Debate: Are Psychopaths Inherently Evil?

Image source: Forbes Health

No, they are not inherently evil.

By: Anonymous

Psychopaths are not inherently evil. They lack empathy and sensitivity; that does not necessarily make them evil. Similarly, they are frequently described as manipulative and possessing a great deal of charisma and charm. That does not make them evil, either.

In fact, most psychopaths are not the cunning maniatics Hollywood makes them out to be. Many are simply people living their day to day lives, most likely in the corporate world. Their having a genetic disease is something they cannot control. The decisions they make are a better indication of evil.

Humans as a whole could be considered evil owing to the bad deeds each of us has done. To take a tiny group of individuals who did a lot of bad things and label them as evil - is that not stereotyping? We should stop stereotyping psychopaths as evil and judging them as a whole for what a tiny portion of them have done.

They are evil, but not by choice.

By: Isabel Phan

We should not take the depiction of psychopaths in Hollywood movies to be a hundred percent realistic. Then again, much of their grandiose ideas come with an excessive degree of exaggeration, so explaining away the violence in their films as “a Hollywood portrayal of something they don’t fully understand” is quite plausible.

In these movies, psychopaths are characterised as evil, nonsensical beings with an innate inclination towards chaos and destruction. There is some truth in the range of psychotic behaviors displayed. The directors are not entirely wrong.

Psychopaths are evil because the definition of evil implies a penchant for acts of immorality and wickedness, inclusive of both intention and impact. Case in point: the most violent serial killers online are often diagnosed as psychopathic.

What isn’t as well-known is the fact that psychopaths don’t start out inherently evil. As children, they are exceptionally close to their family and have a desire to be loved, just as all children have. The only difference is that it is difficult for them to feel that love, even in its most overt form. Depending on their environment and familial situation, they may grow up feeling neglected and therefore lose faith in humanity as a whole. As they grow older, their lack of empathy makes them characteristically evil. Their logic grows twisted, they become desensitised to human suffering and pain, and life loses its meaning. In many cases, they harm themselves just as severely as they harm others.

Society is not kind to psychopaths. Many regard them as untreatable. Their lack of social acceptance makes it even harder for them to receive the affection they crave. Without it, they resort to animalistic instincts and so-called “unhinged” behaviour, when in truth it is simply their coping mechanism against the world.

They are evil, but not by choice.