Researchers claim to have found evidence that shows creative people tend to share the same personality traits as psychopaths. In a series of tests, psychologists have shown that the most creative individuals show higher levels of emotional disinhibition, dishonesty and risk taking. They say, however, in many cases it appears creativity may be more associated with prosocial psychopathic traits rather than those that are antisocial, such as cruelty and meanness. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...its-play-key-role-making-people-artistic.html Paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886916302355 I didn't know that prosocial psychopaths exist until now.
at first glance prosocial. (Prosocial behavior, or "voluntary behavior intended to benefit another", is a social behavior that "benefit other people or society as a whole,") and psychopathic (suffering from or constituting a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.) seem an oxymoron. as/re: "I didn't know that prosocial psychopaths exist until now." I doubt that they do.
Maybe in the one case "inner unrest" is channeled into creative actities, and these people are perceived as artists. In the other case the "inner unrest" is channeled into destructive activities and these people are perceived as psychopaths. And the people who lack the inner unrest end up as couch potatoes.
I would posit that you doubt they do because the word "psychopath" tends to have a negative connotation. While one might argue that violent social behavior is not beneficial (and there would even be an argument about that under certain circumstances), abnormal social behavior can have many benefits in effecting change. In addition, any intelligent psychopath is certainly going to see the benefit of being perceived as a functioning member of society without necessarily feeling emotionally connected with his activities. That all seemingly altruist activity is the result of emotional connection is in my view certainly a myth. Narcissism is a key intellectual trait associated with psychopathy, and yet acting for ones own benefit above all things does not preclude using social perception as a facilitator.
Well, no. Internal unrest can be the very thing leading to one becoming a couch potato. Perception, however, is the key factor in all assessments of psychopathy. In fact, it has a tendency to become the key factor in all assessments of anything to do with psychology. This is actually the primary issue I have with psychology as a study.
