Today's Friday • 8 mins read
— By Dr. Sandip Roy.
Psychopaths have long been defined as impulsive, antisocial, and criminal-minded people who lack all concern for others. So, can a psychopath feel empathy?
As humans, we have brain regions that can map other people’s emotions (like fear, disgust, pain) to our own. This lets us understand as well as feel as and feel with the other person. That is empathy.
Psychopaths are known as cold-blooded and cold-hearted people who are simply not bothered by the suffering of others. When someone is in pain, “psychos” just don’t seem to understand what to do with their emotions.
Read this book summary to decode psychopaths better: The Wisdom of Psychopaths Summary.
Can Psychopaths Feel Empathy?
Experts tell us that while psychopaths can mimic empathy to manipulate others, they do not actually feel it.
- Blair & Peschardt (2006) suggested that a lack of empathy is a core deficit in psychopathy.
- Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright (2001) found that children with psychopathic tendencies have trouble recognizing facial, eye, and voice expressions of emotions.
- Soderstrom (2003) suggested psychopathy can be seen as an empathy disorder with specific problems in understanding the thoughts, emotions, and communication of others.
The psychopaths can’t help it because their lack of empathy is related to their malfunctioning “social brain” circuitry.
In a study with 94 male prisoners, researchers used a brain imaging technique (fMRI) to measure brain activity during a specific task.
- The participants were shown pictures of two people interacting, but the facial expression of one person was hidden.
- The participants had to guess the emotion of the hidden-face person by choosing from given options, such as anger, fear, happiness, sadness, or neutral.
- Those who scored high for psychopathy had a harder time with this task. Their brain scans showed less activity in areas related to empathy. This indicated their difficulty understanding and sharing other people’s emotions.
“Psychopaths are not disordered because they lack empathy, but because they lack a conscience. They are not motivated by the desire to do good or avoid evil, but by the desire to achieve their goals and satisfy their own needs.” — Dr. Robert Hare, a leading expert on psychopathy
Can Psychopaths Ever Feel Empathy?
Though psychopathy is marked by emotional coldness and a lack of empathy, here comes the surprise:
- Recent research suggests psychopaths might be capable of feeling empathy under certain conditions.
Psychopaths frequently fail to recognize emotions, especially happiness, sadness, surprise, and fear, when confronted with facial or vocal signs of another person’s emotions. They also show lesser physiological arousal in reaction to another’s distress.
However, the surprising fact is that psychopaths may be capable of feeling empathy when it serves their self-interest.
This study looked at the connection between empathy, sensitivity to justice, and psychopathy in 265 participants.
- They were asked to judge everyday moral situations involving choosing between personal gain and moral principles of justice.
- Surprisingly, the emotional side of empathy wasn’t related to caring about justice for others.
- Instead, the cognitive side of empathy (understanding others’ feelings) and empathic concern (caring for others’ well-being) were linked to sensitivity to justice and supporting moral rules.
- People with high levels of psychopathy, especially coldheartedness, were less motivated to uphold justice.
- The study also found that higher levels of psychopathy led to less disapproval of immoral behavior.
“10 percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and 10 percent is merciful, no matter what, and the remaining 80 percent can be moved in either direction.”
― Susan Sontag
Can Psychopaths Feel Our Pain?
They are often associated with criminal behavior, but not all psychopaths are criminals.
In fact, approximately 1% of the general population is found to have a psychopathic personality (Hare, 1999). So, psychopaths can be found in all walks of life, including business, politics, and entertainment.
The psychopaths stand out as cold, callous people indifferent to the suffering of others. Studies show that while psychopaths cannot feel the pain of others (“other-empathy”), they can feel “self-empathy” under certain conditions.
This study found that people with psychopathy can feel a strong response when imagining themselves in pain, but they struggle to do the same when thinking about others in pain.
Research: Empathy in Psychopaths
Research has shown that psychopaths have reduced activity in brain regions associated with empathy, such as the anterior cingulate cortex and the insula.
Studies have also shown that psychopaths can turn their empathy on and off at will. This ability to switch empathy on and off may explain why psychopaths can be charming and manipulative one moment and callous to cruel the next.
