Psychopathy (/saɪˈkɒpəθi/ from the Ancient Greek ψυχή "psyche", -soul, mind and πάθος, "pathos" -suffering, disease, condition) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the feelings of others and often the rules of society. Psychopaths have a lack of empathy and remorse, and have very shallow emotions. They are generally regarded as callous, selfish, dishonest, arrogant, aggressive, impulsive, irresponsible, and hedonistic. Despite this, psychopaths are often superficially charming and can be highly adept at manipulation. There is at most only a weak association between psychopathy and high IQ.

There is no consensus about the symptom criteria for psychopathy, and no psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned a diagnosis of "psychopathy" itself.'

It should be emphasized that, although there are many behavioral similarities, the terms antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy are not synonymous. ASPD refers to broad behavioral patterns based on clinical observation, whereas psychopathy refers not only to specific behavioral patterns but measurable cognitive, emotional, and neuropsychological differences. In other words, psychopathy assesses character as well as behavior. In addition, ASPD is so broad in its scope that between 50-80% of male inmates qualify as meeting its criteria (Correction Services of Canada, 1990; Hare, 1998; Hare, Forth, & Strachan, 1992). In contrast, only 11-25% of male inmates meet the criteria for psychopathy (Hare, 1996). These data suggest that the construct of psychopathy may be a more precise indicator and a better predictor of violence than the more global construct of antisocial personality disorder.^{[citation needed]}