn’t necessarily bad. In some cases it might just be who the person is, but in others maybe not. That said, psychopaths shouldn’t freely roam streets. Even if the person doesn’t want to have mal intent, they might not be able to control their actions. If you find a psychopath you should probably seek professional help. But no, psychopaths are not necessarily bad people.
Anonymous
February 12th, 2022 6:41pm
By my own definition, I define a bad person as someone who harms people. There is no fixed definition for a psychopath, but generally its someone who manipulates others, exhibits socially irresponsible behaviour, lies etc due to having a lack of empathy (according to healthline) so I would say that yes, psychopaths are bad people. You could argue that good and bad are subjective terms, but by my definition of bad, psychopaths definitely fit the book. I've met a psychopath before and TW//////////////////they tried to choke me and were a hundred percent serious about it. Psychopaths not having empathy is not what makes them bad, but lacking empathy allows them to be bad people more easily.
Anonymous
December 13th, 2020 6:10pm
No they are very misunderstood people they are human and they should be respecting for who they are. Love them like a human and treat them like a human sometimes not getting attention in life could cause you feeling like you might be a psychopath because you are always on your own and sometimes you can start to have trust issues and develop stuff. Also sometimes your family members or someone close to you can start joking around and saying your a psychopath and lead you into believing when in reality its not true. All psychopaths aren't bad people because they just sometimes can do stuff out of the ordinary.
Anonymous
August 15th, 2020 4:18pm
Well, the thing is, psychopaths are born (whereas sociopaths are formed). In other words, their brains are structured and wired differently. In a psychopath's mind, the world revolves around themselves. Nothing else matters but their existence. They see other people as objects and targets for abuse and deception. At first, psychopaths can come across as extremely charming, but like I mentioned above, they're just planning to hurt you. Now, not all diagnosed psychopaths act impulsively or with violence (although I'd say most, or at least half, do), and some non-psychopaths have psychopathic tendencies. Overall, because psychopaths are usually pretty dangerous, it's probably best to avoid hanging around them.
Anonymous
July 30th, 2020 7:41am
No they aren't. I believe that it is a mix of all different kinds of factors that led them to that certain behavioral path. Behavior can be affected by so many things that are out of their control. For example, it could be a part of their family. Mental illnesses in parents can cause their children to also have a high risk of developing a mental illness later on in life. This is completely out of the person's control and they should not be blamed for it. It is part of their DNA and cannot be changed because that is just who they are.
LioricLionheart
July 24th, 2020 11:05pm
Not necessarily. But psychopaths are a necessary evil that is needed, specially in the leadership level. They get the job done. But living with a psychopath, is a whole different story. It depends solely on the people that lives with the psychopath. In my experience, it was horrible as a compassionate person. But as an opportunist, she was cut throat. Always got me out of any pinch that I was in. But the part where she cares about the feeling of others was non existent. And any flare of positivity towards her would be magnified so that as light of the lime light reaches the next person.
Lavanya13
June 4th, 2020 11:21am
So, a while ago, I found myself really interested about how psychopathy works. And I used to believe they were bad people up until I read about it. Psychopathy is basically a personality disorder, that prevents a person from feeling empathy. Like they understand how the person in front of them feels, and have the ability to calculate the consequences of their actions, but are unable to feel bad for them; because they can't feel pain vicariously through other people. Feeling bad for other people is how we learn not to hurt people, or cause them harm, and so it gets difficult for psychopaths to understand this concept. In some cases, however, it is interesting to note that psychopaths have the ability feel empathy or stop feeling it, like flicking a switch.
hardtoothtoswallow
May 17th, 2020 10:51pm
Not at all. It is often said that psychopaths do not feel anything, but it is more accurate to say that they experience complex emotions that are difficult for both others and themselves to understand. What an individual psychopath does is up to that person, and is specific to them. How you judge someone may be determined by what actions they committed. However, even if their actions are morally wrong, it is sometimes worth it to understand their thought process and understand why they did what they did, even if you view it as selfish. It is difficult for many to attempt to understand those who commit actions that are socially unacceptable, but opening our minds to understanding these actions, even if we do not endorse them, may help prevent the cycle of abuse.
