Title Page.

Madison Riley
Uwrt 1103
Ashlyn Williams
October 16, 2014

Assignment Two

Draft Introduction:
A room covered entirely with a tarp trapping everything that happens inside.
Bloody saran wrap lying on the ground that once trapped a living human to what is now a
bloody table. Severed body parts in nine different trash bags waiting to be thrown in the
bay for no one to discover. All the sudden the alarm clock is ringing to go off the work
and find another victim for the bloody table. Getting up every morning to the job of your
dream, tracking down criminal and ironically searching for a new victim to kill and cut
up sounds like a day for the famous blood analysis and psychopath Dexter Morgan.
Dexter Morgan is a fictional Showtime character that portrays a normal man by
day and psychopathic serial killer by night. Even though Dexter Morgan himself is a
fictional character is obvious, the less obvious observation is if the concept of Dexter,
living a normal life and a secret psychopathic, non-fiction. On October 6th 2006 the
fictional life of Dexter Morgan, half human half monster, captured the hearts of million
Americans. Dexter is a smart, charming man when he is around the normal humans but
by himself he is a bloodthirsty killer who has no empathy of emotions. Even though the
show it self is fiction the concept of psychopaths living among the normal is going on

every day, there may be a psychopath sitting right next to you. This paper helps
distinguish the normal from the psychopathic along with proving that some psychopaths
are able to live a normal life and not act out, like Dexter Morgan.
Before exploring the exciting world of psychopaths and how they fit into the
world we live in I have to tell you my personal position on this topic. I started watching
the series Dexter a year ago and I fell in love with Dexter Morgan. Ive always had a
curiosity about how the mind of a psychopath lives and fits into the normal world I par
take in. Shows like Dexter, CSI, and especially criminal minds have always interest me
due to the fact that they focus on psychopaths. Now in college trying to pursue a job in
the medical field I may or may not have to deal with a psychopath directly or someone
who has gotten hurt by a psychopath. In this paper you learn how to spot a psychopath
living among us as a normal part of society and how they can be rehabilitated slowly but
surely.

Review of Relevant Literature

Dexter, like other Americans, goes day by day living his life as normal as possible
knowing that he is a psychopath. The Showcase series Dexter is focused around a man
name Dexter Morgan who had a traumatic childhood and now as an adult is paying for it.
Dexter is exceptionally smart and can figure out any problem that is laid out in front of
him; the only thing that he cannot figure out is how to feel emotion or empathy towards
others. Having no emotion or empathy on top of having a traumatic event in his
childhood led to the creation of a dark monster inside him that can only be cured by

killing. Even though Dexter himself is a fictionally character doesnt mean that there
arent people like him living among us, passing us, befriending us every single day.
Other than being a crazy psychotic killing monster, Barnett (2013) and Riley
(2014) show that, Dexter is also just a human. Every morning Dexter gets up, eats
breakfasts, gets dressed and goes off to work just like any other human being would. He
is also charming and able to communicate between co-workers and uphold a relationship
and later raise a family. To others Dexter is a normal person who is just enjoying the job
and family he has. A professor in Vancouver, Dr. Robert Hale, has been studying
psychopaths for a couple years now and strongly believes he has figured them out. Hercz
(2001) visited the professor and learned the guide of spotting a potentially psychopath.
He notes that psychopaths have no empathy towards others and has trouble understanding
how to feel when traumatic situations occur. They would be the ones that wont care if a
loved one died or even a massacre in the town happens. Psychopaths can range from
serial killers to wife beaters all the way to someone knowing they have aids and still
having unprotected sex. On June 3rd 2104 Jenny Brockie, from the television series SBS
One: The Insight (McKenna 2014), interview a self-proclaimed psychopath Jim Fallon.
Fallon stated how he was younger he would be a little different than the other children
and was known as a bully but he didnt know he was a psychopath until he compared his
brain scan to a previous diagnosed psychopaths brain scan. They both looked the exact it
and parts missing in Fallons brain also are missing in the psychopaths brain. Fallon
lives a normal life and would have never known he was psychopath if he never did the
brain scan.

