Build A Better Bad Guy : Sociopaths, Psychopaths and Beaten Paths
Author’s note: This text is not meant to provide in-depth analysis of antisocial personality disorder, but rather to aid writers in distinguishing between the various aspects of the condition. Antisocial personality disorder is a spectrum. Consequently, well-developed characters are neither “good” nor “evil,” but rather something in between.
Stepping into the mind of someone who is capable of committing horrible crimes can be disturbing, but it’s a necessity for the committed author.
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Contents
What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?
What is a Sociopath?
What is a Psychopath?
Is Your Character a Psychopath?
A Note on Psychosis
Bad Guy Clichés
What is Anti-Social Personality Disorder?
“The guy was oh-goddin’ all over the place. I gave the guy thirty minutes, but God never showed up. And he never changed the circumstances. And that was that.” —Richard ‘The Ice Man’ Kuklinski, convicted contract killer
From Mayo Clinic:
Antisocial personality disorder is a type of chronic mental condition in which a person’s ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are dysfunctional — and destructive. People with antisocial personality disorder typically have no regard for right and wrong and often disregard the rights, wishes and feelings of others.Those with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others either harshly or with callous indifference. They may often violate the law, landing in frequent trouble, yet they show no guilt or remorse. They may lie, behave violently or impulsively, and have problems with drug and alcohol use. These characteristics typically make people with antisocial personality disorder unable to fulfill responsibilities related to family, work or school.
Anchoring your bad guy’s malice in an existing mental condition will help you keep their behavior consistent, and it will help you come up with convincing backstory. However, there is no need to mention a specific mental condition in your narrative — unless you want to.
The terms psychopath and sociopath are often used interchangeably. However, some experts reserve the term “psychopath” for cases in which heredity is the primary cause of antisocial behavior. Other experts use the term “psychopath” to refer to an extreme form of antisocial personality disorder. Yet, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychopathy and sociopathy are one and the same. In fact, both conditions are listed under the heading of “antisocial personality disorder.”
There are several factors that contribute to this condition. For instance, researchers have found that certain genes can predispose a child to antisocial tendencies. This is the “nature” component. There is also the “nurture” component: the home life of an individual is predictive of how they cope with a predisposition to antisocial behavior.
Let’s simplify things by making a distinction between the sociopath and the high-functioning psychopath. After all, this isn’t a clinical setting.
In many cases, antisocial personality disorder is the result of emotional trauma and physical damage early in life. An abusive home environment combined with damage to the frontal lobe during the formative years is particularly catastrophic. This combination stunts the individual’s ability to empathize with others. The frontal lobe—the part of the neocortex that contains the most dopamine receptors—is responsible for distinguishing between “good” and “bad” choices as well as predicting long-term consequences.
em·pa·thyˈempəTHēnoun:the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
The most common form of damage to the frontal lobe is traumatic brain injury. This damage often occurs via vehicular accidents, falls and violence. When abuse comes from a trusted family member or is the result of neglect, the child’s psychological development may become stunted.
What is Sociopathy?
“I contend that there are clear and significant distinctions between sociopathy and psychopathy.” —Dr. Scott Bonn
Sociopaths are slaves to impulse, and they seek immediate gratification wherever possible. Consequently, these individuals rarely find success in business. According to Dr. Scott Bonn, Professor of Criminology at Drew University, you’re likely to find sociopaths on the fringes of society. Often anxious, these individuals have trouble holding a job, and they move a lot. Sociopaths have a hard time forming meaningful connections with others, though unlike their psychopath counterparts, they are capable of feeling empathy. However, sociopaths are able to suppress feelings of guilt or remorse in order to “get the job done.”
According to Dr. Bonn, sociopaths may form loyalties to an individual or an organization, but they disregard the rules of society as a whole. Lacking the emotional maturity to articulate their feelings, they are prone to fits of rage.
A sociopath’s crimes tend to be executed with little forethought. Even premeditated murder will appear a helter-skelter affair. These individuals may prefer weapons that allow them to kill at close range, and a sociopath is more likely than a psychopath to kill with whatever is handy. Likely murder weapons:
• Knife
• Club
• Garrote
• Crowbar
• Pipe
• Ax
• Machete
The above is a generalization. Don’t be afraid to step away from this template or to mix in the traits described below.
What is psychopathy?
“He will choose you, disarm you with his words, and control you with his presence. He will delight you with his wit and his plans. He will show you a good time, but you will always get the bill.” —Robert D. Hare
To the psychopath, other human beings are mannequins to be posed as they see fit. Because the psychopath feels nothing for others, they are capable of atrocities that normal people cannot imagine committing.
Think of it this way: you see someone stepping on an ant, and you think, “Oh, that’s a shame.” Still, you get over it quickly. After all, it’s only an ant, right? This is how the “full-blown” psychopath views other human beings. While narcissism may play a role, the primary factor at play is a lack of empathy. When dealing with a psychopath, it’s easy to confuse remorse for regret at having been caught.
