Research Article_ Introduction Option 1

Introduction 1:

Imagine not having a conscience, no feelings of remorse no matter what you do. You have no empathy for anyone, whether it’s strangers, friends, or even family. Imagine no sense of shame, nor any concept of responsibility. Whatever desires you have, you are not bound by guilt or morals of any sort. As frightening as it may sound, 1 in every 100 people think and behave this way (Lewis, Paragraph 1). These people are called “psychopaths”. In America, the prevalence rate for anorexic eating disorders is estimated at 3.43%, a fraction lower than the existing rate of psychopaths (The Mask of Sanity, Paragraph 10). Yet surprisingly, people are more educated on anorexia than this frightening disorder. It is strange to believe that we potentially cross paths with a psychopath every day. Now you may fear walking out of your house, but not all psychopaths are the “monsters” society portrays them to be. Nowadays, people only think in terms of violent psychopathy- serial killers and mass murderers, but what exactly is a psychopath? Psychopathy is not an official psychiatric disorder, but psychiatrists are quick to diagnosis people that seem to have traits of their nature. Such traits include: cunningness, manipulativeness, lack of empathy, aggression, and arrogance. Psychopathy is not fully understood, but scientists are continuing to research how they are developed and their behavioral function. Scientists do not fully understand how psychopathy is developed, however, research has found glimpses of neurological dysfunctionalities within the brain, and genes that potentially lead to psychopathic traits.