Not all psychopaths are the same thought, some are violent and some are
non-violent. Just like McKenna, Ohikuare (2014) interviewed Jim Fallon as a non-violent
psychopath. Fallon may have the brain and lack of emotionless thought of a psychopath
but he definitely doesnt have the violent trendies as Ted Bundy. He is a husband, father,
and a workingman just as any normal adult man would be. Just how not all psychopaths
are killers, not all killers are psychopaths. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as known as
the Columbine killer, did one of the more unthinkable acts by shooting up a school but
only Harris is diagnosed as a psychopath. Even though Klebold was a part of the shooting
he wasnt considering psychotic just depressed and willing to do anything which made it
that much easier for Harris to take advantage of. There are some that argue that serial
killers are indeed psychopaths (Scott 2014). This may true for serial killer like Ted
Bundy and John Gacy but there are some serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer that are
considered sane. The difference between Dahmer and Bundy is not the degree of murder,
both were sick, but Dahmer actually felt bad for the families of his victims. A main part
of a psychopath is that they dont have empathy but that doesnt mean they dont feel
anything at all. As Martens (2003) stated that psychopaths can still feel anger and rage
but other than that they have pantomime emotions, fake emotions that seem real to the
sane.
For most diseases and disorders there is either a cure or treatment but according to
Scott (2013) there will never be a cure for the evil in a psychopath. Not having a medical
cure for evil doesnt mean that scientist stop researching for one. In Madison, Wisconsin
at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center (MJCT), thanks to Dr. Kent Kiehl, is getting
closer to some sort of treatment. MJCT is a juvenile center where the worst of the worst

get sent as teens. Instead of punishing the boys for doing something wrong they reward
them for doing things that are good (Pomeroy 2014). After treating the boys for good
behavior they released a set of boys from MJCT and another juvenile center and
compared the results. Only 64% of the boys from MJCT recommitted a crime while 98%
of the boys from the other juvenile center recommitted a crime. With the way the
treatment is going right now it will save young psychopaths from becoming full adults
and causing more harm to themselves and others. Treating a psychopath is somewhat like
treating an alcoholic or drug users. They get rewarded when they do something good and
they have a backbone to help them if they feel like they are about to fall of the wagon. If
psychopaths felt like they had someone to call when the urge to do something wrong then
they will have a less chase of falling of their wagon.

Entering the Conversation

Throughout history, especially American history, mental health has been an
uncomfortable subject to talk about. The fears of others judgment and possible exile
from the human race people hide their dark thoughts within. Psychologists believe that
traumatic events, complicated childhoods or an unstable family can cause dark thoughts
within a person but that doesnt mean they have a mental illness. It takes a special person,
like Ted Bundy to be considered a psychopath. Back in the day psychopaths were feared
by humanity and were only on television when they got captured but now a day television
glamorizes this mental illness by shows like Criminal Minds and especially Dexter.
The Showtime series Dexter makes the thought of a psychopath living among the sane a

reality. A psychopath isnt necessarily a serial killer it is someone who tricks others with
no regret or empathy if they hurt anyone in the process of getting what they want.
The character Dexter off the Showtime Series: Dexter is a smart charming man
by day but a total psychopath by night (assignment one). Dexter by day is a semi-normal
man who gets up brushes his teeth, eats breakfast and goes to work just like everyone
else. He works in the homicide section of the Miami Day Police Department as the blood
splatter analysis. He goes to crime scenes and looks at the pattern of blood and then
determines how the victim was murdered and with what weapon. By night Dexter turns
into a completely new person that not even the closest person to him would recognize. He
becomes the psychopathic killer that he hides from the rest of the world. He finds a serial
killer that beat the system, stalks them, kidnaps them and murders them by chopping
them up in pieces, but why? What makes Dexter a psychopath?
Serial killer like Ted Bundy, famously known psychopaths in American history,
didnt just one day decide to become killer it was a build up ever since their childhood.
Dahmer at first was a happy child until his mother and father started to fight and his
mother tried to commit suicide. Dahmer started to have awful thoughts about killing man
and raping them while they are unconscious. He was diagnosed with a broader line
mental disorder, but the only thing that kept him from being a psychopath was the fact
that he felt bad for the families of his victims. Ted Bundy was a full on psychopath.
Bundy manipulated young women, rape them and killed them; while being interviewed
he admitted to thirty-seven murders but no one know the true number. None of his friends
would have suspected him to be a serial killer they described Bundy as a charming
individual. Out of the two Dexter is more like Bundy but has the ruined childhood like

Dahmer. He lost his mother in a blood bath when he was three years old and was
adopted, but with his victims he has no remorse and feels no guilt killing them.
Most of the psychopaths that are publicized are indeed serial killers, but the truth
is that not all psychopaths are serial killers. A psychopath is defined as person suffering
from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior, but just cause
the definition says they can be violent doesnt mean that all psychopath are. There are
people out in the world that experience psychopathic features and thoughts and may even
have a brain scan that is identical to a psychopath brain scan and still live a normal life.
Certain major businessman can be considered some sort of psychopath; they step on
people to get to the top and have no regret for hurting people on their way up. Then they
are the psychopaths that act out violently that dont kill, they can be known as bullies.
Bullies are people who pray on the weak and hurt them to make themselves feel better,
they are also usually socially awkward which drives them to do anything to fit in even if
that mean hurting someone else. With all these types of psychopaths, violent ones,
business one, killing ones, will there ever be a cure for them? Can they ever be normal or
sane again?
Most psychologists believe that there is no way to cure a psychopath but I
personally believe that if you cant completely cure them with medicine there is a
possibility to rehabilitate them. I believe if you catch a psychopath at a young enough age
you can teach them how to control their violent urges. You cant teach them compassion
or empathy, which psychopaths lack, but by helping them control their urges it will leave
the world a safer place the only hard thing is catching a psychopath before it evolves into
something worst. To spot a psychopath hiding in the sane psychologists have developed

