What is the
Difference between a Psychopath and a Sociopath?
There is no
official distinction between a sociopath and a psychopath – at least
not in America. Both terms are used interchangeably by the psychiatric
community to refer to people who are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder
(APD) as defined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V).
Incidentally,
all psychopaths and all sociopaths have Antisocial Personality
Disorder. Everyone who has been diagnosed with APD is a sociopath,
but according to experts only 16% of those are a psychopath.
Needless to say, not everyone agrees that
these terms should be interchangeable and most EXPERTS do NOT use them
synonymously. But since there is no OFFICIAL distinction, the opinions of these
experts may vary as to what that distinction is. Ironically, this diversity of opinion is why there is no official definition.
It’s not that the editors of the DSM didn’t think it was important, they simply
couldn’t come to a consensus – perhaps because the science of psychopathy is
barely a century old and the very nature of psychopaths, and sociopaths too, make
them notoriously difficult to study.
Not to
complicate things further but the DSM is like the Standard system of
measurement. We’re the only country that uses it. The rest of the civilized
world uses the Metric system and the ICD-10 (International Classification of
Mental Diseases, Tenth Edition).
Now, I
realize that may be more confusing than helpful, so here are some
differences that most psychiatrists seem to agree on:
1 ) Nature
vs. nurture– It is believed that true
psychopaths are born with their brains wired in a way that prevents them
from experiencing certain emotions that involve bonding with others as well as emotions that aid in
self-regulation. Sociopaths are believed to
be born with some sort of predisposition
to the disorder and, if subjected to a childhood filled with traumatic
events, are more likely to develop into sociopaths than children who were
raised in a loving supportive environment or who did NOT have a predisposition
to the disorder.
2) Level of intensity - Psychopaths are
prone to physical violence against others which usually becomes evident during
childhood with the torture, abuse and killing of animals. Sociopaths, on the
other hand, are more prone to steal, humiliate others and cause conflict rather
than be violent.
I’m sure there
are other ‘clear’ distinctions, but I can’t be sure because there are so many explanations
available that ‘clearly’ contradict each other and my personal experience is too
limited to base assumptions and generalizations on. My research into this aspect
of the disorder is ongoing. When I find RELIABLE information for you, I will post
it.
What is a Sociopath?
DSM-IV Definition (Official American Psychiatric Assoc. definition)
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by
a lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture and a
marked inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules.
Individuals with this disorder are referred to as sociopaths.
Official Criteria for Diagnosing
Antisocial Personality Disorder:
1. Must be age 18 or older,
2. Must have a childhood history
of disregard for the rights of others
3. Must have had symptoms of
Conduct Disorder prior to 15 years of age,
4. Must
be evidence of three of the following seven behaviors associated with
disregard for others:
- Fails to conform to social norms, as indicated by frequently performing illegal acts or pursuing illegal occupations.
- Deceives and manipulates others for selfish reasons, often in order to obtain money, sex, drugs or power. This behavior may involve repeated lying, conning or the use of false names.
- Fails to plan ahead or displays impulsive behavior, as indicated by a long succession of short-term jobs or frequent changes of address.
- Engages in repeated fights or assaults as a consequence of irritability and aggressiveness.
- Exhibits reckless disregard for safety of self or others.
- Shows a consistent pattern of irresponsible behavior, including failure to find and keep a job for a sustained length of time and refusal to pay bills or honor debts.
- Shows no evidence of sadness, regret or remorse for actions that have hurt others.
An adult
18 years or older who does not meet all the criteria for APD may be given a
diagnosis of conduct disorder.
If you think you know someone who may qualify as a sociopath,
DO NOT CONFRONT THAT PERSON!!! A sociopath will NEVER be
honest with anyone about themselves. Confronting them will only be
counter-productive. If you don't believe me, try it. See what happens.
But have your shoes on, a bag packed and an escape
plan ready. OK?
What is a Psychopath?
Psychopaths are the most dangerous of the
sociopaths. These are the guys (women psychopaths are rare) who violently rape,
kill and dismember their victims; blame the victim; then claim to be the real victim. Currently, the leading
expert in the field of psychopathy is Canada’s Robert Hare C.M. (born
1934). He has spent more than 35 years
researching psychopathy and is the developer of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist
(PCL), the premier diagnostic tool used by prisons to gauge a psychopath’s
future tendencies toward violence.
