Quote:
Originally Posted by Smores
Psychopaths fall higher in the spectrum of intellect, that is as long as the task doesn't require emotional intelligence. However, the fact that the dude started crying at his own campaign video suggests to me he isn't a psychopath anyway.
|
I haven't been following the trial closely so I haven't seen the incident you're talking about. Anders Breivik crying during the trial doesn't prove conclusively whether he's a psychopath or not, unfortunately. Psychopaths are chameleons, who have been well aware of their sub-standard emotional development since they were very young and, as such, they tend to be brilliant at masking emotions and covering up the fact that they are different.
They're extremely manipulative people and lead lives designed to cover up their weaknesses and portray them as they want to be portrayed. There's an interview on youtube with Ted Bundy, just before he was executed, which displays the manipulative capabilities of the psychopath.
Judging by Breiviks manifesto (which I read shortly after the massacre) I would guess that he was a malignant narcissist (basically narcissism/anti-social personality disorder). He suffers from delusions of grandeur (for example he's not an individual who butchered civilians.. he's a 'soldier' in a war) and writes about himself like he is a higher being operating on a higher plain of existence. The contempt he displays for other people is very clear in his writing, he looks down on people and sees them as being weaker or less capable. The bit I found most interesting was when he referred to the aftermath of his attack and described how he would be a hero someday, held up as a 'before his time' revolutionary. It was almost like he convinced himself that everyone shared his beliefs but that he was the only one 'brave' enough to "take part in the war". Although psychopaths tend to lack morality and have extremely shallow emotional development (as well as narcissistic traits) they don't always combine it with sadistic personality traits in the way that Breivik did.
After reading his manifesto that would be my guess (malignant narcissist) but I'm going to stop rambling now. I would be very, very surprised if he was clinically insane though.