ways to tell the difference between the normal and the psychotic. Even though a brain
scan isnt the first thing you do when seeing someone but some red flags that can be a
give away is violent outburst, lack of feelings and incapacities of making emotional
connections. With theses red flags and more who knows you may find out that the person
next to you is actually a psychopath.

Conclusion
After reading this paper you should have a better understanding about the
potentially psychopaths that live around you everyday and possible befriended you. At
first you will have no idea if someone is a psychopath or not because most of them are
able to hide their darkness and live a close to normal life. When looking for psychopaths
there are certain signs to look out for including, lack of empathy, confusion during
traumatic event, being unable to make emotions connections and sometime horrible acts
of violent. Violent isnt always a dead giveaway of a psychopath, like how you would
think Jeffrey Dahmer is psychotic when really is sane. I know when I think of a
psychopath I think of someone who doesnt care for anything or anyone and is
abnormally violent towards either people or animals. That may be true for some
psychopaths but in reality there are a hundred more all around us that arent violent and
we have no idea. You cannot just assume that someone who does violent acts is a
psychopath just as you cannot assume that a psychopath will always preform a violent
act. Psychopathic thoughts can start at a young age and for these kids good attention is
extremely important to whom they will grow up to be. If a child is thought to be a violent
psychopath they should get treatment or see someone through out their life until it is

known for sure they wont act out. Knowing this is always 100% sure but it will help keep
some troubled children on the right path.
Knowing the people around you and in you life is an extremely important part.
Even though it is scary to think about but the best friend or boyfriend or even family
member you love may indeed by a psychopath. Just cause someone could be a
psychopath doesnt mean you have to fear them though as noted in my research that not
all psychopaths are violent. Its important to know the signs or giveaways so you know if
you need to be carefully around certain people. Also knowing that someone exhibits
psychotic behavior you may be able to give him or her the treatment or attention they
need before it becomes to late. If people are able to identify a psychopath at a young then
there is a better chance to give him or her the attention to keep them out of trouble in the
future. Even though as of right not there is no real cure for psychopaths scientists keep
researching different ways to lessen the violent psychopaths in the world. Will scientist
ever find a cure and/or a treatment that will allow psychopaths to live normally within the
world?

Reference Page:
Cullen, D. (2004, April 20). At last we know why the Columbine killers did it.
Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/id/2099203/
Cullens article talked about the columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who
committed the worst school shooting in Americas history. Cullen discussed how the two
boys were total different and had different motives about the killing than what the public
thought. This event wasnt just because of hatred of a certain student or teacher, it was
attended to terrorize the whole nation by attacking a symbol of the American way. Many
may think that only a pair of psychopaths could do something so awful but in reality only
Harris was the psychopath who took advantage of Klebolds depressive thoughts. Harris
hated the world and every stupid person in the while Klebold just hated himself and
blamed himself for everything bad.

McKenna, Luan. (2014, June 3). What makes a psychopath?. Retrieved October
9,2014 retrieved from SBS One: The insight.

On this episode SBS insight Jenny Brockie talked about what makes up a psychopath. On
the show she interviews Jim Fallon, a self proclaimed psychopath, Simon Baron-Cohen, a
professor at Cambridge, Eva Kimonis, professor at University of New South Wales and
Lars Madsen, director of the Forensic Psychology Centre. She start by interviewing Jim
Fallon and he explains why he thinks he is a psychopath and the signs including brain
scan and certain behaviors he had at a younger age. After she talks to the other three other
guest to see if the agree or disagree with Fallons proclamation. They said that you cant
fully rely on the brain scan but the behaviors he had during childhood to adulthood do go
hand and hand to a psychopath. Jim is non-violent psychopath who lives his life like any
other person on the earth.

Hercz, R. (2001, January 1). Psychopaths Among Us, by Robert Hercz. Retrieved
October 9, 2014, from http://www.hare.org/links/saturday.html

Robert discusses how he traveled to Vancouver to talk to Dr. Robert Hare, a professor
who has been studying psychopaths and their behaviors for many years now. He created a
guide that can help spot a psychopath from a regular person as the live in the world with
us. Many psychopaths look like anyone else living on earth the only difference is that
they have no empathy or when something tragic happened they dont emotional
understand the importance of the event. He reports that many psychopath can be simple
as a fraud, wife beater, or even someone who has unprotected sex knowing they have aid,
the fact that they dont have a conscience about the horrible things they are doing make
them a psychopath.

