Re: Trace Element

What makes a person a psychopathic murderer is very hard, even impossible for "normal" people to understand and what is driving them. I believe there is a psychopathic personality which probably has a genetic basis. I think it needs an environmental/experiential trigger to turn that predisposed person's psyche towards pyschopathic murder. I believe that the psychopath is likely to be the person who has been cruel towards animals as a child and I don't think the psychopath will show true remorse or have a conscience like "normally wired" people have. I understand that 1% of the population have psychopathic personalities, but not all will go on to become murderers or serial killers. It has been said that psychopaths are almost always male and will have above average (or at least average) intelligence. I believe they commit their heinous crimes because they get something out of it and want to do it. Is it a power and control thing; they certainly calculate what they do - who really knows? It is a chilling thing to think about. Can they be cured? - I would say no. Are they insane? - again I would say no.

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Ummmmmmmm, Isn't that what I have been saying all along, but in a totally uneducated way ??/

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Jonsey - I was respondng to Morticia's post which I understood to be about the dark and far extreme of human beings' psychology - not people who are considered to be "normal" whatever "normal" is - but never mind.
Let's put this straight so everyone will know what I think - I don't consider you uneducated - you certainly are not, but I do wish you would not be so abrasive in your approach to people - it spoils the debates. Yes call a spade a spade by all means, but please do it with a bit of finesse.
Now, can we stop being so petty - we are supposed to be mature adults. (NB - I said We).

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It's O.K. --I forgive you

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Just my opinion..................but I don't think the discussions would be nearly as interesting if it wasn't for Jonsey's unique style of debate.

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Ahhhhhhhh Mazzie dear Lady, Be careful or the might of those that think me some kind of a ---to put it politely ----prat ------ will descend uopn you like a tonne of bricks.

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Which worries me greatly.

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I agree Rena, take Fred West for example, he came from an abusive family (the genetic predisposition factor ?) then had a serious head injury (the enviromental factor ? ) possibly resulting in part of the brain being damaged and maybe this affecting his behaviour.
Because psychopaths are incapable of feeling empathy it follows that the lack of empathy will apply to both animal or human
I believe we are predisposed to certain behaviours through inherited genes then life experiences both good and bad and even a chemical imbalance/damage in the brain contributes the rest. Science is getting close to finding out. A clue came from the case in the USA where a 'normal' man became a sexual abuser and was found to have a tumour in part of his brain. He reverted to his normal self when the tumour was removed.....twice.
http://www.rifters.com/real/articles/brainontrial.htm