How to
Use the Checklist:
To use the checklist properly, a SPECIALLY TRAINED psychologist conducts
a lengthy interview with the suspected psychopath about his childhood,
education, family, work and relationships. Then the psychologist has to
fact-check all the responses for accuracy and truthfulness because psychopaths
are pathological liars. Each response is scored with a 0, 1 or 2 with 40 being
the maximum score. Anything over 30, however, is considered psychopathic,
which means they are very likely to feel compelled to use violence against
others.
Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R): A person
can exhibit a few of these characteristics and NOT have APD! A true psychopath will display ALL of these symptoms on a regular
basis.
1. glib and superficial charm
2. exaggerated sense of self worth
3. need for stimulation (adrenaline
rush, risk-taking to ‘feel alive’)
4. pathological lying
5. cunning and manipulative
6. lack of remorse or guilt
7. shallow affect
(emotions seem insincere; either over exaggerated
or faked )
8. callousness and lack of empathy
9. parasitic lifestyle (takes
advantage of people’s resources)
10. poor
behavioral controls (loses temper)
11. sexual
promiscuity
12. early
behavior problems
13. lack of
realistic long-term goals
14. impulsivity
15. irresponsibility
16. failure
to accept responsibility for own actions
17. many
short-term marital relationships
18. juvenile
delinquency
19. revocation
of conditional release
20. criminal
versatility
Most people will score between 5 – 10 because almost
everyone has displayed at least one of these traits to some degree. A score of
30 or more indicates a psychopath. Most violent criminals who are NOT
psychopaths score in the 20s.
Hare checklist was built on the foundation of a
previous checklist designed by one of the pioneers of psychopathy, an American
by the name of Hervey Cleckley M.D. (1903 - January 28, 1984). His book, The
Mask of Sanity, originally published in 1941, provided the most influential
clinical description of psychopathy in the twentieth century.
Hervey Cleckley’s List of Psychopathy Symptoms:
1.
Considerable superficial charm and average or above average intelligence.
2.
Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking.
3.
Absence of anxiety or other “neurotic” symptoms. Considerable poise, calmness
and verbal facility.
4.
Unreliability, disregard for obligations, no sense of responsibility, in
matters of little and great importance
5.
Untruthfulness and insincerity.
6.
Antisocial behavior which is inadequately motivated and poorly planned, seeming
to stem from an inexplicable impulsiveness.
7.
Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior.
8. Poor
judgment and failure to learn from experience.
9.
Pathological egocentricity. Total self-centeredness and an incapacity for real
love and attachment.
10.
General poverty of deep and lasting emotions.
11. Lack
of any true insight; inability to see oneself as others do.
12.
Ingratitude for any special considerations, kindness and trust.
13.
Fantastic and objectionable behavior, after drinking and sometimes even
when not drinking. Vulgarity, rudeness, quick mood shifts, pranks for facile
entertainment.
14. No
history of genuine suicide attempts.
15. An
impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated sex life.
16.
Failure to have a life plan and to live in any ordered way (unless
it is for destructive purposes or a sham).
DO NOT CONFRONT A PERSON YOU
SUSPECT OF BEING A SOCIOPATH OR A PSYCHOPATH USING THIS CHECKLIST. I CANNOT
STRESS THIS ENOUGH. There are very few endeavors in life that would be
as much a waste of time and energy. Besides the possibility that it could be
dangerous, remember these jerks have no capacity to care about you, your
concerns, or your feelings about their reaction to your concerns.
Personality disorders, by their very nature,
are inflexible and deeply ingrained. There are no drugs currently that are
known to be effective in the treatment of personality disorders. Add to that
the fact that psychopaths don’t think there is anything wrong with themselves
and you end up with an illness that is very difficult to treat and generally
has a poor prognosis.
Next time I'll tell you some ways to spot a sociopath
BEFORE they can target YOU!
Also coming, News from the world of Psychology that can
improve your life today!
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