
Experts found that psychopaths more likely will exaggerate the spontaneity of their homicides. A previous study using human coders found that there are differences in the speech of psychopaths and nonpsychopaths. Until recently, these tools have not been used to analyze the speech production of criminals and psychopathic individuals. A narcissist’s speech should have a higher percentage of these types of words. To analyze this, a program could count the number of times the words “I,” “me,” or “my” occurred in a person’s speech and compare that to the general population. 4 The tools range from simple to sophisticated, but they all essentially identify linguistic patterns and count their frequency relative to a control language.Ĭonsidering the speech of narcissists, they use language related to the self more than nonnarcissistic people because of their primary concern with themselves. These applications can differentiate between a variety of individual and personality factors. Recent advances in technology make it possible to examine more closely the language of various clinical populations through automatic linguistic analysis programs. Individuals’ language is one of the best ways to glean insight into their thoughts and general outlook. These behaviors, combined with a self-confident swagger and ability to distract the listener with grandiose self-presentation, make it difficult to properly follow their self-report. 3Ĭonning, manipulation, and a desire to lie for the sake of getting away with it-often referred to as “duping delight”-are well known characteristics of the psychopath. I like whiskey, so I bought some whiskey, we had some of that, and then we, uh, went for a swim, and then we made love in my car, then we left to go get some more, some more booze and some more drugs.” A recent study explained how this narrative might reveal important information regarding the mindset of a psychopath. “We got, uh, we got high, and had a few beers. Reviewing his videotaped self-report with the sound muted, it appeared that he was reporting some mundane incident, rather than detailed accounts of the heinous murders he committed.Ī psychopath recently interviewed by one of the authors recounted a vicious murder he had committed. With the nonchalant and emotionless demeanor of a psychopath, Robert Pickton would make an interesting case study. Individuals present in court expressed dismay over his lack of emotion during the reading of horrifying impact statements. His demeanor during this lengthy questioning reflected detachment and boredom. Pickton probably would meet the criteria for psychopathy, a destructive personality disorder that combines a profound lack of conscience with several problematic interpersonal, emotional, and behavioral characteristics.Ĭonsistent with psychopathy, Robert Pickton’s self-report and presentation during his interrogation showed a man devoid of emotion. Details provided in court revealed brutal and heinous murders that often included torture, degradation, and dismemberment of the victims. He once bragged to a cellmate that he intended to kill 50 women.
#New findings trial#
Robert Pickton, convicted of the second-degree murder of six women in December 2007, initially was on trial for 26 counts of first-degree murder. 2 The authors offer their insights into the unique considerations pertaining to psychopaths’ communication.

1 For example, on a publically available police interview with murderer and rapist Paul Bernardo, his powerful use of communication via his hand gesturing is easily observable and often distracts from his spoken lies. Their highly persuasive nonverbal behavior often distracts the listener from identifying their psychopathic nature. Recent research suggested that much can be learned about these individuals by close examination of their language. For psychopaths, not only a lack of affect but also inappropriate emotion may reveal the extent of their callousness.
