Psychopath Vs Sociopath

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As discussed in Chapter 1, the scientific community itself is torn as to whether there really is a difference between the terms “psychopath” and “sociopath”. Because the meanings of the terms themselves are subject to confusion, it is difficult to come up with a separate set of signs and symptoms to watch out for when spotting a person with either disorder. However, there are still general guidelines that are useful for determining if a person is a social predator—a term that we can safely apply to both. Most studies use the terms psychopath, sociopath, and antisocial personality disorder interchangeably when coming up with characters for diagnosis. A good example is the seminal work of researcher Hervey Cleckley. In 1941, Cleckley published…show more content…
Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior They don’t need a great motive or some grandiose ultimate goal to prompt them into committing a crime. They will do all sorts of things—lie, cheat, steal, swindle, manipulate, fight—at the slightest provocation. Facing a great risk of being caught for the sake of disproportionately small gain is not uncommon. It is important to note that the antisocial behavior will not be restricted to a certain type, like only brawling or only stealing. These people are usually involved in a wide range of antisocial activities. 8. Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience Despite being punished for doing something wrong, they will persist in repeating the same, exact wrongdoing if given the chance. The knowledge that if they are caught, they will be punished again does not deter them from acting out. This is the great contradiction in the usually rational thought process of these individuals. In theoretical situations, they are actually capable of determining the reasonable course of action (e.g. saying that when they are released from prison, they will avoid crimes to avoid future incarceration), however, when faced with reality, they seem incapable of controlling themselves and their…show more content…
General poverty in major affective reactions Mimicry is as far as these people can go in terms of emotions. They may seem to have normal emotional responses, but that is a result of them acquiring these responses from the environment, and through their social experience. Any emotion they show will tend to be superficial 11. Specific loss of insight As a consequence of not having the same emotions and innate predispositions as the majority, they cannot understand the feelings that others may have towards them. They don’t really comprehend how other people perceive them, especially in light of the bad things they’ve done. They don’t understand an emotional response, such as disgust, anger or indignation. They can pretend to understand (particularly if they’ve been made aware that they have a mental disorder) because they can research the definitions of the disorder and how other people respond to it, but beyond an intellectual level, it is impossible for them to grasp. 12. Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations In a nutshell, this means that they do not understand the concept of gratitude and reciprocity. No matter how well you treat them, they are not likely to respond by giving you the same treatment in a reliable manner. They feel no sense of obligation towards
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