Martens, W. (2003, January 1). Emotional Sensitivity in Psychopath. Retrieved

October 9, 2014, from http://www.goertzel.org/dynapsyc/2003/psychopaths.htm

Doctor William H. J. Martens is the director of W. Kahn Institute of Theoretical

Psychiatry and Neuroscience in the Netherlands studied the lack of emotions that
psychopaths exhibit. According to his research psychopaths are able produce what is
known as pantomime emotions, where they can act like they care or can feel but in
reality they dont feel anything at all. Even though psychopaths are known to have no
emotions and any ability to feel it is not entirely true. In Dr. Martenss research he
finds that certain things can create anger, depression or rage within the psychopath,
these things may include rejection, sudden unavoidable change or even lack of
respect. His research is here to prove that psychopaths arent the emotionless
creatures that society puts them as, they may not have a conscience or empathy but
they do have anger that can make them deadly.

Ohikuare Judith. (2014, January 1). Life as a Nonviolent Psychopath. Retrieved

October 9th 2014 from The Atlantic

Judith Ohikuare writes about James Fallons life and how he discovered he was indeed a
psychopath. Fallon is neuroscientist who is currently researching Alzheimer using brain
scans of him and his family and studying the brain scans of serial killing psychopaths on
the side. On day while reviewing the psychopaths brain scans he came across one that
was marked as a family members brain scan, at first he thought it was a coding mistake
but after checking it was coded correctly and showed the same exact pattern as a
psychopaths brain. When he checked the code to see what family members scan it was
he learned that it was exactly his own brain scan. After asking his friends, family, doctors
and psychologists they all werent surprised with what the brain scan showed. Fallon
lives out his life as a psychopath who can control the urges to do something violent.

Pomeroy Ross. (2014 July 11) Can Psychopaths be cured?. Retrieved October 9th
2014 from Real Clear Science

As of right now there is no pill or treatment that can help but that doesnt stop Dr. Kent
Kiehl from trying the find one. Dr. Kiehl is a psychologist at University of Mexico along
with an expert on psychopaths, he discovered that psychopaths have a reduces grey area
in the paralimbic part of their brain, he now works in Madison, Wisconsin at the Mendota
Juvenile Treatment Center (MJCT). The boys sent there are deemed uncontrollable by
other institutions and already have over a dozen charges on them; these boys are
considered a potential psychopath when they become an adult. At MJCT they do not
punish the boys for doing something or instead they praise them and reward them when
they do something good. This method is proven on release boys who attended MJCT
64% of the committed a crime while 98% of boys who didnt attend MJCT committed a
crime upon release. This experiment is still under progress and cannot yet be determined
as a cure but if so it may be able to save many youth from becoming full adult
psychopaths.

Barnett, Laura. (2013 July 28). A psychopath experts view on Dexter. Retrieved
October 9th 2014 from The Guardian

Laura Barnett interviewed psychopath experts Kevin Dutton about the famous television
psychopath Dexter Morgan. He said from the beginning of the show you could tell that
Dexter is indeed a psychopath; he does not have empathy for his kill, which started when
he was young with neighborhood animals and continued to human beings. Dexter is
portrayed as a very intelligent and charming individual who can hide things very easily
just as most psychopathic serial killers can. The only thing that strikes unusual is how
Dexter is aware of what he is doing is wrong and that he actually cares for his sister
Debra, these traits arent common among most psychopaths.

Scott, Shirley Lynn. (2014 January 1). What makes serial killers tick:
Psychopaths?. Retrieved on October 9th 2014 from Criminal Library

In this article Scott argues the fact that serial killers, including Ted Bundy and John
Gacy, are indeed psychopaths. She states that they dont have any empathy for the
people the brutally murder and that to them those people were useless, stupid humans.
She also argues that most psychopaths have an environmental factor that triggers the
inner evil and that there will be no treatment to help rid of psychopathic thoughts.

Riley, Madison. (2014, September 29). Assignment one: Observation 1-3.

Retrieved on October 12, 2014 form Uwrt1103.

In these observations is discusses how Dexter lives a double life. He lives a normal
life during the day by going to work, seeing his girlfriend and hanging with friends
but when the night falls he is a different person, he becomes the psychopath that is
inside him. No one knows what Dexter truly is, he does a good job covering up being
a psychopath and acting normal by copying the people around him. He figures that
its easier to copy someone else emotions then showing his true colors.