A psychopathic hero

First of all I may make some mistakes (I'm French)... So, I'm writing a story about a world with three races, but where one of the three races is made of only one man... Yeah, already hard to understand. This man is the protagonist and I thought he could be a psychopath (a real one, ie a guy who feels only emotions for himself, who manipulates people and who is extremely selfish. NOT A SERIAL KILLER !!) Have you got tips about how to handle a personnality like this ? Because it also means our (anti) hero won't have the same character development than a usual HF or SF hero...

Sounds like Lobo.

Self made Last of His Kind.

Blew up his own home planet.

A psychopath last of his kind but not a searial killer right?

Maybe he was just an average guy befor his race was wiped out, but now the loss of his people has kinda broken his brain/soul. He dosen't relate to people because they at different, perhaps beneath him.

Sounds more like The Doctor at his darkest moments.

edited 22nd Apr '12 11:02:35 AM by HistoryMaker

You can show how events of his life have reinforced his socially predatory, manipulative, exploitive way of relating to objects and the world.

If he is the hero, what motovates him ? Is he in it for the money, for the challenge, because he's good at it ?

(What ? I must wait 24 hours before I can answer ?)

I think I have been a bit misunderstood ^^ My fault, I didn't express it well. In fact my main character is the LAST, the FIRST,and the ONLY member of his race. Background: They are Three Gods. One created a world and the others gave him ideas for this world. To thank them he allowed them to make a Human Race each like him, superior to the animals and the other things. But one of the three gods is more clever than the others (and partially mad) and decides to make only one man (with the mind of a whole race, eternal life, common strength and the knowledge of chaos). This way all the power of a Race is concentrated in a lone man. This guy is the hero. But as he is extremely clever and can live forever (he is not immortal though)he travels around the world in order to mess the world up. I wanted to make him a psychopath and then I don't know how to develop him >_<

edited 23rd Apr '12 10:42:01 AM by Flenus

Oh ok well that is very different.

I'm not sure I understand. He intentionaly messes the world up, but he is the hero? What makes him the hero?

Also you don't have to wait to answer. You can answer whenever you want.

A person who uses people and doesn't feel remorse and the like is a sociopath, not a psychopath.

A psychopath is somebody who believes shit like he has to assassinate the president otherwise lizard people will drain his bodily fluids.

Technically, psychopath = not a thing at all, at least not to a psychologist.

Developing him, well, he feels no remorse and is entirely selfish. Okay, what are his goals? How does he manipulate people to achieve them? (Remember, sociopaths can be quite charming and sociable when they need to be.) Show how he can step on people who get in his way, and how his lack of empathy negatively impacts his opinion of other people.

edited 23rd Apr '12 5:43:21 PM by ChocolateCotton

@ History Maker: (Well, after my first post there was something like "An Add Post Button will be here in 24 hours", but it's gone so whatever ^^). Then, he isn't really a hero, more like an anti-hero =D. I guess he has a goal but what is it ? Thanks for your answer it made me think.

@ The Lost Cup: People who think shit like that are paranoiacs or have hallucinations but aren't psychopath. Sociopathic people are the same than psychopath, but the origin of their mental disorder is the way they live and how they've been raised, although psychopaths have the disorder in their mind.

@ Chocolate Cotton: I hadn't thought about the ways he would use in order to manipulate people. I think he will be present during the big events occurring in the world (Immortality is great :D) and is going to have high ranks in society as he looks like a common human and create/prevent wars, things like that.

I think he will be very neutral. He doesn't want to kill everybody, but he wants to test the world in order to see if it is stable or not...

edited 24th Apr '12 9:31:53 AM by Flenus

It sounds like it's going to be really hard to give him a goal that people can relate to. It even sounds more like he's going to be an anti-villain.

Find a goal... I first thought I would make him wandering around the world.

