there is a strong link between genes and psychopathy. There is also a strong link between a negative environment and psychopathy. And, when the two are combined, it can get ugly.

Psychopaths are amoral (they have no moral compass). Sociopaths are immoral (they have a reasonable understanding between right and wrong, and they choose to be wrong).

Machiavellian psychopaths see another person as a means to an end, as opposed to a fully formed, autonomous individual with separate thoughts and feelings.

bad behaviors such as yelling, hitting, murdering, and so on externalizing—a psychopath takes his internal chaos and externalizes it onto others.

psychopaths are more problematic than sociopaths—individuals most likely diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Sociopaths also experience no guilt or shame, although they are able to fake it.

frightening: Not only do psychopaths have problems with empathy and emotional understanding, but they sometimes have the exact opposite reaction from what you would normally expect.

their meanness comes out through Machiavellianism (i.e. the ends justify the means) and poor empathy skills.

picture someone who is socially domineering, highly emotionally resilient, and adventurous. That person will be loud, brash, dominant in every situation, willing to take lots of risks, and he won’t give a fuck. That’s a psychopath.