Are Psychopaths Fearless?

Are psychopaths fearless? Personality researcher Theodor Millon adamantly asserted that “the psychopath is fearless—undaunted by danger and punishment.”¹ Accepting this premise as true, what underlies it? Is this fearlessness innate? Do psychopaths evince it at an early age? Are psychopaths truly fearless or are other factors in play that suggest other causes? Is fearlessness a predictor of psychopathy?

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The fearless temperament

The concept of “fearless temperament” was promoted by University of Minnesota professor David Lykken in 1957. He is credited as “the first to study fearlessness in psychopathy in an experimental setting.”² He developed the “Low Fear Hypothesis” of psychopathy, which concluded that psychopathy stems from a child’s “below-average endowment of innate fearlessness.”³ He further asserts that parenting styles can attenuate or accentuate the expression of the child’s fearlessness.

My fearless sister

My mother and sister showed high levels of psychopathic characteristics. As a young child, I was very observant and watched them both express their psychopathic dysfunction countless times in different settings. In one of my earliest and most vivid memories, I recall my sister flashing a sparkling turquoise and silver bracelet on her arm. It captured my attention because of its sparkle. Her 12-year-old friend stole it from his older sister and gave it to her. She was reveling in it. Knowing how she acquired it, our mother applauded her “for her crust.” This is a perfect example of parenting accentuating fearlessness.

On another occasion, I recall an incident where my sister, a seventh grader, battled in a test of wills with a school bus driver near our home. The bus had designated route stops, but my sister was determined that we would be dropped off exactly in front of our house. Boldly and fearlessly, she crossed her arms alongside the driver and refused to leave the bus. He threatened to simply take us back to the bus garage, and she effusively dared him. After a brief standoff, and further threats from her, he capitulated. She won.

Significant associations between youth psychopathy and fearlessness

According to research recently published in the Basel, Switzerland-based journal Children, “Studies have reported significant associations between youth psychopathic traits and fearlessness. Additionally, studies have observed that fearlessness assessed early in life is associated with future callous and unemotional traits.”⁴

A recent study has further examined Lykken’s low-fear hypothesis and the emergence of callous-unemotional traits in children.⁵ Fearlessness manifested in conduct problems where children displayed callous-unemotional traits. In examining the role of parenting, this study determined that parenting interventions may assist in mediating the expression of conduct problems stemming from fearlessness. The study did not find any notable gender differences.

Physiological factors and test correlations

Psychopathy researcher Kent Kiehl’s Mind, Research Network in New Mexico has conducted research into the role of fearlessness in psychopathy. A 2021 report published in the Journal of Psychopathological Behavioral Assessment discussed the neuroscience of fearlessness.⁶ It was noted that “fear processing in the brain is associated with an almond shaped anatomical structure known as the amygdala.” They stated that “support for the Low-Fear Hypothesis is anchored in psychophysiological and behavioral evidence that psychopaths often exhibit low anxiety and impaired utilization of emotionally salient information (particularly threat).”⁷

In the Mind, Research Network’s report, research findings were correlated from multiple psychological tests. In particular, they analyzed results from the Psychopathic Personality Indicator-Short Form (PPI), the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), and the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Scores on the SSS scale correlated strongly and positively with Fearless Dominance scores on the PPI. This was true for both males and females. However, when a similar correlation was attempted with scores on the PCL-R, the relationship was no longer significant, suggesting a need for additional research and analysis.