Posted on 08/02/2015 1:54:20 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Psychopath and sociopath are popular psychology terms to describe violent monsters born of our worst nightmares. Think Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (1991), Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) and Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990). In making these characters famous, popular culture has also burned the words used to describe them into our collective consciousness.
Most of us, fortunately, will never meet a Hannibal Lecter, but psychopaths and sociopaths certainly do exist. And they hide among us. Sometimes as the most successful people in society because they’re often ruthless, callous and superficially charming, while having little or no regard for the feelings or needs of others.
These are known as “successful” psychopaths, as they have a tendency to perform premeditated crimes with calculated risk. Or they may manipulate someone else into breaking the law, while keeping themselves safely at a distance. They’re master manipulators of other peoples’ feelings, but are unable to experience emotions themselves.
Sound like someone you know? Well, heads up. You do know one; at least one. Prevalence rates come in somewhere between 0.2% and 3.3% of the population.
(Excerpt) Read more at theconversation.com ...
I scored 6, but I will do better next time!!!!
Kind of like the % of homosexuals, that liberals insist are not mentally ill, whereas no one attempts to claim psychopaths are not fruitloop crazy.
I pretended to BE a psychopath and answered the questions as I think a psychopath would and got a 33.
I then answered the questions the way I really am and got a 16.
Maybe I forgot to flip a few...
Wouldn't that be schizophrenic? Of two minds? Literally split head? A state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.
There was no gender identity for Lesbian trapped in a Mans Body.
Interesting article. I suppose if the difference stated is true, the psychopath is born and the sociopath is made, then the first cannot be altered and potentially the second can. I don’t know that I buy the difference or the definitions exactly. It seems like all people are a combination of nature and nurture. Potential evil is present in all. Exactly how someone gets to the point where he can torture someone for sport and rather than feel guilty, feel gratification is stunning. But look at ISIS. They certainly fit the sociopath definition. But mostly I think that is not nurture in the sense that they suffered as children. I think it is peer pressure. So where does that fit in? Look at Nazism. Again that was peer pressure and a slow, methodical desensitizing of the group. The guy at the top orchestrating it was likely a psychopath. But the rest were probably more made than born, and made by being part of the group rather than by being victims as children.
Moslems are sociopaths. There are a few exceptions, I think.
The article said that those reading the article and taking the quiz were by definition not likely to be psycho/sociopaths because that is too introspective for them.
High incidence in cops too.
Psychopath does not mean crazy.
It means their perceptible range of felt emotion is very narrow. And, never any empathy that is not feigned.
Some of them a very good and honest people because they CHOOSE to live by a set of rules.
Why would it not be a mental illness? What would you call it? A mental abnormality? A mental disability?
And why is it not fixable? I neither agree nor disagree. I don’t know. I’m just wondering why you think so.
WTG! I only scored 10.
11. But as I am exceptional and realize that I am better than pretty much everyone I ever encountered in life it really doesn’t mean much.
I scored 6. I told you, so now I have to kill you ;-)
Clinton is a path of some sort, certainly. I have known a fellow for almost half a century who fits the psychopath description. He hasn’t killed anyone that I know of and doesn’t seem violent . He is a physical clone for Bill Clinton even to being quite tall. His particular talent is in selling. He can truly sell anything to anybody. Women still hover around him and he is past 70 now. I helped him start a business-Pearl Diver concessions- back in 71 and have watched him beggar his best friends. He clipped me for $300 on a phone card MLM when that was the rage. It was a well spent 300, though. It finally totally inoculated me against get rich scams. He married a woman who shared his traits. She divorced him and stripped him of his considerable assets taking advantage of his dyslexia to get everything in her name before she had him served. He did not get mad. He just kept hustling, even paying the alimony (with no emotion at all) that she got because she served him one day after their 19th wedding anniversary. He just dumped his businesses and started some new ones. Not only could he sell, he could promote loans from the canniest bankers.
If I’m a psychopath I want to be the last to know. Same goes for crazy and stupid.
6
But you’re a good liar... (kidding)
Well I am not a psychopath so does that mean I am a sociopath?
What you describe is probably not a psycho or sociopath. It is just a greedy scammer who thinks “everyone does it so why shouldn’t I.” When it comes to money, the lack of conscience goes much more extensively through the population. I think what the article describes is just harm for harm’s sake. They enjoy harming people. You describe someone who does it to gain wealth.
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