The Making Of A Psychopath: The Effects Of Nature And Nurture

14 Pages 3389 Words

their physiological reactions to sensory input, which requires them to need higher levels of stimulation than normals. The second assumption is that because psychopaths’ require a higher optimal level of stimulation, they necessarily will have an extremely high degree of motivation to increase sensory stimulation so as to compensate for their under arousal. In 1965 Quay described the psychopath as a pathological stimulation seeker due to physiological abnormalities. In 1977, Quay elaborated on his theory including environmental factors in the development of adult psychopaths. Despite this elaboration, Quay’s focus remained on biological factors, stating that a psychopath starts life with an inborn hypo reactive nervous system.

Quay used his stimulation seeking behavior theory to explain the psychopath’s impulsivity, inability to delay gratification, and the tendency to create excitement for the moment without thought of the consequences. What this means is that psychopaths cannot even comprehend their role in society. They only th...