Characteristics of Psychopaths

A soap opera character, Sheila Carter, on The Young and the Restless has popped up several times over the years when the audience least expects it. Sheila, a psychopath, has committed a list of crimes too horrendous for any relatively psychologically healthy individual to fathom.

Psychopaths are individuals who lack a conscience. They do not feel any sense of responsibility for their actions nor do they feel an obligation to obey social norms or mores.

In The Young and the Restless, for instance, Sheila Carter tries to kill another character, Lauren Phenmore, more than once. Sheila doesn't care who she has to hurt in order to accomplish her goal.

Psychopaths exhibit a number of traits, which help them lure in their victims. Lack of impulse control, manipulation, charm, unreliability, poor judgment, suicide threats that are not acted upon, and the inability to learn from past experiences all characterize a typical psychopath.

Sheila exhibits many of these characteristics in The Young and the Restless. Her manipulative personality and ability to charm people who do not know her has allowed her to convince a psychiatric nurse to help her escape from a maximum-security psych ward. In addition, Sheila, like typical psychopaths, are unable to be treated for their psychological problems. Keeping Sheila in a psych ward or jail does nothing to sway her behavior. If nothing else, it actually makes Sheila more determined and intent on achieving her goal of punishing Lauren.

Perhaps the most disturbing characteristics of psychopaths is their inability to feel guilt, anxiety, or remorse. It is difficult, if not impossible, for us, as humans, to understand how someone could commit such horrendous crimes and not feel any guilt or remorse about it.

But it's true. Psychopaths do not experience any remorse or guilt over their actions, no matter how big or small. For instance, Sheila shows no remorse for making Lauren live in fear of her. To the contrary, Sheila preys on her victim's fears and insecurities and uses them to her advantage.