What makes a psychopath? Neuro-developmental pathways to immoral and antisocial behavior

Abstract

Before specific psychological and pharmacological treatments can be designed, or pre-emptive measures taken to reduce the impact of psychopathic individuals on society, it is paramount that we first reach consensus on (1) which personality styles comprise this heterogeneous group, (2) how these subtypes associate with external correlates, (3) which etiological mechanisms play an important role in their development, (4) how neurophysiological and psychological disturbances may contribute to such etiological processes, and, ultimately, (5) how specific genetic and environmental influences work together in shaping these disturbances. As such, the main goal of this manuscript is to provide the scientific community with novel theoretical insights into the various socio-biological processes that together shape the etiology of different psychopathic phenotypes. The ambition is to integrate theory and research from neurobiological and psychological sciences in order to place this work in a broader conceptual framework and promote synergy across fields. The methods applied to reach the hypotheses and theoretical models stated in this thesis may be termed as “qualitative meta-analysis”. Qualitative meta-analysis entails the systematic review and structural analysis of the literature regarding the different facets of a certain relationship (e.g., dopamine and impulsivity) in order to identify consistent correlations, evaluate possible causal mechanisms, and eventually, commence new theories. By constantly switching from a thorough review of causal mechanisms on the level of socio-biology to a more general understanding of the functional relevance of those mechanisms for psychology, an holistic perspective is constructed on the etiology of psychopathy as rooted in a matrix of interdependent biological, environmental, and psychological influences.