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It’s the Humans You Have to Worry About: Becoming a Sociopath
MARTIN LLOYD
“You’re the butcher or you’re the cattle.”
—both Gareth and Mary1
Residents of The Walking Dead universe find themselves beset by all manner of horrors. The most obvious are the reanimated rotting corpses constantly trying to tear human flesh from bone, turning each victim into a new walker. Despite the shocking presence of the hungry dead, the greatest tragedies visited upon Rick Grimes and the other heroes of The Walking Dead often come at the hands of their fellow humans. Whether it’s the Governor publicly decapitating Hershel and driving everyone from the prison or subsequent cannibals nearly killing the entire group, the worst horrors come from living people.
What kind of person could so callously bring such suffering to others? Who, for example, could lock a bound and unarmed Glenn in a room with a walker? Who could cut off a man’s leg and then casually discuss its flavor with him? In psychology, the term for an individual who can easily do those things is a psychopath.
Psychopaths generally are defined in terms of a lack of empathy, meaning they lack awareness of or concern for the emotions of others. It might be easier to calmly butcher a line of prisoners for food if you genuinely did not care how they felt on any level. Psychopaths also tend to excel at manipulating people and often look at others as nothing more than a meal ticket or a means of getting something. They are often aggressive and may engage in a wide variety of criminal behaviors.
Professionals disagree about exactly what makes a psychopath a psychopath. Some have proposed that psychopaths are utterly lacking in any emotion, but this has not been well supported. Psychopaths seem to have no problem experiencing anger and are not insensitive to pleasure and feelings of contentment. There is, however, one emotion that genuine psychopaths do appear to lack: They seem to be without fear. They do not get anxious, and they do not experience the same physical reactions to crisis (e.g., sweating, shaking, racing heart, freezing up) as other people.
A person with these characteristics may be familiar to some readers by another name: sociopath. Sociopathy is among the most poorly defined terms in psychology, largely because the definition has changed a number of times. The most useful way to define it is probably to think of a sociopath as looking and acting exactly like a psychopath. The difference is that psychopaths seem to be essentially born that way; they never develop any empathy. Sociopaths, in contrast, develop psychopathic characteristics in response to the events in their lives.2 Were various characters from The Walking Dead always without empathy and remorse (i.e., psychopaths), or did they develop those traits in response to their circumstances (i.e., sociopaths)? The primary question, however, is whether the various characters meet the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy.
Most mental disorders are diagnosed by using the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), but to assess psychopathy clinicians use the Psychopathy Checklist—Revised, Second Edition (PCL-R).3 This test consists of twenty items, with each one referencing a specific behavioral pattern or mental state one expects to see in a psychopath. Each item is scored on a three-point scale in accordance with how well it describes an examinee: 0—not at all, 1—somewhat, 2—very well. Clinicians base their scores on interviews with the examinee and any other available information, usually medical and criminal records. In most settings, examinees who receive 30 or more of the possible 40 points are designated as psychopaths.
PCL-R items fit into two major categories called factors. Factor 1 items deal with the emotional aspects of psychopathy and the ways in which psychopaths tend to interact with others. Factor 2 items concern criminal behaviors and a psychopath’s expected lifestyle.
Factor 1 Items
• Glibness/Superficial Charm
• Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth
• Pathological Lying
• Conning/Manipulative
• Lack of Remorse/Guilt
• Callous/Lack of Empathy
• Emotionally Shallow
• Failure to Accept Responsibility for One’s Own Actions
Factor 2 Items
• Poor Behavioral Controls
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility
• Need for Stimulation/Proneness to Boredom
• Criminal Versatility
• Lack of Long-Term Goals
• Early Behavioral Problems
• Revocation of Conditional Release
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Parasitic Lifestyle
Additional PCL-R Items
• Many Short-Term Marital Relationships
• Promiscuous Sexual Behavior
No single item needs to be present for someone to be considered a psychopath—not even lack of empathy, which most experts would say is the cornerstone of the very idea of psychopathy. This means that someone who shows plenty of empathy and therefore receives a score of zero on the item Callous/Lack of Empathy can be labeled a psychopath if his or her scores on the remaining items total at least 30.
