Psychopaths. We often hear the word psychopath get thrown around when referring to evil, awful, or just downright terrible people. The word itself just has a negative connotation to it, and for many reasons. Some of the worst criminals in history have been psychopaths. People with psychopathy quite literally feel no empathy for people. So then, why on Earth would you ever want to write a character like that? Well, let me put it simply: A well-written realistic psychopath can be one of the best, most interesting characters you’ll ever write in any book. Guaranteed.
When I wrote Malware, I knew that if there was one thing that I wanted to do, it was write about a psychopath. I wanted to delve fully into the mind of this character who went against my entire personality because I knew that if he was well-written, he’d be amazing as a character. But I’ll admit, it took A LOT of research to nail it properly. At the end of the day, it was worth it because people who read the book absolutely loved him!
So, if you want to write a realistic psychopath in your book, you’ve come to the right place!
What is a Psychopath?
Let’s start with the most basic thing, which is the question: What is a psychopath? We often hear the word used in reference to people who generally present pretty evil tendencies. However, there is a real clinical definition behind psychopathy.
Psychopathy is part of Antisocial Personality Disorder, which encompasses both psychopathy and sociopathy. Psychopathy, according to Anderson and Kiehl (2014) “is a neuropsychiatric disorder marked by deficient emotional responses, lack of empathy, and poor behavioral controls, commonly resulting in persistent antisocial deviance and criminal behavior.”
This is a very basic overview of what psychopathy is, but for the most part, psychopathy’s biggest marker is the fact that people who exhibit its tendencies have no empathy. This severe lack of empathy is a major reason why psychopathy and criminal behavior often go hand-in-hand.
Psychopaths are born, not made. This is the big contrast between psychopathy and sociopathy. A psychopath tends to be born this way, as there are potential genetic indicators that many researchers have identified. Other research indicates that head trauma may play a role, but for the most part, a psychopath is born a psychopath. It’s why the behaviors are actually identifiable in children.
Not all psychopaths are criminals and not all psychopaths end up being murderers or serial killers. However, it tends to be that people who are criminals exhibit some form of Antisocial Personality Disorder.
Psychopaths vs Sociopaths
Psychopaths and sociopaths both fall under Antisocial Personality Disorder, but they are vastly different in many things. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many examples of literature and media portraying a sociopath and then calling that sociopath a psychopath. This is just not accurate, and it really reduces the credibility of your work in my opinion.
A psychopath and a sociopath share characteristics, but the big difference is that sociopaths are made while psychopaths are born. A sociopath was born as a normal person, but experiences shaped the person into becoming a sociopath. People who exhibit traits of sociopathy lack empathy, but are not totally devoid of any and all empathy. Sociopaths are also quick to anger and violence. They do not think things through the way psychopaths do. This is referred to as a lack of calculation.
Sociopaths cannot maintain a normal family and life and they cannot have lasting relationships. This is because they cannot mask the way they feel in the same way that psychopaths can.
If you want more differences, this visual from VeryWellMind is really good!
Psychopaths vs Narcissists
Another thing I see commonly mistaken for psychopathy is narcissism. Narcissistic Personality Disorder and psychopathy are a bit different in that narcissism is made, psychopathy is something a person is born with. Additionally, people with NPD tend to have NPD because of a lack of self-confidence. Meanwhile, psychopaths do not have a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem because they perceive themselves to actually be perfect.
People with NPD also exhibit more impulsive behaviors than psychopaths and individuals with NPD are more likely to exhibit grandiosity and they try to one-up other people constantly. Of course, there’s a lot more to NPD than just these few things, but what you need to know is that psychopaths can exhibit narcissistic tendencies, but they are NOT narcissists by the definition of NPD.
Make sure that you avoid writing a narcissist instead of a psychopath, as this won’t be realistic and it will ruin the immersion in your book.
If you want to read more about NPD, check out this link. I think it has a good summary of what it is.
How to Make Your Psychopath Realistic
When you’re writing about a psychopath, you should keep a few things in mind:
- Psychopaths cannot feel empathy
- Psychopaths are really good at pretending to feel
- Psychopaths can blend in society very easily
- Not all psychopaths are serial killers, murderers, or criminals
- Psychopaths are masters of manipulation
Blending and Masking
Psychopaths can be anybody, anywhere, at any time. You may have interacted with psychopaths in your life and you may not have known at all because psychopaths do something called masking. They will observe people around them who are “normal” and then mimic those precise behaviors so that they too can appear normal.
For example, psychopaths do not cry due to their absence of empathy. As a result of this, if they are attending a funeral, they may pretend to cry because this is what they perceive to be as social acceptable in those situations. This would be due to observing people around them crying and then mimicking that sort of behavior.
Charisma and Manipulation
Psychopaths are very good at manipulation and can be considered even charismatic because they are actually manipulation experts. They know how to gather information from a person and then use that information against them in a very strategic and tactical way.
Charisma refers to “the ability to attract the attention and admiration of others, and to be seen as a leader.” What this entails for a psychopath is that they know how to speak to people and appeal to their minds. They know how to get people to listen to them and follow their lead.
For example, a character from my series is a psychopath and he is a very manipulative and charismatic man. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it and he will gather information from people to understand their beliefs and POVs. Then, he will speak from that same position in order to get them to follow his lead and command.
Calculation
Psychopaths are very calculating people. They do not undertake major decisions and even many small decisions without first thinking well ahead of the situation. They will try to figure out what the best course of action to take is and how they can get the most benefit out of it.
They are not impulsive, which is what allows for them to get advantages over other people. Unlike sociopaths, psychopaths do not rush into things without prior thinking and planning. By showcasing their calculating process, you will be able to portray a more realistic psychopath character in your book so that your readers genuinely feel that this is a psychopath they are reading about.
Psychopaths can feel Fear
Fear is something that psychopaths can actually feel and they can feel it very strongly. You see, one of the ways you can make your psychopath more realistic is to put them in a situation where their calculation has failed or they did not anticipate something happening. This throws them off and it causes them to feel afraid of losing.
The Core Thing to Remember
Ultimately, a psychopath is a person who is very sure of themself and feels no empathy for those around them. They are not necessarily murderers or serial killers, but most criminals fall under being psychopaths, sociopaths, or narcissists. Psychopaths tend to be “smarter” so-to-speak because of their ability to calculate and plan things and their ways of obtaining information.
Just remember, and this is a core thing to remember, psychopaths cannot change. They cannot be “fixed” or “cured” or anything like that. A psychopath is born and remains a psychopath forever. They will not ever have a true change of heart. They will not do something if it doesn’t benefit them in the long-run. They do not perceive others as mattering to them. These are things that are just given.
Like this quote from Malware:
“Self-confidence was just a way for people to try and cover up their self-love. I didn’t just love myself. I adored myself. That was the truth. And everyone adored me and loved me. So, if Camilla would be just another lover of mine, then waht was the problem? She could claim to emotionally love me all she wanted. In the end, she knew nothing about me. I knew everything about her though.”
Malware, Page 105
I hope that gave you a bit more insight into how to make your psychopathic character even better and realistic for your next book! Don’t forget to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga, before you go.
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