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how/where do you draw the line between NPD and Sociopathy?
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a separate PD from Antisocial Personality Disorder. Many believe that "sociopathy" is not a clinical term.
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Both can use people for their own aggrandizement, and both can be manipulative of others to that end and can be very charming.
Many features of the personality disorders overlap and are difficult to define, unless the person is evaluated by a professional....and even then, there are difficulties and errors.
Since we seem to have some experts here, how/where do you draw the line between NPD and Sociopathy? Is it a question of degree? Both can use people for their own aggrandizement, and both can be manipulative of others to that end and can be very charming.
The problem is that the cluster B PD aren't always by themselves and may be co-morbid and run together, just as kids with AD/HD often have learning disabilities or tourette's and how do you figure out which is which? My sis has never been dx'ed but she def fits the sociopath profile minus the violence and has an unhealthy dose of narcissism in there too, as well as some histrionic traits. I'm not as familiar with borderline and that mostly talks about what's going on their head anyway and I wouldn't know b/c I can't remember the last time sis told the truth about anything. I simply cannot imagine her ever being sincere about anything at all.
I can see why all the confusion though with so many articles out there contradicting each other. My understanding is the same as Kathryn's, in that sociopathy is another term for antisocial PD and that psychopathy is an older word for the same thing. I tend to use it when I want to lend emphasis to how evil one is, lol. Also, there are various subsets for ASPD and some are high functioning and some are low functioning and that probably has to do with IQ and how well you can act. My sis is low functioning I think b/c she doesn't really fool anyone for very long. However, even psychiatrists are learning new things about it all the time and the man i"m dating, who is a retired clinical psych, says that there is no hope for a cure for those with just ASPD, but some narcissists can be shaken out of their state if enough (loving) people confront them about their bad behavior and I'm guessing that's only if they're pure narcissist with no other co-morbidities.
Since we seem to have some experts here, how/where do you draw the line between NPD and Sociopathy? Is it a question of degree? Both can use people for their own aggrandizement, and both can be manipulative of others to that end and can be very charming.
Ruth, someone with NPD doesn't have to be criminal - they are just full of themselves. Because a former defining trait of Antisocial Personality Disorder was having values outside of societal expectations (doesn't follow the law), you can pretty well expect AsPD will be criminal on some level. The person with NPD may go extreme and without too much spillover from other D/O's, may come across as grandiose but will not necessarily be criminal. They will seem selfish and stuck on themselves.
I am deferring on expert - I know some stuff, that is all I will acknowledge.
I wonder if sociopaths enjoy the romantic feelings of cuddling, nuzzling, kissing, petting, etc. I wonder if they enjoy just lying there and "loving on" others and being affectionate.
I also wonder if they enjoy sex period, since it's full of feelings. Maybe they are strictly carnal?
I wonder if they feel ashamed of being a sociopath, or if those that don't know they're a sociopath feel ashamed because they feel like something is wrong with them but don't know what.
If somebody is in distress, would a sociopath have the urge to comfort them?
I wonder if they feel ashamed of being a sociopath, or if those that don't know they're a sociopath feel ashamed because they feel like something is wrong with them but don't know what.
If somebody is in distress, would a sociopath have the urge to comfort them?
I think that feeling shame is against the nature of a sociopath. Sociopaths have a CORE of shame (and rage) but they repress it out of their conscious awareness. So, what we see on the outside is the flipside of shame - bravado, egotism, and arrogance. They believe they are above shame.
And if somebody is in distress, a sociopath would delight in their pain, rather than attempt to assist that person. They would see that person as weak, needy, and pathetic. Sociopaths are anti-human.
Ruth, someone with NPD doesn't have to be criminal - they are just full of themselves. Because a former defining trait of Antisocial Personality Disorder was having values outside of societal expectations (doesn't follow the law), you can pretty well expect AsPD will be criminal on some level. The person with NPD may go extreme and without too much spillover from other D/O's, may come across as grandiose but will not necessarily be criminal. They will seem selfish and stuck on themselves.
I am deferring on expert - I know some stuff, that is all I will acknowledge.
OK, this helps. So the AsPD could be on the level of a con artist, swindling people, or conning people in order to ingratiate people to him and get a promotion, while covertly backstabbing someone who stands in the way. But there still might be some kind of covert cheating or swindling or using people in some area of the person's life. You're saying they tend toward fudging with laws/conventions. Because ultimately they don't care about that stuff, they only care about getting what they want. Whereas narcissists generally stay within legal norms.
I think that feeling shame is against the nature of a sociopath. Sociopaths have a CORE of shame (and rage) but they repress it out of their conscious awareness. So, what we see on the outside is the flipside of shame - bravado, egotism, and arrogance. They believe they are above shame.
And if somebody is in distress, a sociopath would delight in their pain, rather than attempt to assist that person. They would see that person as weak, needy, and pathetic. Sociopaths are anti-human.
Is this true? Do sociopaths have a "core of shame"? How does that work? What is the source of the shame? It sounds like you're saying they essentially subconsciously/semi-consciously choose to repress shame, but I don't get where all that shame comes from?
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