Many characters in The Walking Dead have done horrible things. Violence and atrocity are so commonplace that while residing at the prison, Rick and his people begin asking all prospective group members, “How many people have you killed?”4 Answers greater than zero are not automatic disqualifications, and so Rick’s people follow each newcomer’s answer with another question: “Why?” Does having done horrible things automatically make one a psychopath? In truth, people hurt others for a variety of reasons, and many individuals who harm others are not psychopaths.
In clinical practice, one should never make assumptions about a subject’s background in assigning that person a score. Only verifiable information is fair game. In assessing fictional characters, however, because of the lack of background information, certain assumptions may have to be made.
The Governor
Possibly no other character on The Walking Dead brings as much suffering to Rick and his group as the Governor. He is directly responsible for the deaths of Hershel and certain other characters, and it is he who ultimately forces Rick’s group from their prison sanctuary. He can be cold and indifferent when carrying out these acts. But does The Walking Dead’s biggest villain actually meet the criteria for psychopathy?
The Governor definitely shows some psychopathic traits. Numerous characters respond to his considerable charisma, never guessing, for example, that he is killing soldiers to obtain weapons.5 As a result of this charisma, he easily receives full credit on the item Glibness/Superficial Charm. Similarly, he is highly adept at manipulation. He routinely convinces his followers that they are in danger from Rick and his people solely to satisfy his taste for revenge. In addition to their manipulations, psychopaths lie for no reason. In the course of his travels both before6 and after Woodbury, he lies to strangers about more or less everything, even assuming a new name.7 He therefore receives scores of 2 on both items concerned with honesty.
Among the other psychopathic traits shown by the Governor is the one often thought to be most central to the concept Callous/Lack of Empathy. Examples of the Governor acting without regard for others’ feelings are too numerous to list. The Governor also seldom shows remorse for his actions, and he constantly blames Rick for his own misdeeds and problems. Thus, he receives full credit on three additional PCL-R items.
Although he has many psychopathic traits, the Governor does not display all of them. It is difficult to say that he displays Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth since he tends to occupy positions of legitimate importance. The item Emotionally Shallow, which connotes limited emotional experience, also does not seem to apply to him. If anything, his emotions drive him. He has a deep attachment to his daughter, even caring for her after she becomes a zombie. Although this is pathological on many levels, it is not psychopathic.
The factors discussed above are all part of the PCL-R’s first factor (i.e., the emotional and interpersonal aspects). On this factor alone, the Governor would score a 12. To put this in perspective, this score is higher than that of approximately 83 percent of male American criminal offenders.8
Although the Governor displays an excessive amount of the first factor, his score on the second factor (i.e., his criminal lifestyle) is much lower. His most notable traits from this factor are Irresponsibility and Poor Behavioral Controls. In the case of irresponsibility, although he often provides for the well-being of large groups of people, he also puts those under his command at unnecessary risk whether by letting them fight gladiatorial battles with walkers or by leading them into dangerous battles with his enemies. In terms of behavioral controls, the Governor allows his tendency to hold grudges overwhelm his reason. His death and those of many from his camp ultimately result from his inability to let go of his resentment.
In many respects, what little is known of the Governor’s history is not consistent with the usual history of a psychopath. There is no indication he has any notable criminal history. Before the zombie apocalypse, he was a family man and an office worker and apparently not a particularly assertive one.9 He also does not have a Parasitic Lifestyle, a pattern of using others to meet basic needs that is common to psychopaths. Whatever flaws he may have, he is a genuine contributor to the groups of which he is a member. Ultimately, his total score on the second factor is only about a 5, which is higher than that of only 13 percent of male American offenders.
The Governor’s total score on the PCL-R (with an additional point for Promiscuous Sexual Behavior in light of indications that he may engage in impersonal sex10) ends up being only an 18, which is far below the 30 that normally would designate someone as a psychopath. Despite the presence of many classic psychopathic personality traits, his apparently benign history before the apocalypse results in only a moderate11 degree of psychopathy.
Gareth of Terminus
Of all the adversity Rick and company have faced, perhaps nothing is quite so terrifying as being locked up and nearly eaten by the residents of the apparent sanctuary Terminus. The PCL-R is not intended to evaluate entire groups, but one individual can easily stand for the actions of the group, in this case its leader, Gareth.
