PSYCHOPATH vs. SOCIOPATH: What’s the difference?

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!