The Psychopathic Stare

Discussion in 'Pandora's Box' started by My Username, Jan 30, 2014.

  1. There is a common characteristic of psychopaths portrayed by the media, which is an intimidating look or even a simply "blank and lifeless stare". 
     
    Do you buy into this? Or do you think it is not a core characteristic?
     
    If you DO buy into it, what have you seen in the real world that convinced you that you were looking at a psychopath merely by the way he/she was looking at you/others?
     
     
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IHFVn0sv14

     
  2. I've always felt that Mary Bell had the classic psychopathic gaze. It's just empty enough to make you uncomfortable but not so much you'd know for sure they were severely disturbed. Soul less eyes get me every time.

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  3. #3 My Username, Jan 30, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 30, 2014
     
    I see. What about it is uncomfortable? How do eyes depict how "empty" a look is?
     
    BTW I totally agree, I am just curious 
     
    What about it "gets you"?
     
  4. Hard to quantify honestly. It's that stare that seems to look through you, like they do not see another person but instead an object and are simply examining it for further study? They have dark eyes usually, emotional less expressions (her other pic where's she's early teens fits the expression less part more but I didn't post it).
     
  5.  
    Eyes are the doorway to the soul.
    Adam Lanza, James Holmes....Look at their eyes. Dead and lifeless...That is the look of confusion and despair. Not intent. Are people like that capable of doing horrible things? They did didn't they?
    BUT....Psychopaths and sociopaths have a different look in their eyes. Look at Hitler, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, ....They have bright eyes. Almost cheerful. They have charm. They have resolve, and thye lure you in.
     
      So no. The dead lifeless look is not IMO the look of a true psychopath. It is the look of a person resigned to death...but not a person intent on causing it. Rabbits get they same dead look in their eyes when a predator catches them. Predators have a gleam in their eyes that never leaves them...even in a fight to the death!
     
  6. This one is the one in referring to. Devoid of any emotion, that to me is as blank as a human can look. Problem is people like her are also usually quite smart and savy and can become blended into the background noise of society.

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  7. #7 Hypoxic, Jan 30, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 30, 2014
    I do agree with a lot of what you say. I'm curious how you'd rectify Mary Bell's case? Murdered two children violently, one of them was mutilated, went away and was released and has never killed or been really heard from again (she does have a daughter). Maybe she isn't a true psychopath?

    I see hitler and Manson as sociopaths much more than psycho but that's just me. To them it was almost completely about absolute control over others, not specifically killing (they use killing as a means to gain and hold control).
     
  8.  
    From that grainy picture? Or from the many other pictures? The most famous is the one of her at the time of her arrest, and in her eyes is the look of a predator who is calculating it's odds of fight or flight. She is focused on her thoughts, while still very aware of her surroundings. Here is the look of a Predator at rest, notice how the eyes are "smiling" more so than the mouth.
    [​IMG]
     
  9.  
    Yup sorry was posting when you put this up...That's the one. That isn't the look of fear...it is the look of calculation. The mind is merely focused beyond what is in front of the subject And although that was a shocking crime, it is quite possible that she is a psychopath, just that she doesn't feel compelled to control through violence. Or she may have just been inquisitive. Possibly a mild dissociative disorder from a poor childhood. Surgeons have that same look. They are able to disassociate what is in front of them from a living thing into a mechanical thing. We tend to think of sociopaths and psychopaths as different. However they are actually one and the same. The difference is in how their psychosis manifests itself. A psychopath allows themselves to "let" go, where as a sociopath is more "reserved".
     We also tend to think of them as evil, though we understand very little about the human psyche anyway.
    Sociopaths are capable of great things. Wow,.....this could get long.
     
    We tend to think their are a lot of sociopaths in LE...that is simply not true. There are a lot of liars and men who are quite adept at hiding that, and a violent predisposition in LE... But a TRUE sociopath would make an excellent officer. They don't have the emotional responses of men with small ego's or large ego's. They are able to restrain their feelings, and do not necessarily care what the person has done. That is the guy you want to deal with. Not a guy that brings his baggage to work with him. 
     psychopaths also are capable of great things. A fireman rushing into a burning building with no fear for his own safety, relying on his instinct and equipment...that is the guy you want coming for you. They can be heroes. They are usually very intelligent, and excel at learning because they decide what they need to learn and don't focus on the fluff. 
     
    This could be a book. But to make it succinct. We only use a small portion of our brain. And we know little to nothing about how it works. All men are capable of good or evil. It just depends on the environment and fashion in which they are developed.
     
  10. Agreed. The homicidal distinction can be very important. The 2nd one I posted would be my poster child, she looks blank but those gears behind the eyes are moving, very cunning.
     
  11. 1391103141254.jpg

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  12. Notice again...how the eyes and mouth are not showing the same level of emotion?
    [​IMG]
    One says I forgive you....the other says "If I get to be President, I'm going to kill you first"
     
  13. But lets not forget, Romney's a Mexican Radical

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  14. Yes, I thought I was the only one that noticed that.
     
  15.  
    Interesting.. this makes a lot of sense. Blank stares could be anything... over tired, too high, depressed..
     
    I know exactly what you mean. A calm hyper-vigilance if you will. 
     
     
    :)
     
    I feel as though some people try to look intimidating because they feel weak or something, but the ones you have to worry about actually try to hide their intimidating look to fit in better. 
     
    So, as fear noted, I think a lot of it has to do with a contradiction of emotions.
     
    Interesting stuff I didn't expect the thread to be so awesome
     
  16. That makes sense. ^ :)

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  17. I feel like the way Christian Bale looks often in American Psycho is what I would expect, but maybe I watched that too recently. My roommate gives some of the blankest stares sometimes, but it doesn't bother me really hah.
     
  18. [​IMG]
    that pretty much takes it in my opinion
     

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