The Psychopath Test

[cuckoo4cocopuffs]

The author of The Men Who Stare at Goats, Jon Ronson, has written a fascinating account of psychiatry and its most vocal opponents, the Scientologists. He takes the reader on an odyssey on 2 continents, as he recounts interviews with psychologists, psychiatrists and known psychopaths. It turns out that psychopathic behavior can be attributed to a malfunctioning amygdala in the brains of psychopaths. The test for the disorder does not require a brain scan, however. It was devised by Bob Hare (a psychologist). An interesting fact is that although there are an estimated one in a hundred psychopaths among society in general, there are an estimated four in a hundred among corporate executives and political and religious leaders.

This is very significant for long held notions of so called "evil" and "sin". If bad behavior can now be reduced to a brain disorder, which apparently it can, then such behavior is not really due to free choice on the part of psychopaths and perhaps those who are not full-fledged psychopaths, but who have partially functioning amygdalas. They are biologically hardwired to not have a conscience and to behave in what the rest of us find to be a reprehensible manner. Where does that leave the concept of karma? It reduces it to an imaginary and fanciful idea that has no basis in reality. Although it has served its purpose to allow religious leaders to manipulate adherents, it is perhaps just another tool in the arsenal of the psychopaths among them. One of the traits that the psychopath test scores is how manipulative someone is.

[kalki]

How do we get a hold of this test? I agree with the manipulation factor as contributing to someone's psychotic behavior by the way.

But about karma, why must that be an imaginary tool of control by psycho religious leader? I see karma as an inevitable cosmic law that directs the terms of our rebirth and the events that may come to pass within that lifespan. The person with the brain malfunction that you describe, may not have the same conscience as another person and therefore cannot be taught to act better, but they would still be subject to karma.

For instance, a fire burns, though a child may not believe it. The child touches the fire, and his hand is burned. So karma also may burn us, even if we are psychopathic and do not believe in its laws.

[ash]

Mar 1, 2012 17:56:00 GMT -6 cuckoo4cocopuffs said:

This is very significant for long held notions of so called "evil" and "sin". If bad behavior can now be reduced to a brain disorder, which apparently it can, then such behavior is not really due to free choice on the part of psychopaths and perhaps those who are not full-fledged psychopaths, but who have partially functioning amygdalas. They are biologically hardwired to not have a conscience and to behave in what the rest of us find to be a reprehensible manner. Where does that leave the concept of karma? It reduces it to an imaginary and fanciful idea that has no basis in reality.

As the mainstream doctrine of karma goes: The body and the mind are shaped by karma. If someone is born with deformed arms and legs, that is karma. If someone is born with Down Syndrome, that is karma. If someone is born with a malfunctioning amygdala, that is karma.

[kalki]

Mar 1, 2012 17:56:00 GMT -6 cuckoo4cocopuffs said:

This is very significant for long held notions of so called "evil" and "sin". If bad behavior can now be reduced to a brain disorder, which apparently it can, then such behavior is not really due to free choice on the part of psychopaths and perhaps those who are not full-fledged psychopaths, but who have partially functioning amygdalas. They are biologically hardwired to not have a conscience and to behave in what the rest of us find to be a reprehensible manner. Where does that leave the concept of karma? It reduces it to an imaginary and fanciful idea that has no basis in reality. Although it has served its purpose to allow religious leaders to manipulate adherents, it is perhaps just another tool in the arsenal of the psychopaths among them. One of the traits that the psychopath test scores is how manipulative someone is.

this doesn't seem to make sense because in any case, morality is not a universal concept. one land may have one type of morality and another land is different, so the outcome of a brain disorder would not be dictated by immorality that changes from land to land and system to system. it would only account for a lack of conscience which may be immoral in some places and others not.