Do Psychopaths Experience Fear?

"The prototypical psychopath is pictured as callous, unemotional, impulsive, and fearless. While psychopaths may seem fearless, it does not mean they are not fearful. Fearlessness is not always the opposite of fearfulness. From my own observation, the psychopathic female is especially fearful and anxious. Psychopaths can experience fear Psychopathy researchers Sylco Hoppenbrouwers, Berend Bulten, and Inti Brazil analyzed 16 research reports relating to psychopathy that included measures of fear."

"Their review suggested that those with high levels of psychopathic characteristics had a significant deficiency in threat detection and responsivity, not an absence of fear. They concluded that psychopaths "seem to be able to consciously experience fear as an emotion, which contradicts the general notion that lack of fear is a core component of psychopathy." They also pointed to various neurobiological correlates that might underpin their conclusion and noted the importance of additional research."

""These men had the same fears as the noncriminal. They were hypersensitive to what was said about them. Through a shutoff mechanism, a criminal could rid himself of conscience and any other fear that might stand in the way of what he wanted to do. To be sure, not all criminals had the same fears. But fearfulness as a trait was present in every one of them.""

Analyses of multiple studies indicate that individuals with high psychopathic traits show significant deficiency in threat detection and responsivity rather than an absence of fear. Many such individuals can consciously experience fear as an emotion, with neurobiological correlates suggested to underpin these responses. Some individuals with psychopathic traits habitually conceal fear and anxiety to avoid appearing weak, using psychological shutoff mechanisms to override conscience or fear that would impede goals. Observations indicate that female individuals with psychopathic traits may display especially high levels of fearfulness and anxiety, warranting further research.

Read at Psychology Today