Much like the Governor, Gareth displays high levels of the first psychopathy factor. He is able to put new arrivals at Terminus reasonably at ease, showing Glibness/Superficial Charm. The fact that he actively offers the hope of safety in order to lead people to Terminus and then use them for food is clear evidence of the Conning/Manipulative trait. There are few examples of him lying for reasons other than manipulation, but since he spends so much of his time lying, he receives at least one point for Pathological Lying. The fact that he is not only cannibalizing people but letting them sit with full knowledge of their impending death12 warrants full credit for Callous/Lack of Empathy. Even if that somehow were insufficient, calmly discussing Bob’s recently severed and eaten leg with him13 clearly shows a lack of concern for others’ emotions. Not only is he unconcerned with others, Gareth’s own emotions seem rather shallow; he appears to order the consumption of his own deceased brother,14 which would be beyond difficult for most people.
One item in the first factor that is difficult to assess is Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth. Gareth is not observed holding himself above others in his group, but the group’s attitude that they deserve to prey on others is suggestive of the trait. Ultimately, Gareth’s score on this factor is 15, higher than that of 98.6 percent of male American criminal offenders.
Little information is available about Gareth’s life before the zombie apocalypse. Nonetheless, it is established that the Terminus group is initially much more altruistic in its mission. This makes any significant criminal history seem unlikely. As for Promiscuous Sexual Behavior or Many Short-Term Marital Relationships, there is simply no evidence.
Parasitic Lifestyle generally refers to financial exploitation in relationships. There is no evidence of this, as Gareth seems to contribute to his group. Being in a cannibalistic cult is something the developers of the PCL-R probably never considered, however, and using people as food certainly qualifies as parasitic behavior. Otherwise, Gareth shows almost no evidence of other Factor 2 traits. He does not exhibit Impulsivity or even Irresponsibility, as he keeps the Terminus group well organized to minimize risk to the group.
Much like the Governor, Gareth has an incredibly high level of the psychopath’s characteristic emotional life but almost no evidence of the required criminal history. Without this history, his final score is the same as the Governor’s—18—once again well below the standard cutoff for psychopathy.
Merle Dixon
Not a traditional villain like the others, Merle often helps Rick’s group survive. Nonetheless, he also starts fights and often mistreats group members. He goes even further when working for the Governor, killing numerous people and locking a bound and unarmed Glenn in a room with a walker. In short, Merle demonstrates many traits that could be considered psychopathic.
One way Merle differs from Gareth or the Governor is that he shows more evidence of the criminal history that contributes to PCL-R Factor 2. Although both are plausible, there is no evidence of Many Short-Term Marital Relationships or Revocation of Conditional Release. He does, however, engage in criminal behavior before the apocalypse. He has been a known drug dealer15 and later acknowledges16 planning a robbery, suggesting Criminal Versatility. The criminal behavior seems to date back to childhood, indicating both Juvenile Delinquency and Early Behavioral Problems. In addition to selling drugs, Merle has been a user,17 which often suggests Need for Stimulation/Proneness to Boredom. His brother, Daryl, states that they were basically drifters before the apocalypse,18 indicating a Lack of Long-Term Goals, not to mention Irresponsibility. Perhaps the trait that most defines Merle is Poor Behavioral Controls in light of his tendency to react to most slights with physical violence. His criminal and aggressive behaviors ultimately give Merle a Factor 2 score higher than that of 91 percent of male American criminal offenders.19
Although not to the same extent as Gareth or the Governor, Merle shows some of the emotional coldness that makes up Factor 1. Although he is not charming per se, Merle’s macho image is worth 1 point.20 He does not seem to have a problem manipulating others, and Daryl’s admission that he has spent his life doing whatever Merle tells him21 certainly suggests the presence of Conning/Manipulative. He lies frequently, though it is unclear if he does so for reasons other than manipulation, and so he receives a score of 1. Likewise, he seems not to care about much of anything except, notably, his brother, and so he receives 1 point for Emotionally Shallow. There is plenty evidence for Callous/Lack of Empathy when he nearly robs a family freshly traumatized by a walker attack.22 Seldom does he show a genuine indication of remorse.
