Were most people in ancient times psychopaths? Murder, torture, rape, and cannibalism seemed to be the norm.

Were most people in ancient times psychopaths? Murder, torture, rape, and cannibalism seemed to be the norm.

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Actually, there is no generally accepted psychiatric or psychological disorder called psychopathy. However, according to the theory of the bicameral mind, ancient peoples had a level of self-awareness that would meet the modern definition of an extreme dissociative identity disorder.

This theory says consciousness as we understand it is a learned process based on metaphorical language. It did not arise way back in human evolution but emerged about 3,000 years ago in Greece and Mesopotamia. The transition occurred at different times in other parts of the world.

Before this shift, there was a divided self. Cognitive functions were split between one part of the brain that commands and a second part that listens and obeys. Humans could not experience a subjective, unified sense of “I” until we developed a language sophisticated enough to produce metaphors and analogies.

Prior to this development in consciousness, humans operated with a “two-chambered” mind - hence, bicameral. In the place of an internal dialog, bicameral humans experienced auditory or visual hallucinations directing their actions. These hallucinations were interpreted as the voices or visions of chiefs, rulers, angels, demons, or gods commanding them to perform certain rituals or acts.

Schizophrenia is a vestige of humanity's earlier bicameral state. Recent evidence shows that many schizophrenics do not just hear random voices but experience “command hallucinations” that direct their behavior or urge them to commit certain actions.