The psychopath’s crimes tend to be well thought out. These individuals create contingency plans. The psychopath keeps a mental catalog of potential victims, sorted by vulnerability.
These people prefer weapons that kill cleanly or from a distance, and they are not opposed to hiring an assassin to do the dirty work. The assassin—a tool that can talk—then becomes a liability. It is rumored that the infamous hit man Richard Klunkinksi—in prison, disowned by his family and with nothing to lose—was a few days from testifying against his former employers. He died in prison before he could take the stand. Foul play is suspected, but was never proven.
The high-functioning psychopath kills either from a distance or up-close, but with something that leaves little trace.
• Sniper rifle
• Cyanide
• Assassin
The psychopath views the mentally healthy individual as weak. The concept of love is foreign. While some psychopaths are sexual predators, all psychopaths are emotional predators. Some—but not all—harm animals in their youth and graduate to humans in early adulthood.
Criminologists refer to these individuals as serial killers because they kill regularly. These individuals kill to experience a physiological or psychological release. The satisfaction they get from killing tends to ebb with time, however, prompting them to kill more often.
Few psychopaths become serial killers. The FBI estimates that there are 100–200 serial killers active in the U.S. at any time, but there may be as many as 1,886,000 individuals with antisocial personality disorder in the United States.
The harm these individuals impart is not always for the sake of violence. More often, it is a result of their need to utterly control another. According to the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, his actions were an attempt to keep his lovers where he wanted them, even if he could only retain control of their bodies.
Individuals with extreme antisocial personality disorders are emotionally bankrupt, and their only satisfaction comes from bending others to their will. Although their emotional repertoire is extremely shallow, they are capable of emulating the emotions of others. These individuals are disarming because they understand at a fundamental level that normal people are motivated by a few basic needs:
When a psychopath identifies a target, they will attempt to fill these needs if doing so meets two criteria: low risk and high reward. Naturally, this creates dependence in the victim and sets up a parasitic relationship in which the psychopath withholds “love” if their own “needs” are not met in turn. On a small scale, this can describe a dysfunctional marriage. On a large scale, it can represent the relationship between a cult leader and his followers.
Note that the psychopath does not have the same emotional needs as their victims, but will claim to. This is a device that allows them to leverage their understanding of the fragile ego they are attempting to crack. During the early phases of the relationship, the abuser will appear charming, even kind and caring. Sadly, this charm is paper-thin. Once the victim is emotionally dependent on the abuser, this veneer tends to crumble.
While the sociopath may try to minimize collateral damage, the psychopath does so only if there is a benefit to be had. However, it is a misconception that all psychopaths are cold-blooded killers. While the psychopath can kill without hesitation, few actually do. Murder is messy, and above all, the psychopath seeks to address their inherent loneliness. They can’t do this from death row. Unlike a sociopath, a high-functioning psychopath is capable of waiting years for revenge. Retribution often comes when the victim least expects it, and by that time, there are many degrees of separation between the psychopath and the crime itself.
In his letters to Gawker Media, Texan spree-killer Douglas Feldman claimed that many psychopaths get away with murder. There is some truth to this. Because some psychopaths are charming and adept at manipulating others, they can reach high levels in society. Around 4% of CEOs display strong psychopathic tendencies. Only 2% of the general population displays these traits. Once in a powerful position, a psychopath can operate from the shadows.
There is another variant of the antisocial personality: the prosocial psychopath. These individuals are able to function in society without preying on others—much. They have the same challenges that antisocial psychopaths do, with one basic difference: they were well-loved in their formative years. Prosocial psychopaths may recognize the inherent value in human life, but are still capable of disregarding society’s laws.
Just for fun, let’s look at two fictional candidates: Batman and Dexter. Batman disregards his society’s rules, is extremely secretive and is perhaps paranoid. The caped-crusader is irritable and aggressive and often finds himself in fights. Bruce Wayne had a troubled childhood. However, the case for Batman being any type of psychopath ends there, I’m afraid. Batman falls short on the other traits, though a few are certainly debatable:
• Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.
• Deceitfulness.
• Reckless disregard for safety of self or others.
• Consistent irresponsibility —failure to hold a job.
• Lack of remorse.
• Insensitivity to pain.
On to an armchair analysis of Dexter. The man is certainly a psychopath, but I think any argument that he is prosocial falls flat, and here’s why: Harry didn’t change Dexter’s outcome by nurturing him. Harry merely diverted an existing urge into a more productive channel.
High-functioning psychopaths are capable of disguising themselves as normal, and they operate in the open. Sociopaths aren’t good at fitting in and often operate on the fringes of society. There is a correlation between the ability to delay gratification and anxiety level. Specifically, the more anxious sociopath is less able to curtail reward-seeking behavior.
Is Your Character a Psychopath?
