Think from KERA What if psychopaths aren’t real?
Mar 27, 2026
Rasmus Rosenberg-Larsen, assistant professor of forensic epistemology and author of Psychopathy Unmasked, questions whether psychopathy is a real, discrete diagnosis. He traces its messy history, the rise of the PCL-R, and why pop culture skews perception. He explains empirical problems, how traits appear in noncriminals, and the legal and ethical harms of keeping a flawed label alive.
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Diagnoses Begin As Clinical Observations
- Psychiatric diagnoses often start as clinic observations of repeating behavior patterns before being named and studied.
- Some categories like hysteria were later discarded when research showed they didn't map to coherent biological or psychological entities.
1990s Consolidation Around PCL-R
- Modern psychopathy consolidated in the 1990s around traits like lack of empathy and shallow emotions, tied to instruments like the PCL-R.
- Despite apparent consensus then, the category was always contested and messy in practice.
Research Boom Fueled By Tools And Politics
- The 1990s research surge followed a shared definition and diagnostic tool plus political interest from rising crime and 'get tough' funding.
- The PCL-R enabled large empirical studies by standardizing who researchers sampled.