dreamMelody27
May 3rd, 2020 9:06pm
No, psychopath aren’t necessarily bad people. First of all „psychopath“ isn’t a real term used in the medical community. It’s a term primarily used it pop culture and that is where we get most of our understanding on what a „psychopath“ is. Most commonly when we talke about psychopaths we talke about someone with anti social tendency’s. Psychopaths can be characterized as having a lack of empathy (when not trying to be actively empathic), a low sense of danger and a lack of fear. This characteristics however aren’t bad from nature. Most psychopath aren’t killers. People with this characteristics make for example great surgeons or fire fighters, since the low empathy and fear levels lead to more calculated desigions under high stress, under which most „normal“ people would start getting sloppy. They can live a mostly normal live an be good people. So no psychopath do not have to be bad people. If you see a could blooded killer it’s most likely a psychopath but not every psychopath is a could blooded killer.
Anonymous
May 1st, 2020 10:35am
No, but I appreciate the question! Not that I am a biological psychopath but as a psychology major, I find the tendency to psychopathic behavior interesting. Psychopaths, in general, cannot experience life the way a neurotypical would. However, simply because of their differences, that does not mean they are bad people. I don't want to go into the whole aspect of whether they are good or bad; in my opinion, all people have the ability to be bad and all people have the potential to be good. Our actions mold us into the people we are. Therefore, if a biological psychopath makes good, caring decisions, we can confidently say xe may not be a bad person.
Anonymous
December 20th, 2019 4:43pm
No I don't think psychopaths are necessarily bad people. I believe the word "psychopath" has been damaged by the way it's been portrayed in media and that has caused people to forget it's true meaning. Psychopaths are people who suffer from a serious mental disorder and need treatment. It's true that the effects of this disorder causes them to live outside of the societal norm but it's important to understand that this is not by choice. It's common courtesy not to judge people without knowing their past and this is especially important to exercise with people who suffer from a mental disorder. They are not bad people just misunderstood by society.
Mayg15
July 24th, 2019 3:58am
I dont think so. I work in criminal law so I'm around a lot of people who have done bad things but I wouldnt consider them bad people, some of them are actually very nice to me. A lot of people who end up like a psychopath have had some kind of trauma growing up or something like that and it results in that sort of behaviour when theyre older. as well, many psychopaths have severe mental health issues and have trouble controlling their actions but i dont think that makes them a bad person, it simply means that they have to get the necessary help
Iamhereforyouanditwillbeokay
July 3rd, 2019 3:50pm
No psychopaths are not bad people at all. Their behavior is just different from us but besides who is normal? Not me! Normal is overrated.everyone is beautiful in the way they are. Psychopaths are not bad they are made the way the are because of their surroundings not their choice.One should always support them if they are going through a rough patch. TREAT THE WORLD THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED AND ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Be the sunshine you are waiting for others to be in your life! Cause life is short but we can make it worth it💕
Blynng
February 16th, 2019 6:20am
No. psychopaths are not "bad" people by nature, though they have received a serious reputation. Psychopaths are a categorization of a condition called antisocial personality disorder and it can affect people from all races, backgrounds, religious affiliation, etc. Psychopaths are still able to recognize right from wrong and are able to make logical and effective choices. The difference is that they have a problem processing empathy, so instead of being a natural response like most people have to situations that inspire say, guilt, the person with ASPD is more likely to not understand why people are upset. It then becomes a conscious choice for that person, to decide if they want to try and learn how to process emotions for good reasons, or to learn it for not so good reasons. Overall, however, it's just a condition, and the quality of the person is determined by the life they choose.
beprecious
February 14th, 2019 12:18pm
Absolutely not. A psychopath could very well be just another person in the room and sometimes people can go their whole lives knowing a psychopath and have absolutely no problems with them. Psychopath's brains simply work differently than the vast majority of the human race which makes a lot of people see this as bad. There is a stigma around psychopaths but with understanding and some minor changes in the world: people will see that not all psychopaths are necessarily bad people. Everyone is different no matter how their brain works and so simply by being a psychopath will not instantly label you as a bad person.
Anonymous
February 3rd, 2019 8:09am
Not at all. We just need to understand that are different from rest of us. We need to help them overcome their issues. Be genuinely kind and sympathetic towards them. Their disturbed mental health makes them behave in ways that people find hurting. Very basic thing is that they are humans too. We should try our best to help them and understand their situation. They have gone through trauma earlier in life. They have experienced pain and have got hurt. We should never judge the.They have emotions too. They can't help themselves, it's us who are to help them.
