psychopathy
Conscience-free personality disorder
Psychopathy is a personality disorder marked by lack of empathy, shallow emotions, manipulativeness, and disregard for others' rights.
Unlike psychosis, psychopaths perceive reality clearly—they simply don't feel moral constraints the way most people do.
The term overlaps significantly with antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy, though clinicians draw fine distinctions.
The documentary explored whether corporate culture rewards psychopathy.
Identification of illness
- DSMPsychiatric classification manual
- psychiatricOf mental health treatment
- sociopathyPathological absence of conscience
- forensicPertaining to legal investigation
assessment · maladaptive · comorbidity · prevalence · etiology · neurodevelopmental
Intentional misleading of others
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- gaslightingManipulation causing self-doubt
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
scheming · conniving · calculating · lying · conning · trickery · coercion · subterfuge
Superficially articulate
- charismaticCompellingly attractive to others
- smooth-talkerPersuasive, flattering speaker
- suaveSmoothly refined in manner
- seductivePowerfully attractive, tempting
mask · facade · likability · persuasive · engaging · captivating · magnetic · slick
Harmful physical force
- hostilityAntagonistic disposition toward others
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
- predatoryExploiting the vulnerable
viciousness · sadism · intimidation · dominance · coercion · threatening · assault · rage
Unfeeling, pitiless nature
- remorselessnessState of feeling no regret
- heartlessnessLack of compassion
- unfeelingWithout compassion or emotion
- indifferenceLack of interest
cruelty · insensitivity · numbness · impassivity · emotionless · dispassion · unemotional · hardened
Careless disregard for danger
- thrill-seekingPursuing excitement through risk
- irresponsibilityFailure to meet obligations
- risk-takingAccepting possible harm
- impetuousActing on sudden urge
unreliability · erratic · disinhibition · novelty-seeking · carelessness · rashness
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- DSMPsychiatric classification manual
- psychiatricOf mental health treatment
- sociopathyPathological absence of conscience
forensic · assessment · maladaptive · comorbidity · prevalence · etiology · neurodevelopmental
deception
Intentional misleading of others
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- gaslightingManipulation causing self-doubt
duplicity · scheming · conniving · calculating · lying · conning · trickery · coercion · subterfuge · predatory
glib
Superficially articulate
- charismaticCompellingly attractive to others
- smooth-talkerPersuasive, flattering speaker
- suaveSmoothly refined in manner
seductive · mask · facade · likability · persuasive · engaging · captivating · magnetic · slick · disarming
violence
Harmful physical force
- hostilityAntagonistic disposition toward others
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
predatory · viciousness · sadism · intimidation · dominance · coercion · threatening · assault · rage · combativeness
cold-heartedness
Unfeeling, pitiless nature
- remorselessnessState of feeling no regret
- heartlessnessLack of compassion
- unfeelingWithout compassion or emotion
indifference · cruelty · insensitivity · numbness · impassivity · emotionless · dispassion · unemotional · hardened · pitiless
recklessness
Careless disregard for danger
- thrill-seekingPursuing excitement through risk
- irresponsibilityFailure to meet obligations
- risk-takingAccepting possible harm
impetuous · unreliability · erratic · disinhibition · novelty-seeking · carelessness · rashness
- prison mental healthmental health screening, psych evaluation, suicide prevention, suicide watch, mental illness
- psychopathysociopathy, lack of empathy, superficial charm, pathological lying, manipulativeness
- personalitypersonality, trait, temperament, traits, character
- vicesgreed, envy, lust, gluttony, vanity
- deviancedeviance, perversion, perversity, aberration, abnormality
- malevolencemalevolence, cruelty, viciousness, malice, spite
psychopathyempathy
Sharing another's emotions
compassion · emotional sensitivity · tenderness · warmheartedness · tender-heartedness
psychopathyconscience
Internal moral sense
guilt · remorse · scrupulousness · integrity · contrition
psychopathyaltruism
Prioritizing others' wellbeing
benevolence · selflessness · humanitarianism · cooperativeness · conscientiousness