Psychopaths are neurodivergent too

For many years now, neurodiversity has characteristically recognized those with autism, ADHD, bipolar, Tourette’s Syndrome, synesthesia etc. as being neurodiverse. There does appear to be some understanding that to be considered neurodiverse is not in itself a diagnosis and the term neurodiverse simply means that the person’s way of thinking and behaving (existing) is different to what is currently considered as normal (neurotypical). These are rules that have been created to justify the existence of a social movement to help improve the lives of people who traditionally have been seen as mentally disordered.

Current support and literature about neurodiversity focuses on the struggles of the neurodiverse, and in some cases their caregivers, and advocates for more understanding or provides ideas about how to exist in a world that does not seem compatible with the neurodivergent. There are stories of struggles and how they have been overcome, or in some cases, how they have not. There is resource and there is sympathy, things that would not be present without the neurodiversity movement.

However, this means that anyone who would traditionally be seen as mentally disordered can stake a claim to be neurodivergent. And it is a worthwhile claim to stake because the movement has progressed enough that the neurodiverse now have community and recognition in ways that they did not have before.

The modern study of psychopathy goes back to the early 20th century, when it was studied by Hervey Cleckley, and his thoughts and findings were published in The Mask of Sanity. Coming into to the late 1980s, Robert Hare began an exhaustive behavioral analysis of psychopathy and devised the Psychopathy Checklist, which became the gold standard for diagnosing psychopathy. This list, which was purely devised from understanding and observing behavior, was then used in neuroscience (notability by Adrian Raine), and it was discovered that those the list determined to be psychopathic, also seem to have significant differences in various brain structure and function.

Therefore, a psychopath’s way of thinking and behaving (existing) is different to what is currently considered as normal (neurotypical). They are neurodiverse.