Why Psychopaths Need Excitement and Risk

When impulsive, excitement-driven behavior crosses into psychopathy.

Posted May 8, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

One of the key characteristics of most psychopaths is their “need for excitement.” 1 According to psychopathy expert Dr. Robert D. Hare in his book Without Conscience , "Psychopaths have an ongoing and excessive need for excitement—they long to live in the fast lane or 'on the edge,' where the action is." 2

Seeking excitement drives risk-taking behavior

Psychopathy researcher Dr. Paul Babiak opined about how the psychopath’s lust for excitement can drive risk-taking in the context of a business enterprise. If someone with a high level of psychopathic traits cons their way up the corporate ladder, their quest for excitement can put the entire corporation “in harm’s way.” He notes how risk-taking can lead to “foolhardiness,” especially when it is coupled with a psychopath’s impulsivity. “Impulsivity accentuates risk-taking behavior, leading to acting without sufficient planning and forethought.” 3

Babiak also notes that the psychopath’s impulsive risk-taking can underpin thrill-seeking behaviors.

Psychopathic vs. non-psychopathic thrill-seeking

Mark Gridley, while Professor of Psychology at Ohio’s Heidelberg College, studied when thrill-seeking behavior crossed into psychopathy. Agreeing that impulsive risk-taking was characteristic of psychopaths, he articulated that the psychopath’s risk must generally be without regard for some other person’s well-being. His conclusion is that thrill-seeking, coupled with poor impulse control and disregard for the welfare of others, crosses the line into psychopathic thrill-seeking. 4

Fireworks and Theft of Gas Service

I can personally attest to the accuracy of these conclusions from experiences within my own family. My mother and sister both displayed high levels of psychopathic characteristics. As a child, I was an astute observer and carefully listened and watched the things my mother and older sister said and did. At the time, I remember being scared and upset by many of the things I saw. I recall incidents involving my mother where she impulsively took dangerous risks that could have produced terrible consequences. Once, she stored large amounts of highly flammable fireworks in our family's basement near electrical equipment that one night began to emit sparks. If not for my father’s fast actions, a catastrophe would have occurred. She sloughed it off. Another time, she enlisted a friend to help her tamper with a gas meter. This could have caused an explosion, but she didn’t care. The “savings” were worth it.

My sister evinced impulsive risk-taking and thrill-seeking without regard for others countless times that I observed. Some stand out for sheer audacity. One incident involved a second-hand, two-tone Ford Fairlane my father had bought that was in mint condition. He was happy with his new acquisition. One day, shortly after my sister received her driver's license at 16, he let her drive by herself. He subsequently regretted that mistake! She drove the car on nearby roads and then reached a street where two cars were parked on both sides and the space between was very narrow. She accelerated, trying to thread the needle, and damaged my father’s car and several others on the road. She knew she did not have enough room, but thought if she sped through, things would be alright. In spite of the damage she caused, she laughed when she recounted how this had happened. To her, it was all fun. Years later, she repeated the incident on a three-lane highway while driving to Mexico in an orange BMW. This time, she thought it was a big joke that she sped between two moving cars, side-swiping them both, and then escaped the scene at high speed, without regard for property damage or possible injury to the other cars' occupants.

Psychiatrist Otto Kernberg summed her up perfectly when he described the psychopath:

“They are grossly selfish, callous, irresponsible, impulsive, and unable to feel guilt or to learn from experience and punishment .” 5

Hare, Robert D. (1999). Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. 34.
Babiak, Paul & Hare, Robert D. (2007). Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. New York, NY: Collins Business. 197.
Gridley, Mark C. (1990). Psychopathic vs. Nonpsychopathic Thrill Seeking. Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior. 27(1). 18-20.
Kernberg, Otto F. (2001). The Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the Differential Diagnosis of Antisocial Behavior. In J. Reid Meloy (Ed.), The Mark of Cain: Psychoanalytic Insight and the Psychopath. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press. 317.

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Winifred Rule is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy and author of Born to Destroy , the first instructional book on the female psychopath, based on her experiences and lessons learned from living with two psychopaths.

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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.