Psychopathy

An Introduction to Biological Findings and Their Implications

By: Adrian Raine, Andrea L Glenn

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eText | 7 March 2014

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Written in layman's terms by accredited scholars, Psychopathy is a concise overview of the neuropsychology of this mental disorder.

There has been tremendous growth in biological research on psychopathy, a mental disorder distinguished by traits including a lack of empathy or emotional response, egocentricity, impulsivity, and stimulation seeking. But how does a psychopath's brain work? What makes a psychopath?

Adrian Raine and Andrea L. Glenn's Psychopathy presents a succinct, non-technical summary of the research in the areas of genetics, hormones, brain imaging, neuropsychology, environmental influences, and more, focusing on explaining what is known about the biological foundations for this disorder and offering insights into prediction, intervention, and prevention. It also offers a nuanced discussion of the ethical and legal implications associated with biological research on psychopathy. How much of this disorder is biologically based? Should offenders with psychopathic traits be punished for their crimes if we can show that biological factors contribute? The text clearly assesses the conclusions that can and cannot be drawn from existing biological research, and highlights the pressing considerations this research demands.

"An impressive achievement, covering decades-long research on the neurobiology of antisocial behavior and psychopathy. Frequently authors cannot see the wood for the trees, but the book clearly maps the growing forest that is our understanding of environmental, neurobiological and genetic contributions to psychopathy." - Times Higher Education