Merle shows enough traits to score a 30 on the PCL-R, right at the standard cutoff for psychopathy and higher than the score of Gareth or the Governor. This score is higher than that of 84 percent of male American offenders.23 Some fans may argue that Merle ultimately proves himself more caring and compassionate, but was his sparing of Michonne24 an act of conscience or one last attempt at manipulation by someone who expected to survive? According to the actor Michael Rooker, who plays Merle, the character has a more shortsighted reason for releasing Michonne: “I think he just got tired of listening to her.”25
Despite his higher overall level of psychopathy, Merle seems to have less genuine emotional coldness than the Governor or Gareth. His relatively higher score is due mainly to the others lacking a psychopath’s typical history. Merle, one gets the sense, has always been Merle. The others were changed by the events of their lives after the apocalypse, but could someone really be turned into a sociopath by such circumstances?
As opposed to the psychopath, who is temperamentally abnormal (i.e., “born that way”), a person becomes a sociopath as a result of a deficient environment. The factors that shape the sociopath usually occur throughout childhood.26 The Governor and Gareth seem to have become sociopaths as adults. In the real world, this appears to be a rare phenomenon, but the apocalypse is an even rarer phenomenon. Trauma has been found to be associated with callous and unemotional traits in that some people show high levels of these traits along with significant trauma histories, but the trauma generally occurs in childhood.27 Also, sociopaths with a history of trauma tend to be more impulsive than psychopaths, whereas Merle is the one who shows the most aggressive impulsivity.
Trauma generally produces not sociopaths but individuals with excessive anxiety. People may, however, react differently to repeated trauma from which they cannot escape than they do to discrete traumatic incidents. Some people who are exposed to continuous trauma (e.g., systematic abuse, high-crime neighborhoods, war zones) appear to develop callous traits and criminal, even violent behavior.28 Could this explain the origins of The Walking Dead’s sociopaths? What is life in the zombie apocalypse but one long, unrelenting trauma?
Hare, R. D. (2003). Hare psychopathy checklist—revised (PCL-R): 2nd edition technical manual. North Tonawanda, NJ: MHS.
Kahn, R. E., Frick, P. J., Youngstrom, E. A., Youngstrom, J. K., Feeny, N. C., & Findling, R. L. (2013). Distinguishing primary and secondary variants of callous-unemotional traits among adolescents in a clinic-referred sample. Psychological Assessment, 25, 966–978.
Kirkman, R., & Bonansinga, J. (2012). The walking dead: Rise of the Governor. London, England: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Lykken, D. T. (1995). The antisocial personalities. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Roach, C. B. (2013). Shallow affect, no remorse: The shadow of trauma in the inner city. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 19, 150–163.
Notes
1. Episode 5–1, “No Sanctuary” (October 12, 2014).
2. Lykken (1995).
3. Hare (2003).
4. Episode 4–1, “30 Days without an Accident” (October 13, 2013).
5. Episode 3–3, “Walk with Me” (October 28, 2012).
6. Kirkman & Bonansinga (2012).
7. Episode 4–6, “Live Bait” (November 17, 2013).
8. Hare (2003), p. 164.
9. Episode 3–4, “Killer Within” (November 4, 2012).
10. Episode 3–3, “Walk with Me” (October 28, 2012).
11. Hare (2003), p. 31.
12. Episode 5–1, “No Sanctuary” (October 12, 2014).
13. Episode 5–3, “Four Walls and a Roof” (October 26, 2014).
14. Episode 5–1, “No Sanctuary” (October 12, 2014).
15. Episode 2–7, “Pretty Much Dead Already” (February 12, 2012).
16. Episode 3–10, “Home” (February 17, 2013).
17. Episode 3–15, “This Sorrowful Life” (March 24, 2013).
18. Episode 4–12, “Still” (March 2, 2014).
19. Hare (2003), p. 164.
20. Hare (2003), p. 35.
21. Episode 4–12, “Still” (March 2, 2014).
22. Episode 3–10, “Home” (February 17, 2013).
23. Hare (2003), p. 164.
24. Episode 3–15, “This Sorrowful Life” (March 24, 2013).
25. Talking Dead (March 24, 2013).
26. Lykken (1995).
27. Kahn et al. (2013).
28. Roach (2013).