Overall, while psychopaths may have extreme difficulty feeling empathy, they are not completely devoid of this emotion.
“Psychopaths can experience empathy, but it takes effort and imagination.” – Dr. Kent Kiehl
“Psychopaths are not simply devoid of empathy. Rather, they have the ability to switch empathy on and off at will.” – Dr. James Blair
Can Psychopaths Feel Any Empathy?
Psychopaths can experience cognitive empathy. They can understand and recognize other people’s emotions and mental states, but they do not act in response.
- Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand and recognize other people’s emotions, mental states, and perspectives. Psychopaths may have this type of empathy.
- Emotional empathy involves feeling the same emotions as another person from that person’s unique standpoint. Psychopaths do not feel the other person’s emotions in themselves.
- Compassionate empathy is the urge to act out in compassion or altruism towards the other person. Psychopaths also do not have compassionate empathy.
What Do Psychopaths Think of Empathy?
A psychopath’s idea of empathy is more like mind-reading: what the other person is thinking, planning, or feeling. They do not experience or understand empathy the same way as non-psychopaths.
Experts suggest psychopaths may have a distorted perception of empathy. They may realize that others have emotions, but cannot feel those emotions themselves, at least not as much as others.
So, it’s a struggle for them to show genuine emotional resonance, like actually feeling sad when the other person talks about a sad personal experience.
Even if they put on a sad face to look like they understand (mimicking empathy), it is unclear to them why they should do that and not ignore the other person’s emotion.
The Devious Empathy of Psychopaths
Empathy has a crucial role in regulating social behavior. Without it, people might hurt other people without feeling any guilt or remorse.
“Empathy is a cornerstone of civilization, and without it, we would be lost. Psychopaths are a reminder of what we could become if we lose our capacity for empathy.” – Dr. Kent Kiehl, a neuroscientist
- Psychopaths may be able to use cognitive empathy to mind-read and manipulate others.
- They can get aggressive when they sense that the other person is angry.
- They may also mimic emotional responses to gain the trust of others.
This ability to “fake” empathy can make psychopaths appear more charming and persuasive than they really are.
“Psychopaths are fascinating because they are the ultimate predators. They are able to exploit others without feeling any guilt or remorse. But they are also tragic figures, because they are cut off from the very thing that makes us human: our ability to connect with others on an emotional level.” – Dr. James Blair, a psychologist who studies psychopathy
How To Teach Empathy to Psychopaths?
It may be possible to teach empathy to psychopathic individuals. However, they may not be the best ones to learn and develop empathy skills.
The main challenges in teaching them empathy are their lack of emotional empathy and their view of empathy as revealing their weaker side.
Here are some effective strategies to teach them empathy:
- Social skills training: Teaching them social skills such as active listening, perspective-taking, and nonverbal and nonviolent communication can help them develop empathy.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: CBT can help psychopaths identify and change their negative thought patterns and behaviors, which can lead to increased empathy.
- Role-playing exercises: Role-playing exercises can help psychopaths practice empathy in a safe and controlled environment.
“Empathy is a skill that can be taught and learned, even by those who lack it naturally.” — Simon Baron-Cohen
Should we teach them empathy skills? Some advise against teaching empathy to psychopaths, as it may help them get better at manipulating and harming others.
“Teaching empathy to psychopaths is not about turning them into saints but about reducing the harm they can cause to others.” — James Fallon
Do Psychopaths Feel Any Emotions?
Psychopaths may be able to feel emotions, but they probably tend to suppress or hide them, especially in certain situations.
Overall, psychopaths process emotions differently from others. They usually do not feel fear in response to a threat (“fear blindness”). They are also less likely to experience true sadness in response to negative stimuli.
“The notion that psychopaths lack emotions is a common misconception. Rather, it appears that they experience emotions differently than non-psychopaths.”
Final Words
- Psychopaths have a reduced ability to feel empathy, but they are not devoid of it.
- They may be able to show empathy when they control it, as when they want to manipulate or charm someone.
- They may feel empathy in response to certain stimuli, such as the suffering of animals or children, or when they perceive themselves as victims.
√ Also Read: 4 Types of Psychopaths: One of Them Is Highly Dangerous
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