The Dark Side of Personality | Psychology Today

The Dark Side of Personality | Psychology Today

The Dark Side of Personality

Is there a psychopath in your neighborhood, boardroom, or (egad) bedroom? Maybe it's more common than we want to think.

Hello, I'm a Psychopath

Finding psychopathy in unexpected places.

by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D.

Should Kids Learn About Evil?

Protecting children from evil acts.

by Katherine Ramsland

The Mind of a Dictator

Exploring the minds of psychopaths and dictators.

by James Fallon, Ph.D.

Your Psychopath Next Door

Are psychopaths really everywhere?

by Kayt Sukel

• Narcissists: "Enough About Me: Let's Talk About Myself"

  Arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes are a narcissistic trait
  by Randi Kreger

• Joran, Casey and Psychopathic Narcissism: A Forensic Commentary

  What do Casey Anthony and Joran van der Sloot have in common?
  by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D.

• Masks of Sanity: Detecting Disguised Personality Disorders (Part Two)

  Masks of Sanity: Detecting Disguised Personality Disorders (Part Two)
  by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D.

• Masks of Sanity (Part Four): What is a Psychopath?

  The term "psychopath" is being overused by expert commentators.
  by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D.

• Did Casey Kill Caylee? How Forensic Psychology Can Help Humanize Evil Deeds

  Will forensic psychology play any part in Casey Anthony's murder trial?
  by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D.

• The World's -- and My -- Love Affair with Lisbeth Salander

  Lisbeth Salander -- a misfit -- may be the most beloved figure in the world
  by Stanton Peele

• Cracking the Killing Code

  New tools for solving the ultimate crime mystery
  by Katherine Ramsland

• The Devil Made Me Do It

  Procrastinate, and you’ve made a devil’s pact with yourself.
  by Dr. Bill Knaus, Ed.D.

• Essential Secrets of Psychotherapy: What is the "Shadow"?

  Understanding the "dark side" of our psyche.
  by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D.

• Fifty Shades of Sexual Innocence

  What's up with the virgin locked in the castle?
  by Stephen Snyder, M.D.

• The Example of John Edwards' Ego

  John Edwards reminds us of the self-destructive potential of the ego.
  by Russell Razzaque, M.D.

• Predicting Violence in Real World Situations

  Stopping Cold Blooded Killers
  by Steven Reiss, Ph.D.

• The hidden doublespeak of willpower and self-control

  Who do we control the self for?
  by Matthew D. Lieberman, Ph.D.

• Could You Empathize with a Sex Offender?

  Novelist Russell Banks peeks under society's forlorn bridges.
  by Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.

• He Was So Nice. Could He Be a Killer?

  Did the in-the-news fake Rockefeller know who he really was?
  by Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.

• Why Borderlines and Narcissists Seem to Want Power and Control

  What is healthy and what's not in a relationship.
  by Randi Kreger

• The Arizona shootings, Hannibal Lecter, and Arkham Asylum

  The Arizona shootings should focus us on mental illness policy
  by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Ph.D.

• Why isn't Mad Men's Don Draper Sleeping Around Anymore?

  Can a serial cheater ever really change?
  by Stephanie Newman, Ph.D.

• Shadows, Clowns and Angels in our Dreams

  When our "heroes" are as unconscious as our shadows
  by Jeremy Taylor

• We Are Natural Born Followers

  Would you betray your mother to please an evil dictator?
  by Mark van Vugt, Ph.D.

• Torture for Fun and Profit?

  Professional torturer (almost) turns into hero in original novel.
  by Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.

• The Bully: Is Your (Ex) Spouse Dangerous?

  A bully's metamorphosis can be dangerous to you and your family
  by Mark Banschick, M.D.

• The Malignant Divorce

  Some divorces are like cancers, so how do we deal?
  by Mark Banschick, M.D.

Psychopathy

Psychopathy is among the most difficult disorders to spot. The psychopath can appear normal, even charming. Underneath, they lack conscience and empathy, making them manipulative, volatile and often (but by no means always) criminal. They are an object of popular fascination and clinical anguish: psychopathy is impervious to treatment.

Read More on Psychopathy

Personality Disorders

Personality disorders are deeply ingrained ways of thinking and behaving that are inflexible and generally lead to impaired relationships with others. Mental health professionals formally recognize ten disorders that fall into three "clusters," although there is now known to be much overlap between the disorders, each of which exists on a spectrum.

Read More on Personality Disorders

Personality

Questions of personality have vexed mankind from the dawn of personhood: can people change? How do others perceive me? What is the difference between normal and pathological behavior? One's personality is so pervasive and all-important that it presents a clinical paradox of sorts: it is hard to assess our own personality, impossible to overlook that of others.

Read More on Personality

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