ABSTRACT
Psychopathy can, therefore, be seen as representing psychopathology, which involves the most extreme incapacity for attachment. There is considerable evidence that implicates psychopathy in juvenile sex offending. Drawing heavily on Cleckly’s work, R. D. Hare describes psychopathy as consisting of a characteristic pattern of interpersonal, affective, and behavioural symptoms so that, on an interpersonal level, psychopaths are shown to be grandiose, egocentric, manipulative, forceful, and cold-hearted. Violent psychopaths demonstrate a behavioural pathway to increasingly aggressive behaviour, usually manifesting in escalating violent crime for which there is little, if any, remorse. As emotional deficiency can predispose the psychopath to violence, it is important to understand its role in the behaviour of the psychopath. Psychopathy has also been shown to be associated with attenuated autonomic activity related to fearlessness. Psychopaths reveal an absence of a “startle response” to aversive stimuli, which normally includes a blink of the eye.
