From the author: Material for AiF. Understanding the nature of the personality of maniacs is difficult even for criminologists and psychologists, and identifying a person prone to violence at first glance is extremely difficult and can only be done by experienced experts in this field. Why do people become maniacs? Who are they? How do they choose victims and why do they feel no remorse? How to suspect something is wrong in time and not become a victim of a maniac? Psychologist Yulia Konovalova spoke about who these people are and what characteristic features are manifested in their behavior. In ordinary life, it is almost impossible to identify a maniac. You can live on the landing with the nicest person who, in another part of the city, attacks old women or children at night, and not suspect that there is anything wrong with this neighbor. Subsequently, when a maniac is identified by psychiatrists, a whole range of mental disorders will be revealed. Who are they? Usually, people prone to violence are diagnosed with schizophrenia or various forms of addiction are identified. Violation of behavior in one form or another is always detected. We can say that all maniacs are mentally ill. But not all mentally ill people become criminals. The main characteristic of such people, first of all, is insensitivity to moral and ethical standards. There are biological or genetic disorders in their brains that lead to a violation of the perception of ethical categories, and, accordingly, to violations of social behavior. In the last century, an experiment was carried out in America where subjects were shown various pictures and brain impulses were recorded. After a series of images with pleasant content, an unpleasant picture was displayed, for example, a puddle of blood. At this moment, the sensors recorded a surge in impulse reactions of the brain accompanying the feeling of disgust in all subjects, except for a few. When they saw any picture, the impulses sent by the brain were recorded in a straight line. If it were a pulse, we would say "the client is dead." Such a low sensitivity to moral standards should lead to pronounced antisocial behavior. And sometimes this is indeed true. Noticeable antisocial behavior is rather good, because when a person behaves actively and immorally, then, firstly, he receives a release without accumulating energy, and secondly, he is visible and quickly enough violations are diagnosed. Playing by the rules In the case of maniacs, as a rule, the situation is different. These people learned from an early age that they live in a society with certain rules and norms of behavior. They do not understand these rules, but they learn them and follow them in order to be adequate. They will greet you and, smiling, ask how you are doing. But they will do this not because polite communication is valuable to them, but because they know that it is necessary. They will take the old woman across the road, not because they have experienced compassion, because they do not know what it is, but because it is right. And this cannot be called hypocrisy, because they do this without pursuing additional goals, but simply because it is so accepted. It often seems that the motives for the actions and behavior of these people are based on morality, ethics, and humanism, but in fact, this is learned behavior. The motives for their behavior are based on instincts. I see it, I want it, I take it. Why is it impossible to pity a maniac and it is useless to call for honor, morality, and ethics? Because they are not sensitive to these categories. Their brain does not respond to these calls. Scare Sometimes a maniac can be frightened - fear also includes instincts. Their sense of fear is heightened, like that of any predator. That is why the victims of a maniac are those who are obviously weaker - women, children, old people. Or they deliberately bring people to a state in which they cannot threaten the life of a maniac - for example, they drug them with alcohol or poison them. Therefore, when committing a crime, maniacs think quite coldly and soberly about how to protect themselves - they choose a place where they will not be noticed, take care of.