Psychopathy

Consider mental illness and psychopathy as spectrums. Is it possible to have mental disorders and not be mentally ill? Is it possible to have some of the characteristics of a psychopath without being a true psychopath? The terminology used to describe offenders has significant influence on their sentencing, treatment, and potential community reintegration. As forensic psychology professionals, it is imperative that you learn to avoid stereotypes and hyperbole and focus on the facts of each case, the offenders, and their victim-offender relationships.

Being able to differentiate between mental illness and psychopathy is a fundamental skill for forensic psychology professionals. It is easy to focus solely on the behavior of an individual, especially in cases of extremely violent behavior, and deem them to be crazy. However, although the behavior may indeed be crazy, the individual may not meet the legal standard to be considered insane.

A description of the two case studies you selected from The Mask of Sanity

A comparison of the two cases, highlighting their similarities and differences

An explanation of which subject has the higher level of psychopathy based on the Hare’s scale

A numerical score for each subject based on the Hare’s scale and an explanation about your rating for each subject

Note: Your post should be substantial (1 paragraph or more for each bullet point above), supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources, and properly cited using APA style.