Last Updated on January 19, 2024 by Lori Pace
Psychopaths are well-known for being emotionless, but can they love? Psychopaths have been well documented for their emotional incapacity. However, some psychopaths might show normal or even hypersensitivity to certain emotions. Can psychopaths love? It is important to consider the severity of the psychopathy in an individual when answering the question “Can psychopaths love?”
What Isn’t A Psychopath?
According to the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, the psychopathic personality is not equivalent.
- Violence
- Serial killing ( psychopathic killer).
- Psychosis is the presence of hallucinations and delusions.
- General mental illness (psychopathology).
- Antisocial personality disorder
Psychopaths are defined by certain emotional, interpersonal, and behavioral characteristics. They can even cry and even experience happiness.
What is a Psychopath?
Psychopathy is characterized by a lack of empathy, guilt, and attachment to other people. It can also manifest as superficial charm and narcissism. Psychopaths often act recklessly and are known for their dishonesty, manipulation and willingness to take risks. More on psychopath traits and characteristics
Although the term psychopath is scary, they can be found in many areas of our lives. The criminal justice system is the most well-studied.
Can Psychopaths Love?
This question could be answered by how severe the psychopathy is. Psychopathy is usually measured using Hare’s Psychopathy Test-Revised (PCLR). Individuals are assigned a score from 40. The classic psychopaths are those who score more than 30. The average criminal who isn’t a psychopath scores around 22 points, while those who aren’t criminals and non-psychopaths score about two.
A psychopath’s ability to love family members and friends is dependent on how low they are. However, psychopaths are less likely to form deep relationships with others. Psychopaths can still desire to be loved, even though they may not be able to love another person. Psychopaths tend to have many short-term relationships, or even multiple marriages.
If They Can Love, Are Psychopaths Good Lovers?
Due to the lack of mutual dependence and respect for romantic relationship, we highly doubt that psychopaths can have a healthy sex life. To them, everything is more like a game. The more challenging it is, the more enjoying they are. Psychopaths are often a pro at seducing and getting someone into bed, but the process is, as mentioned, more of a calculated game than an organic emotional.
Signs That You Are A Psychopath Or Being With One
You might want to rate each question with a 0, 1, or 2 rating based on the signs and symptoms of a psychopath.
- 0 – My partner does not do that
- 1 – Sometime my partner does that
- 2 – My partner does that all the time
You will get a total score of 40 if you add up all your scores. If your score is greater than 30, you may be a psychopath.
- Is your partner a snob when it comes to important subjects? Does your partner exhibit superficial charm?
- Are you a self-centered partner with a high self-esteem?
- Do you need to stimulate your partner constantly? Or do they prefer more extreme experiences?
- Is your partner lying to you or others?
- Is your partner manipulating you or other people?
- Is your partner able to show no guilt or remorse for hurting someone?
- Is your partner shallowly feeling things or only superficially?
- Is your partner unable to empathize with the suffering of others? Does your partner show apathy towards others?
- Are you in a relationship with your partner where he/she makes use of others (i.e. Are you in a relationship where your partner uses others (i.e., parasitic relationships)?
- Is your partner unable to control his or her behavior?
- Does your partner display promiscuous sexual behavior?
- Was your partner a troubled child?
- Is your partner having trouble setting realistic long-term goals for you?
- Are you and your partner impulsive or logical?
- Are you and your partner irresponsible
- Is your partner unwilling to accept responsibility?
- Have you and your partner been in multiple marital or significant relationships together?
- Was your partner a juvenile delinquent?
- Have you ever had your parole conditions revoked by your partner?
- Are you and your partner criminals in multiple areas (a multi-faceted criminal)?
Besides Love, Can Psychopaths Cry Or Experience Sadness?
Psychopaths can experience normal emotions in some areas, such as grief. Psychopaths may experience sadness when someone close to them dies. This can lead to feelings of guilt that are not possible to feel. This may include crying. Trauma exposure can also cause emotions that are normally suppressed in a psychopath.
Psychopaths may also be aware of the emotional separation they have from the rest of the universe, which can lead to great distress and suffering. The desire to be noticed may also cause suffering.
Psychopaths can also be hypersensitive to emotion due to past abuse or neglect. This could include experiences of disrespect or rejection, loneliness, and changes that are beyond their control.
Can Psychopaths Experience Happiness?
Although there is not much research into whether psychopaths are able to experience happiness per se, it could be that they do experience some positive emotion when they engage in antisocial acts (one psychopathic serial killer calling the killing of a “high” and thus, why they continue to commit them. Psychopaths may also seek stimulation, which could be another way to obtain positive emotions.
