Psychopathic Personality

Psychopathic personality has two meanings, one meaning in psychiatry and another in the context of immigration to the USA. While the initial meaning for immigration may have sought to be similar to psychiatry’s definition, it is actually an example of psychiatric terms being misused by both legislative and judicial arms of the government.

Mental Health Definitions of Psychopathy

Psychopathy describes a subgroup of persons with Antisocial Personality Disorder. Up to 1% of people may be categorized as psychopaths, though rates may be 7–20 times higher in prisons. The average criminal is not a psychopath.

Hervey Cleckley, in his seminal work, The Mask of Sanity(1941), described characteristics of psychopaths, who appear normal on the surface (“the mask”) but are merely mimicking personality traits of others. A lack of empathy for others is the primary defect. Other characteristics of psychopaths, described by Cleckley, include superficial charm, insincerity, untruthfulness, lack of...