Psychopaths vs. sociopaths: how to tell the difference

[MillCreek]

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/psychopaths-versus-sociopaths-what-difference

I learned something interesting: generally speaking, psychopaths are born that way whereas sociopaths are made that way.

[vaskidmark]

I love how they try to differentiate between two terms that are nor recognized as personality disorders by the people who claim to be the ones to determine what is and is not a personality disorder.

http://www.psi.uba.ar/academica/carrerasdegrado/psicologia/sitios_catedras/practicas_profesionales/820_clinica_tr_personalidad_psicosis/material/dsm.pdf

http://www.theravive.com/therapedia/Antisocial-Personality-Disorder-DSM--5-301.7-(F60.2)

Do you know a used car salesman?  Odds are they are a psychopath (using the OP's article's terms).  Do you know a debt collector?  Odds are they are what the OP's article calls a sociopath.

But to possibly throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the works:  As I've mentioned many times here (and other places) I meet the criteria for and a few times have been diagnosed as either antisocial personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder NOS, and once as borderline personality disorder, along with having been diagnosed more than once as Adult Antisocial Behavior and just plain Personality Disorder NOS.  In spite of all that (some of which is very accurate and some of which is pure BS speculation on the part of someone looking for third-party reimbursement) I have figured out how to navigate my way through society without actually killing anybody.  I should be the poster boy for "high functioning" but used car salesmen and debt collectors seem to have gotten all the attention.

But all that's OK, because I've got my eyes on a few others here who are possibly also card-carrying members of the club.

stay safe.

[lee n. field]

stay safe.

by staying far from you?

[Perd Hapley]

One votes for Hillary, and the other one votes for Bernie?

[vaskidmark]

by staying far from you?

Nah!  I'm tame - compared to the average SDA/JW door-knocker.

The point being that aggregating symptoms through a decision tree to come up with a diagnosis works about as well for humans as it does for computers.  But if you do it, especially without knowing what you are dealing with, you can come up with just about anything.

stay safe.

[lee n. field]

Half those diagnoses you say they labeled you with are BS anyway.    "Doesn't play well with others"

[vaskidmark]

Yeah, but until the diabeetus I did drink well with others.

stay safe.

[Tallpine]

I just generally don't like people so I guess that I'm a lesstravelledpath 

[MechAg94]

Sanity is in the eye of the beholder.  Everyone has some psychosis in the view of some of these quacks. 

[BlueStarLizzard]

I've considered 'psychopath' and 'sociopath' to be something like slang terms for the psychological science. In other words, occasionally convenient chatch all terms for sets of certain disorders.

Plus, certain sociopathic tendencies are just par for the course with kids who grew up under difficult circumstances, but those same people are not even remotely sociopaths. They just have developed certain defensive behaviors in order to navigate through life.

I always used the knowledge if right/wrong and empathy with others as being the watermark. If you have a personal moral compass and can empathize with others, you're fine, even if you can and do lie, cheat and steal. If you don't have it, or don't think right/wrong applies to you and other people are tools to be used, yeah, well, you've got issues.

[BlueStarLizzard]

And skid, I'm pretty sure the lot of us are card carrying members of some kind of crazy.

[vaskidmark]

.

I always used the knowledge if right/wrong and empathy with others as being the watermark. If you have a personal moral compass and can empathize with others, you're fine, even if you can and do lie, cheat and steal. If you don't have it, or don't think right/wrong applies to you and other people are tools to be used, yeah, well, you've got issues.

Some thoughts:

Once you learn to fake sincerity the rest is all downhill.

I will be so proud of myself once I complete my course in humility.

Those two have worked pretty well for me for the last *mumble*ty years.

stay safe.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Some thoughts:

Once you learn to fake sincerity the rest is all downhill.

I will be so proud of myself once I complete my course in humility.

Those two have worked pretty well for me for the last *mumble*ty years.

stay safe.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

There are tells that the fakers always have. *shrug*

[TommyGunn]

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

There are tells that the fakers always have. *shrug*

Then 'splain Obama!

[BlueStarLizzard]

Then 'splain Obama!

I told people that he was a creep and that no one in their right mind should vote for him.

People should listen to me!

[TommyGunn]

BSL, you are a lady possessing much wisdom and insight. Good on you!    





Next time  have a gun in your hand when you critique politicians!