“The eyes of a psychopath will deceive you, they will destroy you. They will take from you your innocence, your pride and eventually your soul. These eyes do not see what you and I can see. Behind these eyes, one finds only blackness, the absence of light. These are of a psychopath.” —Dr. Samuel Loomis
You can take an objective measure of where your villain falls in the antisocial spectrum by referring to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. This is a series of questions aimed at measuring a person’s psychopathic tendencies.
From MindDisorders:
The twenty traits assessed by the PCL-R score are:glib and superficial charm
grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
need for stimulation
pathological lying
cunning and manipulativeness
lack of remorse or guilt
shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
callousness and lack of empathy
parasitic lifestyle
poor behavioral controls
sexual promiscuity
early behavior problems
lack of realistic long-term goals
impulsivity
irresponsibility
failure to accept responsibility for own actions
many short-term marital relationships
juvenile delinquency
revocation of conditional release
criminal versatility
A score of 25 to 30 is considered borderline, and anything above 30 is considered psychopathic. A score of 40 is a “perfect score” and indicates that the individual is more or less capable of anything. Important: don’t try to perform this test on yourself or a loved-one. The test must be carried out by a qualified professional. For our purposes, though, it’s fine to step into your antagonist’s mind—if you dare—and take this quiz.
A Quick Note on Psychosis
“In my most psychotic stages, I imagine myself chewing on sidewalks and bulging and swallowing sunlight and clouds.” —Andy Behrman, mental health advocate
I want to point out before moving on that while psychosis can occasionally drive an individual to commit atrocious acts, most serial killers are not suffering from psychosis. An individual who experiences psychosis, but is on their doctor-prescribed drug/therapy regimen, is not significantly more dangerous than anyone else. Additionally, psychosis has nothing to do with childhood trauma in most cases.
Battling Bad Guy Clichés
“Clichés remind and reassure us that we’re not alone, that others have trod this ground long ago.” —Miguel Syjuco
It’s easy to create a bad guy who is too evil. If you don’t build your antagonist up in layers of light and dark, your work will suffer. An evil antagonist is predictable, even boring. Even psychopaths are capable of acts of kindness—though their motivation for doing so is likely unclear and not what you would expect.
A cliché becomes a cliché because it works. However, once a particular phrase or character trait becomes overused, its effectiveness wears off. Check the following list to see how many attributes your antagonist matches. One or two isn’t a big deal, but if you’re hitting a lot of these, you might want to take your baddy back to the lab.
Your character’s name:
• Is an ominous noun. Examples: Blade, Phalanx, Torch, etc.
• Is based on their rap sheet or previous accomplishments. Example: Jail Break.
• Contains a title like “Dark Lord.”
• Is just one of many.
• Contains the word “Death.”
Your character’s origin:
• Your character is a deity.
• Your character is of the “fallen angel” type.
• Your character is an ancient, brooding intelligence brought back to power by a bumbling fool.
• Your character is a member of an “evil” race.
• Your character lives forever unless wounded by a particular weapon.
• Your character is a vampire or werewolf.
• Your character has betrayed their family or clan and is now an outcast
• Is more powerful than would be expected given their race/species.
Your character’s relationships:
• Your character has a family member or close friend who is “one of the good guys.”
• Your character became evil while lurking in the shadow of the protagonist.
• Your character has a secret crush on the protagonist.
• Your character is forced to marry the protagonist.
• Your character has an intense rivalry with the protagonist.
• Your character massacred the protagonist’s family or clan.
• Your character has hoards of minions at his disposal.
Your character’s deeds:
• Your character is known for holding public executions.
• Your character destroys his or her own minions for pleasure or to achieve some magical or mechanical end.
• Your character tortures prisoners.
• Your character is a rapist.
• Your character punishes minions for failing a task even though the task was impossible to begin with.
• Your character destroys entire villages simply because they can.
• Your character has no regard for nature.
• Your character experiments on people.
Your character’s traits:
• Your character is vulnerable to a spell, a weapon or some other unique artifact.
• Your character is most often seen raging at the minions.
• Your character is brought down by his or her own megalomania or narcissism.
• Your character uses the words “fool” and “weakling” to describe people.
• Your character monologues at length about the genius of their evil plan.
• Your character tends to do the above while holding the protagonist at their mercy—often allowing the protagonist to escape.
• Your character hisses or cackles.
• Your character wears a cloak.
• Your character dresses in black.
• Your character has serpentine eyes.
One sure-fire way to rid your story of cliché is to identify your character’s vice and replace it. For instance, if your villain is a police officer with a drinking problem, why not make him addicted to orange lollipops instead? Instead of raging at a sullen spouse, how about if they blame their financial hardships on their dentist. Sure, it’s illogical, but personality quirks that are hard to understand are inherently unnerving.
Another trick: instead of making your character’s villainy clear through backstory, reveal their diabolical inner workings in small ways throughout the entire book. Remember: show, don’t tell.
