Opinion: OJ Simpson is a Psychopath

In OJ: Made In America, I believe OJ showed many of the traits that would define someone as a psychopath.  Going off the indications of a psychopath from the Are Your Born Good or Evil? documentary, OJ has shown many traits that a reads as someone afflicted with anti-social personality disorder.

The first and most obvious trait is manipulation, an incredibly important trait in diagnosing someone with psychopathy. Even if you believe OJ is innocent of murdering Nicole and Ron, OJ: Made In America illustrates the life of an incredibly manipulative man. From childhood friend Joe Bell recounting the story of OJ abandoning his friends when they were all caught shooting dice and smooth talking his way out of blame from the office worker to stealing his best friend's girlfriend without consequence, OJ has a history of manipulating and using people to get what he wants. This manipulation is common in psychopaths, who want what they want and don't have the empathy to care how they get it.

Another major trait of psychopathy is the inability to form real relationships, the ones they do have usually being superficial and for personal gain. Constantly cheating on and degrading both his wives shows that he certainly didn't have what most people would identify as a healthy and/or normal relationship with women. Instead, he seemed to want his wives for other reasons, as many of his friends noted his callous behavior towards commitment and the harsh way he would often speak of the women he was with.

If you believe OJ did commit murder, that plays into the theory that psychopathic killers are created through nature as well as nurture. Growing up poor in the projects with a distanced father and mother who was hardly around, OJ likely did not have a childhood that many people would want. While he later reached a place of fame and fortune where he could have anyone or anything, these early childhood years are still incredibly impactful in shaping people, even if things turn around dramatically like they did for OJ. We have no way of knowing if OJ has the required biological factors to deem him a psychopath, but it's not impossible that he could. While psychopaths don't have to become killers (and most don't), one major theory in the creation of psychopathic killers is the convergence of a bad childhood and unlucky genetics. We know that OJ's childhood was rough so it could be entirely possible that this reacted poorly with his (potentially) psychopathic biology and what eventually led him to be able to kill two people.

Another major trait of psychopaths is the ability to function within society as a seemingly normal and charming person. OJ has an undeniable charm about him that kept him in the limelight long after his football career ended and a way of getting what he wants through smiles and charm. In fact, many would say he's unusually good at this, able to turn his emotions off and on to fit the situation and charm his way out anything. This incredible talent may just be a manifestation of his psychopathy.

Not to mention psychopaths are much more common in business settings than they are in the rest of the population, and OJ was constantly creating businesses and pursuing business opportunities. His businesses drive would make sense especially if he was a psychopath.

I am no a psychologist and as such can only speculate, but I do believe OJ may very well have this serious affliction.