I guess I rather like to think about my "hero" as a Heroic Comedic Sociopath (not so comedic though)

This is nitpicking, but you're actually wrong here: By most technical definitions, a psychopath is an individual who fits a very specific series of psychological criteria, the defining features being a total lack of empathy or remorse and hedonistic, often violent impulsiveness. That said, the "most" here is why you don't see it used as much; what distinguishes a psychopath from a sociopath or a malignant narcissist is a matter of debate, and so less charged terms tend to be used. *

edited 24th Apr '12 9:31:29 AM by JHM

Yeah, well... In fact giving a name to his personnality is more a way to summarize it. Let's say:

- Egocentrity, egoïsm, I-love-myself-a-lot-and-everything-about-me-too-ism

- Lack of consideration for humanity, doesn't regret anything

- Doesn't like to kill, thinks every life can be used for his profit.

- Charismatic, handsome, has no interest in love (The only thing he doesn't know and give a shit about).

- Loves art, and chaotic things. Hates the whole concept of ranked society.

- Thinks a more chaotic world would be more interesting.

- A bit philosoph, looks for the ultimate happiness, the only goal a Human should reach in his opinion.

Okay, I added some things. He is a bit Wicked Cultured too as I see when I reread what I wrote.

edited 24th Apr '12 1:18:47 PM by Flenus

Hey that's a possible goal. He hates class/cast systems cause the're stupid. Maybe he likes to start/aid revolutions. The revolutionaries would see him as heroic regardless of his motivations, and he could be in on a lot of history.

Interesting ! I can easily see him as an icon for all generations, a historic symbol that becomes more and more legendary as the time goes by.

I had an other question which would complete the others... Is it a good idea to add Time Travel ? I thought maybe the hero could travel in time as well as common people can travel in space...

As a side-issue, I have to point out the faulty claim. What you describe is called psychotic. A psychopath is a conscienceless, predatory, personality-disordered person who lacks compassion, empathy and the capacity for remorse, guilt and shame as well as the capacity to form genuine interpersonal bonds and thus is prone to extremely manipulative, exploitive, damaging, sometimes downright abusive social behavior, more so than many other manipulative or integrity-deficient personalities.

Speaking in tropes, yes, a Complete Monster(although I don't think all monster villains need to be psychopathic).

Of course, some people can have just some psychopathic traits without being full-fledged psychopaths.

Well, a Complete Monster ? It may be interesting also... I don't want my protagonist to be another Artemis Fowl, going all the way through the Sliding Scale Of Anti Heroes until he becomes a Hero. Good feelings aren't really interesting to write :) But it's also harder....

edited 24th Apr '12 12:34:09 PM by Flenus

I think time-travel might overcomplicate things a bit, not to mention it's very hard to write about it without creating plot holes. Unless you have a really good reason, I'd avoid it and see what you can get from the concept you have.

Something that might be interesting is rather than having him move around in time, the reader's view could move around in time, so you tell the audience about things the protagonist does at different points in history, and show how they all interact towards his grand scheme, culminating in some kind of cosmic victory or defeat.

Have you encountered The Sandman comic series? It centres around Morpheus, the god of dreams, but rather than following him, it tells lots of short stories that he influences or appears in. But the short stories together give us insight into his character and hints about the story going on behind the other stories. You might be able to do something a bit like that.

edited 24th Apr '12 2:53:20 PM by Kesteven

And, a less likeable protagonist you are unlikely to find. Unless that is Desire.

Extremely interesting ! I will check for these comics, they look nice ! And the Reader's time-travel is a very good idea thanks !

Give him or her a reasonable back-story to their psycho-ness and Freudian Excuse for their psychopathy and yank them constantly, think Norman Bates style.

edited 25th Apr '12 4:48:40 AM by sabrina_diamond

If they have a Freudian Excuse, then they'd be a Sociopath.

I learned a thing!

I would avoid giving him a Freudian excuse; aside from the fact that he would no longer be a psychopath, when they're not done just right they come off as silly. Only my opinion, of course.

You're right My character (well, his name is Lucius) is born the way he is, plus if I give him a Freudian Excuse it would make him sillier ^^