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Exactly. And sociopaths are rarely "creepy," as someone else posted; if anything, they can be charming beyond belief. That's one of the traits that allows them to get away with their behavior.
In general. But people who are very empathetic and with high emotional IQ's have difficulty establishing connections with sociopaths, and do report some "creep" factor.
Exactly. And sociopaths are rarely "creepy," as someone else posted; if anything, they can be charming beyond belief. That's one of the traits that allows them to get away with their behavior.
In the very beginning they can be charming, but it doesn't take long for their lies and desperation to surface, and that's when they start to get creepy.
"Sociopathy" is not a recognized diagnosis. The closest thing the DSM-5 comes to it is "antisocial personality disorder."
If you want professional opinions, consult a psychiatrist, psychologist, the American Psychiatric Association, or the American Psychological Association, not a message board of lay people.
Not sure what the terms are in the UK. Check with your national organizations there.
In the very beginning they can be charming, but it doesn't take long for their lies and desperation to surface, and that's when they start to get creepy.
Really good sociopaths never seem creepy since they can convince anyone that "it's everyone else" that is the problem. Oh, poor me...I keep getting arrested? It's the cops, feds, everyone is out to get me. And if they're really good you believe them and then you eventually find you're going down with the ship. While a psychopath might act violently, ie: murder...a sociopaths destruction is at an emotional level and you usually never know it's happening. At least a psychopath gets it over in one fell swoop since they usually resort to physical violence but a sociopath can destroy you every day for decades since they use psychological/emotional violence and manipulation. Just my observation.
Last edited by swanstone1; 10-29-2015 at 01:01 PM..
Layman (former social worker, not a shrink) with some common sense observations:
Sociopaths are often "creepy". You get a strong feeling that something is wrong with them. They are usually not "successful" in life, and lurk around societys fringes. They are frequently on and out of jail for relatively minor theft and violence.
Psychopaths, on the other hand, are often highly successful so far as career, and the outward appearances of success. They usually end up in prison. But not near soon enough. And often for white color crimes.
Not true, a lot of them are successful politicians and CEO's. They know how to manipulate people and the system to get what they want. 9 times out of 10, you will never know the person you're talking to is a sociopath because they can seem as normal and/or charming as the next person.
Not all sociopaths are criminals either, and obey the law. It's just that when you come into contact with them, and they need to use you, or compete with you, watch out. Many of them don't even realize they're sociopaths, and unfortunately, even if they do, there is no cure or therapy that has been proven to "cure" them of this disorder.
The sociopaths I've dealt with were not successful, in fact they had the attitude that it was beneath them to work. They might get a job, but it doesn't last, and it's always someone else's fault why it didn't. The boss hated them, or all of the coworkers were out to get them... I've heard it all.
And yes, many sociopaths are violent, my ex was one of them. Once I started calling him out on his lies and BS he knew he had been exposed and his whole "plan" was coming apart... that's when he became really enraged, and we had a few pretty bad physical fights. Of course this came after the psychological warfare, like trying to turn my friends against me, or telling my family lies about me. He even faked a suicide attempt once.
I have enough experience now to smell the bull**** of a sociopath a from mile away.
Scott Petersen, the man that killed his pregnant wife, Laci, was probably a prime example of a sociopath. No one had any idea of what lurked inside, and he had everyone fooled from his wife and her family to his girlfriend, and he even tried to fool the media. Had Laci never became pregnant, he probably would have gone on with his double life, and no one would have ever found out. He got rid of her when he didn't want a baby. His own family, to this day, still stands behind him and claims he couldn't have killed her.
I think some disorders, like borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder, can be mistaken for sociopathy.
Scott Petersen, the man that killed his pregnant wife, Laci, was probably a prime example of a sociopath.
He was probably a psychopath; there's a difference.
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I think some disorders, like borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder, can be mistaken for sociopathy.
Yes, as can Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
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