As someone with ASD, I struggle with loving others. In its place is a strong sense of lawfulness, an inhibition to breaking the rules. A psychopath may not recognize the right or wrong of an action, but he/she may recognize that they are a created being like us, and see it beneficial to invest in a possible life beyond this one. For this reason, they might still pick up the Bible, and from interpreting what is considered right and wrong as written within, treating one another as they would wish to be, develop a structure of right and wrong. God judges us based on our capabilities, so would not hold up a psychopath to quite the same standard as even I would be.
As for me, I have to learn to actively watch peopleâs body language, know what to look for in certain situations, and above all consider what I would do in response to a particular behavior of mine. Unless I consciously realize that someone feels a certain way, usually because they do or say something quite blatant, I donât know how someone is feeling. Once I realize that I have hurt someone, then I feel almost as bad as most would in the same situation. I do feel emotions, itâs just that I canât subconsciously connect to others emotionally.
Well said. Thanks for your contribution. The problem with a psychopath is that they see others only as tools to achieve their own ends. I honestly donât know how God might view them, since they are capable of unspeakable acts of cruelty. I pray that none of you ever encounters a true psychopath. Monsters do exist. Iâve known them personally.
I spent the last few years of my teaching career in special education, and several of my students were on the spectrum. One in particular sounds very much like you describe yourself, but he had a particularly odd symptom (to me, anyway). A characteristic of human morality is the ability to generalize an action to a category. This boy lacked that skill.
Let me explain. If he cussed out âNancyâ and got in trouble for it, he learned not to cuss her out, but he couldnât âgeneralizeâ that rule to all the other kids. Nancy didnât get cussed out anymore, but everyone else was still fair game.
When I was first out of college working, I worked with a young woman who had Aspergers. One day at work she said something like, âI would like to be your friend. I was told I should ask you to do something enjoyable. Would you like to go to the movies some time?â So we became friends. When my husband was deployed I spent quite a bit of time with her.
If you define empathy as being able to put oneself in someone elseâs shoes and predict how they would feel or react, then she was not very empathetic, because she did not have the capacity to make those kind of predictions, since other people felt and reacted very differently than she did. But she was kind and unselfish and genuinely desired to make other people happy. You had to be really explicit with her about what you wanted and didnât want and not expect her to guess stuff, and you had to accept that her following the ârulesâ of being a good friend were a genuine expression of friendship, but if you could do that she was a more considerate friend than many ânuerotypicalâ people Iâve had relationships with. We still keep in touch 20 years later.
I guess my point is that she loved people and wanted to treat people well, she just couldnât rely on intuition and âpeople skillsâ to know what to do, she needed rules to express her caring. I donât think that made her morally deficient.
Thereâs a different deficiency for those on the Spectrum, a social one. But that isnât as unfortunate as being morally deficient as a psychopath is. I believe that the road to salvation for a psychopath would be a dreadfully difficult, but not impossible, one.
You might already be aware, but itâs called a Spectrum for a reason. I am probably on the higher functioning side of it. Until someone gets to know me, I usually just seem a bit shy and reclusive. Apparently, this boy isnât as highly-functioning as I.
Thatâs a great encouragement. ThanksâŚ
We have some Aspergers on our family and it is hard to see them struggle socially. That do have unique gifts too.
Definitely not. And it is a spectrum. It always hurts my heart when I think about the kids on the far end of it, completely shut off from human contact in any real sense. And their parents, who never get to feel a connection to their own child. In many ways, itâs the opposite of a child with Downâs Syndrome. I say that having taught both.
Wow. I havenât really thought about that very much. Too busy focusing on getting the big picture figured out, I guess. Need to come back down to Earth.
I donât know if it will bring you back down to Earth, but I posted a new episode yesterday that touches on the âbig pictureâ of the evolution of morality. Check it out!
becomingadam.com Adamâs Evolutionary Journey, Pt. 2
The opening chapters of the Bible hint that language, empathy, and morality hold the keys to human uniqueness. What does science say?
Although there are some differences, I felt that the majority feel that God in his mercy will not condemn the unfortunates with severe mental disabilities, including psychopaths. Some felt that somehow God will give these souls another chance at salvation. Any comment on this?
LckurzâŚI like your question. It is a good one and no doubt complex. And also welcome to the site!! I also liked Christyâs response. She always has something interesting to say.
I am supposing that a psychopath was made not born that way?? We can think of a few âbrutesâ from history (Hitler and lesser names). They all had a family storyâŚWhile we define the term âpsychopathâ as someone with no conscience, I suspect that if someone did to one of them what they have done to others, we might find they do have a sense of right and wrong â distorted though it be. For this they, like we, hold others accountable, and if we do, I suppose God even more so.
There is considerable evidence that the brains of psychopaths are structurally abnormal. The parts of the brain that control empathy are disconnected from other parts. I think the evidence is in favor of this being a congenital abnormality (born), since many express the sociopath tendencies as children from good (not abusive) families. Of course it may be that early intervention could change things.
As far as the fate of these unfortunates, I believe that God is just and perhaps these souls will be given another chance in a normal body. I am pretty sure that this itself (the idea of another chance with a normal free will) is controversial. Any other solutions?
From the things Iâve read, including interviews with various men who have done exceptionally horrible things , it seems that they all actually have moral compasses. They all understand right from wrong, and thatâs part of the reason they all try to hide their crimes. Thatâs why they all have people in their life that they show care for. It seems like the idea that they feel no remorse, or lack understanding over what they do is wrong, is more of a byproduct of Hollywood style stories.
Sure there can be natural problems that can make
Someone more prone to anger or not as emotional. There can be disorders like Down syndrome and other mental handicaps that limits a persons cognitive and emotional understanding. But so far, anyone whoâs can plan out a crime and attempt to carry it out and avoid detection also seems capable of recognizing it was wrong and mentions fighting against it and so on.
We all have a war between flesh and spirit. The soul, according to Judaism and even the implications of Hebrew language, seems to indicate that we are souls. The body and spirit is what makes up a soul. Anyways, the war of the flesh and the spirit exists in us all. We all recognize good and evil. If we keep choosing evil , and justifying it, we will harden our hearts which is a metaphor for we will feed the desire to give into our instincts controlled by fleeting emotions that serve is. Science even shows how by choosing a action that makes us feel better, even if itâs evil, and justifying it and doing it again and again we become addicted to the high and pleasure it gives us. If we deny our flesh and pick up our cross and choose righteousness, we help develop habits of love and righteousness.
Sin is one thing. Sin is the choice to do evil in the eyes of God. Even if you have never heard of God, it seems pretty common that our species recognizes that things like murder, rape and lack of discipline is wrong and out conscience will condemn us.
There are numerous accounts of people who did lots of evil and pursued sin that later turned their life around. Those rehabilitated in prison, and those who never did time. There are arguments over ego, super ego and ID but they all seem to show people making choices.
That sounds a bit like reincarnation, and thatâs problematic. But I believe that we can trust in Godâs âfairnessâ to adjudicate well when the time comes, or the end of time.
I guess the next step would be to isolate a handful of people with that issue that has done terrible things or have been extremely selfish and so on as adults. Then see if they show any signs of understanding right from wrong and remorse. So far I have not met anyone who did not show signs of understanding right from wrong. That includes talking with inmates for four years ranging from rapists, pedophiles, human traffickers, drug dealers and so on. Believers and unbelievers.
But I believe that we can trust in Godâs âfairnessâ to adjudicate well when the time comes, or the end of time.