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I know who I am convinced is a sociopath. I know I saw a list of traits once and having 5 of those traits out of the 9 listed was supposed to be a pretty good indication that one was dealing with a sociopath, and this individual had 7 of the 9!
I just went through looking at self-tests for sociopathy and it quickly occurred to me that a sociopath taking anyone of the 3 or 4 tests that I looked through would not test as a sociopath. The reason? Sociopaths don't see what they are doing as wrong. They see themselves much differently then they are. These particular person I suspect of sociopathy told me what a great husband and father he was and that could not be further from the truth - totally uninvolved in both endeavors.
I just found it interesting to see that there would be no value in anyone taking such a test when they could never, ever see themselves for what they are, a selfish person who lacks no compassion for others, no respect for others and do what makes themselves feel good no matter how much it hurts others all the while denying that they do such things.
And, my other experience with 2 suspected sociopaths that I know well has introduced me to the danger of thinking that "religion" would some how turn them around. Nope, that they use people, God just became someone else to use and created a "monster" rather than a "cure".
There is, of course, no cure for sociopathy and since it is so self-serving, they generally have no reason to change their behavior. Sad.
Know what they are and avoid them like the plague!
Honestly, Sociopathy (Antisocial Personality Disorder) is not fully understood. The "symptoms" and traits are still quite vague and I think majority, if not everyone has at most, sociopathic tendencies. Anyone could have a few of those traits and still not be considered a sociopath. It is mainly characterized by a lack of remorse, than any of the aforementioned traits. As those traits can be more associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
I know who I am convinced is a sociopath. I know I saw a list of traits once and having 5 of those traits out of the 9 listed was supposed to be a pretty good indication that one was dealing with a sociopath, and this individual had 7 of the 9!
I just went through looking at self-tests for sociopathy and it quickly occurred to me that a sociopath taking anyone of the 3 or 4 tests that I looked through would not test as a sociopath. The reason? Sociopaths don't see what they are doing as wrong. They see themselves much differently then they are. These particular person I suspect of sociopathy told me what a great husband and father he was and that could not be further from the truth - totally uninvolved in both endeavors.
I just found it interesting to see that there would be no value in anyone taking such a test when they could never, ever see themselves for what they are, a selfish person who lacks no compassion for others, no respect for others and do what makes themselves feel good no matter how much it hurts others all the while denying that they do such things.
And, my other experience with 2 suspected sociopaths that I know well has introduced me to the danger of thinking that "religion" would some how turn them around. Nope, that they use people, God just became someone else to use and created a "monster" rather than a "cure".
There is, of course, no cure for sociopathy and since it is so self-serving, they generally have no reason to change their behavior. Sad.
Know what they are and avoid them like the plague!
You want to avoid these people if you can and learn to deal with them effectively if you can't.
Religion doesn't work because religion isn't God, its only "about God".
The 12 steps of AA are a good answer for sociopathology.
All alcoholics are sociopaths.
Describes my husband to a "T"....but he is at times lovable.
I receive NO empathy from him when I am feeling bad, back goes out, etc. Just "suck it up buttercup" is his attitude.
Some day, he may need my help and I will remember how I was treated.
I'm sorry for this, mschrief. Is he "charming and personable" to others?
This is the veneer my ex cultivated, and pulled it off pretty well too. He passed the "sociopath" test when I took it a couple years ago. I agree, its part of the narcissistic disorder. They see no consequences for their actions, for one thing. Some kind of disconnect. Stealing? "I needed it; they didn't". That sort of thing. He expected people to just give him money, 'cause he was doing something cool. Huh?
Then again, he'd be right on GoFundMe if he was around today. Maybe he is on it?
A real sociopath wouldn't give a sh** about any ****ing tests. If you care at all you are not a sociopath.
Get on your healthcare website and contact a clinical psychologist to discuss your problems.
Sociopaths consider other people as mere objects. A true sociopath cares as much about other people as you or I care about the trash bin at a market entrance, or a shopping cart. Mere objects...
Several personality disorders like a lot like a sociopath and yes, addicts display many antisocial behaviors as a result of active addiction. And then some folks are simply a__holes. I do my best to avoid them all.
