Page 5
Introduction
The existence and essence of an adaptive version of ultramild psychopathy (or my preferred term, “adaptive neuropsychopathy”) as a natural brain condition will not be shocking, however, especially to scientists. To deny the ability of our sapient brains to survive and thrive would be to ignore on-the-fl y adaptability inherent in the neuroanatomy and neurochemistry of our 2.5 pounds of cortical tissue. Sapient brains powered by awesome neurochemistry provide the launch pad to human behavior and social interactions for members of societies around the world. The same chemistry is responsible for the ability of sapient brains to fend off crushing despair thanks to nature ’ s protective brain condition, and in contrast, across the continuum, this same chemistry is responsible for identifying the irreversible and violent psychopathic personality disorder. In Part III , Order Becoming Disorder, Chapters 8 – 10 address the once widely embraced perspective of how criminality could be “parented-in” to offspring from “toxic” parenting and other damaging influences from peer and social milieus. Also, existing conditions of what now should be “parented-out” by informed parents are presented. The neurochemical basis of psychopathy is explored for both the adaptive version and the violent version, well-documented as psychopathic personality disorder. Chapter 10 begins by addressing a message in the famous poem “Richard Cory,” and soon thereafter reveals aspects of the shocking murder and suicide of a mayor and her soon-to-be college-bound daughter in Coppell, Texas. At the end of Part III we meet Lauren, who is “tortured by tears.” Part IV, Truly, Honestly, Deceptively, includes the fi nal two chapters. Chapter 11 presents two compelling essays, Gender Differences among Psychopathic Serial Murderers and The Sexually Motivated Male Serial Killer: An Interdisciplinary Monster, both written by my top student Ashleigh Portales, now a crime scene investigator in Wise County, Decatur, Texas. Chapter 12 concludes with a prescient look into 23rd-century forensic neuropsychology and the concept of “internal cortical prisons” created by brain chip technology. Will these technologies lead to the cessation of criminal minds, or will a new set of nightmares and challenges require new tools and improved products? REFERENCE Good, I. J., Mayne, A. J., & Maynard Smith, J. (Eds.). (1963). The scientist speculates. New York: Basic Books.