Is there an evolutionary reason for psychopaths?

Despite decades of studies, the specific origin of why people become psychopaths remains unclear. The vast body of scientific work on psychopathy focuses on anomalies in brain structure and function as well as the impacts of external factors. But new research suggests it may be an evolutionary process.

Are all humans psychopaths?

Thankfully, most people have no psychopathic traits. Only 0.5\% of people could be deemed psychopaths. Yet around 8\% of male and 2\% of female prisoners are psychopaths. But not all psychopaths are dangerous.

Are psychopaths primal?

Although they can don their mask of sanity for a period of time, psychopaths ultimately fall back on primal and ingrained instincts that cause them to seek power and domination by means of lies and manipulation.

Is psychopathy an evolutionary adaptation?

Most often in the literature, psychopathy is described as pathology — a disorder that has been linked to a variety of biological deficits and environmental risk factors. However, from an evolutionary perspective, psychopathy, while it could be a disorder, has been construed in the context of an adaptive strategy.

How does natural selection work in evolution?

Natural selection is the idea that species that acquire adaptations favorable for their environment will pass those adaptations to their offspring. Eventually, only individuals with those favorable adaptations will survive, which is how the species changes over time or evolves through speciation.

Who first proposed the theory of natural selection?

Many other scientists, such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, had already described the change in species over time, but they didn’t offer explanations as to how it occurred. Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace independently came up with the idea of natural selection to fill that void.

Is ‘survival of the fittest’ the best way to describe evolution?

This is not always the case. The individuals that survive are not always the strongest, fastest, or smartest. Therefore, “survival of the fittest” may not be the best way to describe what natural selection really is as it applies to evolution.