Anonymous
July 1st, 2018 6:18am
No. I believe that most are misunderstood. The people who make the character judgements typically ask biased questions or make assumptions
Anonymous
January 31st, 2018 7:51pm
Psychopathy at it's most basic form is an empathy disorder with emotional detachment. Yes this means that psychopaths have the ability to perform horrible acts without remorse or guilt, but it does not mean they will do any such thing.
Ninolo
January 30th, 2018 10:22pm
No. The term "Psychopath" would literally translate to "someone who suffers from an illness of the mind". This term is a barbaric one, that loses more an more relevance in psychology and psychiatry because of how crude and vague it is. The word also harbors a negative connotation due to the fact that in the early days of the mental health sciences, it was usually used to describe people who were malign to themselves and or to their environment, as that is how their mental illness would be known to other people. Today, the term psychopath, abbreviated as "psycho" is often misused and confused with the resembling "psychotic", which differs in meaning. Anyone afflicted with a mental illness ins't necessarily bad, and if they are, they might not be aware of the harm they may cause. See "Psychosis" for examples
KimHereForEveryone
September 21st, 2016 2:58am
Not necessarily. There are many psychology studies that shown how people can have psychopathic traits but do not act criminally. It is also important to consider that a person may be classed as a psychopath due to trauma they have experienced, so was that person always a bad person or was they made a psychopath by a bad person?
sweetJoy759
September 30th, 2020 10:49pm
No. I do not think that they are bad people. It is a type of mental illness that makes a person act a certain way. It is not that person's fault. A mental illness/disability is not anyone's fault. No body can help with feeling how they feel. They cannot control the thoughts that are running inside of their heads. I don't see anyone as a bad person, especially those with mental health. They are struggling to cope how they are feeling and don't realize what they are doing. It does not make them less of a person.
CatInLap
September 5th, 2020 9:41pm
It depends on what you mean by psychopaths. If you mean primary psychopath then no they are not necessarily bad people. However, they do not understand the world the same way you experience it and it can be dangerous for your mental health and unhealthy to have relationships with them. A psychopath who isn't trying to hurt you will tell you as much, that they use people often, and do not and cannot feel what you feel. Expecting them to love, or return emotion is going to bring you pain and suffering. They do not understand these things and it takes something out of them to mimic them. They do this to fit in, but like to have downtime where they will not have to behave in this manner. Normally they do this alone. If you engage with one willing to take their mask off in front of you, you most likely will feel discomfort. Short answer No. Longer Answer, It's never a good idea to be hanging out with a psychopath unless you know what you are getting into and both of you are very clear with each other and boundries.
Anonymous
August 22nd, 2020 5:45am
The practical answer: Absolutely not! Those with antisocial personality disorder are incapable of feeling sympathy or empathy for others. However, they can, with a very nurturing upbringing, learn these skills even if they do not feel them. Now, to be more academic, in order for someone to be diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder, he or she must exhibit symptoms including performing multiple acts that were the grounds for arrest, deceitfulness, impulsivity, physical aggression, disregard for the safety of self or others, consistent irresponsibility, and a lack of remorse for such actions. This is criterium A from the DSM 5. With this being said, this question does not really have an academic answer. It is all emotional arguments. For example, does doing at least three of those things consistently make someone a bad person? What constitutes a bad person? Also, those with this disorder act in this way due to neurological abnormalities. Would this justify their actions, from a moral standpoint? What I am getting at is that the answer is really dependant on your interpretation of this information.
Anonymous
November 8th, 2020 12:22am
I don't think anyone is "bad" or "good." People can have a positive or negative impact on the world around them, but even that is something that can be improved. I have made plenty of mistakes and hurt people, and sometimes I still do. But as long as I try to learn from it and do better next time I think that is what counts. I am on this website right now because I want to improve myself, and that's what I'm doing. So if someone is trying to be better and have a positive impact I don't think anyone can fault them for that.
Hayles0111
September 21st, 2016 10:14pm
Some "psychopaths" can be those who suffer from various mental health issues. But not all "psychopaths" are the same!
Anonymous
September 23rd, 2016 9:34pm
Not necessary. They are people just like you and me, but the difference is they have no empathy. They can live a normal life if they follow certain rules.