Psychopaths and Psychotics

Inside the Criminal Mind

Psychopaths and Psychotics

Psychopaths and Psychotics

• Mental link to criminal behavior suggested by Sigmund Freud.

• Austrian psychiatrist who created psych-analysis in 1880s.

• First to identify psychopaths.

              

Psychopaths and Psychotics

• The human personality has three parts– Id

– Ego

– Super-ego

The ID

The primary personality.

-Displayed in infants to about 4 years of age.

-The “I want” part of the personality.

-Instant gratification.

-Survival instinct or “fight or flight” instinct.

The Ego

• The part of the personality that begins to evolve at about 4 years of age until 12.

• The realization that you aren’t alone. You have to wait sometimes for gratification.

The Ego

• Realization that punishment can happen for bad behavior.

• Good behavior can be rewarded too.

The Super-Ego

• Starts evolving at about 13 and continues through life.

• Developing morals and empathy.

• Empathy is the highest form of morality to Freud.

The parts of the personality

• When all three parts of the personality are aligned – you have a “normal” human.

The balance of id, ego, super-ego

• SOMETIMES when the three parts get out of alignment, criminal behavior can happen.

                

Psychotics

• The ID dominates the personality.

• IMPORTANT: Not all psychotics commit crime!

• Murder, assault, theft can happen in psychotic episodes.

What can be done to help psychotics?

Drugs that help chemical imbalances – such as lithium have been shown to help.

Criminals who have committed acts while in psychotic episodes.

• Charles Earl Simmants

• Charles McElvie

• Scot Baldwin

• Thomas Jackson

Neurotics as Criminals

• IMPORTANT: Not all neurotics are criminals!

• Behaviors of seeking control can lead to crimes like spousal abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, murder, etc.

Neurotic or Psychopathic?

• John Joubert did his crimes in Nebraska 1982 – 1983.

Psychopaths

• Also called sociopaths.

• The super-ego dominates the personality creating a different sense of morality.

• The one type of personality Freud said was unchangeable. No punishment will ever make them stop.

What do we know about psychopaths?

• Imprinted at birth.• Mother didn’t want

them.• Didn’t bond as babies

or children.• Had a fascination with

death and pain as children.

Characteristics of Psychopaths

• Extremely high intelligence.

• Low emotional stimuli. No empathy.

• Control is vitally important.– Emotional and

physical.

                       

Characteristics of Psychopaths

• Start with animal abuse.

• Practice makes perfect for their crimes.

• Feel justification for their acts.

• Collection of trophies.• Leave calling cards for

authorities.

                

Characteristics of Psychopaths

• TEND to be loners.• Crimes begin in their

20s – 30s.• Tend to be white.• Not all are serial

killers.• Female psychopaths?