Recent thinking in psychology is that sociopaths and psychopaths differ merely in degree. In fact both are usually grouped together as antisocial personality behavior. Both have problems with their sense of right and wrong (conscience) and both have problems with understanding or sharing others' feelings. Among the differences:
A psychopath has no conscience. They may seem normal, intelligent, charming, and are able to mimic emotions, but in reality they probably don't care, probably don't even have the ability to care. Their only intent is to manipulate others for their own personal gain.
Sociopaths are less extreme, less able to masquerade their behavior as anything but antisocial. They are more open in their self-interest and often blame others or have excuses for their behavior. They often impulsively act with casual disregard of how they affect others. Psychopaths are very calculating, they plan their moves and their aggression cold heartedly to achieve their goals.
It's interesting that physical brain differences may account for their inability to identify with other peoples' distress. Even bodily functional differences exist. A normal person may see a violent movie and experience sweaty palms, increased breathing and heart rate. Psychopaths get more calm. They do not fear the consequences of their actions so they are encouraged to engage in risky behavior.
So what does this have to do with testing? The first thing you should understand is that no psychiatric condition can be diagnosed by anybody who is not trained and is in close contact with the patient (i.e. patient observed over a series of sessions). I often laugh at television psychiatrists diagnosing public figures. You cannot possibly understand what is going on in the mind of a person with antisocial personality behavior. Even psychiatrists don't really understand—they have their theories but there merely that: theories.
Treatment is difficult. Often treatment merely focuses on some of the aspects of the malady: anger management, violence management, substance abuse treatment, treatment of other possible mental health conditions. There are no known drug treatments for the basic disease although the other conditions if present have drug therapies. Unfortunately sociopaths/psychopaths may simply take drug treatment as an opportunity to abuse the drugs (e.g. patient has anxiety but when treated with anxiolytics merely abuses them). And then there is the ultimate question: does the sociopath/psychopath even want treatment? They may be quite happy as they are, at least happy in their own perception of happiness.
Summing it up, you cannot possibly know what is going on inside your sociopath. Maybe your pop tests can help you spot likely sociopaths, but what then? I doubt there would be any point in confronting them, they'd probably just deny it. I think your best bet if you think somebody falls into this category is to simply not become involved with them, avoid them, don't let them into your life.
Recent thinking in psychology is that sociopaths and psychopaths differ merely in degree. In fact both are usually grouped together as antisocial personality behavior. Both have problems with their sense of right and wrong (conscience) and both have problems with understanding or sharing others' feelings. Among the differences:
A psychopath has no conscience. They may seem normal, intelligent, charming, and are able to mimic emotions, but in reality they probably don't care, probably don't even have the ability to care. Their only intent is to manipulate others for their own personal gain.
Sociopaths are less extreme, less able to masquerade their behavior as anything but antisocial. They are more open in their self-interest and often blame others or have excuses for their behavior. They often impulsively act with casual disregard of how they affect others. Psychopaths are very calculating, they plan their moves and their aggression cold heartedly to achieve their goals.
It's interesting that physical brain differences may account for their inability to identify with other peoples' distress. Even bodily functional differences exist. A normal person may see a violent movie and experience sweaty palms, increased breathing and heart rate. Psychopaths get more calm. They do not fear the consequences of their actions so they are encouraged to engage in risky behavior.
So what does this have to do with testing? The first thing you should understand is that no psychiatric condition can be diagnosed by anybody who is not trained and is in close contact with the patient (i.e. patient observed over a series of sessions). I often laugh at television psychiatrists diagnosing public figures. You cannot possibly understand what is going on in the mind of a person with antisocial personality behavior. Even psychiatrists don't really understand—they have their theories but there merely that: theories.
Treatment is difficult. Often treatment merely focuses on some of the aspects of the malady: anger management, violence management, substance abuse treatment, treatment of other possible mental health conditions. There are no known drug treatments for the basic disease although the other conditions if present have drug therapies. Unfortunately sociopaths/psychopaths may simply take drug treatment as an opportunity to abuse the drugs (e.g. patient has anxiety but when treated with anxiolytics merely abuses them). And then there is the ultimate question: does the sociopath/psychopath even want treatment? They may be quite happy as they are, at least happy in their own perception of happiness.
Summing it up, you cannot possibly know what is going on inside your sociopath. Maybe your pop tests can help you spot likely sociopaths, but what then? I doubt there would be any point in confronting them, they'd probably just deny it. I think your best bet if you think somebody falls into this category is to simply not become involved with them, avoid them, don't let them into your life.
How insightful and thought provoking .....
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