How to Write a Realistic Psychopath in Your Book
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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.”
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.
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.
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. I also talk about this difference and the difference between psychopathy and other disorders in my Ultimate Character Creation Guide.
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
You can also help flesh out this character type much more through my Ultimate Character Creation Guide, which features over 150 pages to help you create real and living characters from start to finish and includes tons of detail on ASPD, the dark triad, and different personality disorders! Pick up your copy now!
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.
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.
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. This means that they are also not impulsive and don’t rush into decisions.
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.
Ready to Upgrade Your Characters?
If you want to upgrade your character-creation game to the next level, then you should check out my Ultimate Character Creation Guide. Inside, you’ll find:
- 150+ pages of detailed instruction, worksheets, and interactive exercises
- Workbook sections and fun visuals to keep you motivated
- Real workflows that are based on the best writing practices
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