Psychopaths or Sociopaths? (narcissists, therapy, characteristics, attractive)
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This is an interesting article and I have read several things written by this Dr.:Narcissistic vs. Antisocial or Sociopathic Personality Disorders - Personality Disorders Know that someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder can really seem like a sociopath if you are in their presence and it is interesting that they try to mimic emotions but there is a definite insincerity about them and this is a good article on that type of personality disorder: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) : Traits discussed I have read quite a bit about this subject and it is frightening and I do believe that the numbers of such individuals are rising a little too rapidly.
Psychopaths are born that way, chemical imbalance, genetics. Sociopaths become that way because of abusive childhood, neglect, basically long term exposure to abuse and neglect. They are brought up in an environment without out the appropriate love and nurturing. Therefore, they don't feel connected to others and don't feel compassion for the fellow humans.
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I favor dropping the term "psychopath" and only using "sociopath", since psychopath is almost universally confused with the very different "psychotic".
Psychopaths are born that way, chemical imbalance, genetics. Sociopaths become that way because of abusive childhood, neglect, basically long term exposure to abuse and neglect. They are brought up in an environment without out the appropriate love and nurturing. Therefore, they don't feel connected to others and don't feel compassion for the fellow humans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dub dub II
the difference is in the difference between psych- and socio-.
psych is about the mind. socio is about others.
So Serial killers such as Bundy and Dahmer were Psychopaths? Because they both grew up in loving homes without any abuse according to themselves. So the environment was not a factor. However, they both killed and enjoyed it.
So Serial killers such as Bundy and Dahmer were Psychopaths? Because they both grew up in loving homes without any abuse according to themselves. So the environment was not a factor. However, they both killed and enjoyed it.
I would disagree based on this article
"Theodore "Ted" Bundy started life as his mother's secret shame. Eleanor Cowell was twenty-two years old and unmarried when she had her son Theodore, which scandalized her deeply religious parents. She delivered the child at a home for unwed mothers in Vermont and later brought her son to her parents in Philadelphia. To hide the fact he was an illegitimate child, Bundy was raised as the adopted son of his grandparents and was told that his mother was his sister."
So what is the difference between sociopath and psychopath then?
A psychopath is the term that criminal law uses for those who carry antisocial personality disorder traits. A sociopath is similar, but they're not the same.
"....If you subscribe to the Hare PCL-R criteria for a psychopath, then you see the conning, manipulative narcissistic liar and user as a psychopath, as long as he or she is completely lacking in remorse or empathy. The sociopath, however, is capable of guilt, caring, building relationships, etc., but only within a certain context. He or she will have loyalties to a specific group but not to society at large. They care nothing for social norms and will break them with impunity if it serves their purpose. So, on the surface, they may resemble psychopaths. However, they might genuinely feel remorse over harming someone within their group or family. They will have a moral code specific to that context: they might not lie, exploit, or manipulate within the group. Thus, they exhibit psychopathic behaviors in certain contexts but not all. As far as I know, there is no equivalent diagnostic tool (to the PCL-R) for a sociopath."
-Dr. Katherine Ramsland, MA Forensic Psychology, MA Clinical Psychology, PhD in Philosophy, publisher of over 35 books, including The Human Predator: A Historical Chronology of Criminal Murder and Forensic Investigation.
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