With the widespread use of the Internet and technology, we have become able to access information easily, especially in recent years, but because we often do not have the infrastructure to process this information and turn it into thought, we inevitably make many mistakes. We see this especially in people who call each other or themselves schizophrenic, bipolar or sociopathic. Calling someone who doesn’t conform to social rules as a sociopath doesn’t exactly correspond to the concept.
When asked what sociopath means, many people will picture someone as bad as the Joker in Batman movie, but cool. But sociopathy is actually a very serious personality disorder, and if left untreated, yes, it will turn into a real Joker. Let’s take a closer look at what a sociopath is, what their personal characteristics are, and most importantly, let’s see the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath.
Let’s start with the basics: what is a sociopath, what exactly is it?
To talk about its basic definition in clinical psychology, sociopath is an expression that describes people who have been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. People with this personality disorder, also known as sociopathy, do not conform to the norms of society and may violate other people’s rights repeatedly.
Sociopath characters, who seem cool from time to time because they find their place in popular culture, break the rules and even the law, act aggressively according to their impulses, do not feel as guilty as they should when they hurt others, and worst of all, they manipulate, deceive, and try to keep their behavior under control.
Before going into details, it is useful to open a parenthesis. It is extremely wrong to define people who cannot adapt to social rules, have a tendency to violence or exhibit manipulative behaviors as psychopaths or sociopaths without any diagnosis. If there is such a person around you or if you see the symptoms that we will explain shortly, remember that the solution is in a specialist psychologist.
Getting to know a sociopath: what are the signs of sociopathy?
- They ignore social rules.
- They are selfish.
- They cannot control their impulses.
- They are prone to violence.
- They have no concerns about security.
- They avoid responsibility.
- They do not easily regret.
They ignore societal rules:
Of course, no one has to comply with all the norms imposed by the society, but there are some basic rules in school, work and social life so that we can continue to exist together in safety. Disregarding these rules, sociopaths can cross social boundaries, stalk someone, insist on harassment, and even damage public or private property.
They are selfish:
The selfishness of people with sociopathy is a little different from what we know, because they are selfish because they put their own gains first, and they may resort to methods such as using fake identity, manipulating, cheating, deceiving just to justify themselves or gain.
They cannot control their impulses:
We all have natural urges for many different things, but controlling these urges is at the heart of being a civilized person. Sociopaths have trouble inhibiting such impulses and therefore often act without thinking of the consequences. It is clear that this situation can be dangerous when we consider the other symptoms.
They are prone to violence:
Getting angry and having verbal or physical fights from time to time is understandable up to a point, but this tendency of sociopaths can be alarming. They can often get into physical fights because of their aggressive behavior, even if there is no tangible clear reason.
No worries about security:
Whatever we do, we first consider the safety of ourselves and then the safety of those around us. Even applying this most basic rule of social structure can be difficult at times for people with sociopathy. Their actions may threaten the safety of both themselves and others.
They avoid responsibility:
We are not talking about the responsibility of starting a family and having children. Sociopaths have trouble fulfilling even the most basic responsibilities. Even simple responsibilities like getting to work on time, attending school, and even paying bills can strain sociopaths.
They do not easily regret:
It’s not a serious situation where the sociopath commits murder and doesn’t even look back, but when what he did hurts someone else, a sociopath doesn’t regret it easily and, worse, he uses the method of manipulation by offering countless excuses to justify himself.
What are the personality traits of sociopaths?
- He has a fixed mind.
- He is arrogant.
- He considers himself superior and expects people to treat him that way.
- He uses his intelligence and charisma to manipulate the other person.
- She looks attractive as long as she has interests, but when she doesn’t get what she wants, she shows her ugly face.
- He can’t empathize.
- Emotional intelligence is low.
- He doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
- Does not worry about the safety of others.
- He does not hesitate to intimidate and threaten to gain control over the other party.
Here are some of the basic personality traits of sociopathic people with antisocial personality disorder. When we look at the characteristics, it becomes clear that we cannot easily understand people with this type of personality disorder at first glance. However, it is possible to make analyzes by considering both the symptoms and these features.
Why and how does a person become a sociopath?
When we look at the studies on sociopathic people with antisocial personality disorder, it seems that brain chemistry and genetic factors contribute very little to this condition. In other words, sociopathy is often not a hereditary condition, but a condition that occurs as a result of environmental factors.
People who did not receive enough attention in childhood, feel that they have to be self-sufficient, so they lay the foundations of sociopathy at that time. Sociopathy is also seen in children exposed to violence at a young age, abused and manipulated. Apart from childhood experiences, symptoms of sociopathy may also occur as a result of a head trauma or dementia at an advanced age.
What is the difference between sociopath and psychopath?
Let’s come to the difference between the two most frequently confused concepts; What is a sociopath, what is a psychopath? When examined in a clinical setting, even an expert psychologist may not easily distinguish between these two conditions. According to studies, the main difference between them is that the negative actions of psychopaths are planned.
Another important difference between them is that the hereditary effect of psychopathy is high. According to psychologist Robert Hare, what is at stake is a sense of conscience and morality. This sense of both the psychopath and the sociopath is not compatible with society. These norms are unimportant to the psychopath, but the sociopath tries to justify his action even though he knows it’s wrong. In other words, the difference between them stands on an extremely fine line.
We talked about what you need to know about the subject by answering questions such as what is a sociopath, what are the personality traits, which defines people with a personality disorder that seems attractive at first glance but can become dangerous over time. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Remember that you should get the most accurate and specific information from a specialist psychologist or psychiatrist.
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