This semester I taught both Forensic Psychology and Abnormal Psychology at the University of Bridgeport. The students there are an ethnically diverse group and I think are fairly representative of America’s young adult population. In both classes we discussed those individuals who have a “a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others.” I wrote antisocial personality disorder, sociopathy and psychopathy on the blackboard before we began our discussion. I then asked the students if they had heard of these terms and if they could tell me the definitions.
Only a small percentage had heard the term antisocial personality disorder, nearly everyone had heard the word sociopath, about a third had heard the word psychopath.
The next question to the students was, “What do all these terms mean?” Someone asked if antisocial personality referred to a person that didn’t like to be around others. Someone else said that psychopaths are “out of touch with reality, psychotic.” Most who heard the word sociopath associated it with criminality.
The students were shocked to discover that all three terms basically refer to the same disorder.
That same week, I spoke with an internet search expert. He told me that the term antisocial personality disorder is searched through Google about 5,000 times per day. The term psychopath is searched 60,000 times per day and the term sociopath is searched 110,000 times per day. These numbers are consistent with my survey of university students. My findings indicate that the American Psychiatric Association has done the public a great disservice with their boggled naming of the disorder.
An interesting historical fact is that this disorder used to be called “moral insanity.” Insanity is a legal term that indicates that due to mental defect a person is not responsible for his/her actions. Although many people believe that the morally insane have a mental (brain)defect there is considerable resistance to saying this absolves them of responsibility for their criminal acts.
This week we discussed the case of John W. Hinckley, Jr. the man who shot President Reagan and Mr. Brady, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital. A psychiatrist for the prosecution, Dietz testified that Hinckley viewed his actions on March 30 as successful. “It worked,” Hinckley told Dietz in an interview. “You know, actually, I accomplished everything I was going for there. Actually, I should feel good because I accomplished everything on a grand scale….I didn’t get any big thrill out of killing–I mean shooting–him. I did it for her sake….The movie isn’t over yet.” In short, Deitz saw Hinckley as a sociopath who was grandiose and trying to impress Jody Foster with his actions, though I believe he actually diagnosed him with borderline personality.
I reflected to the class that it seems that individuals like Hinckley and Dahmer (the serial killer) should be considered special cases of sociopathy and not lumped with the rest. There are sociopaths who are so grandiose and obsessed with power that they seem to lose touch with reality. Not that they are schizophrenic and have delusions or hallucinations, but their interpretations of the world cannot be construed as “normal.”
This is actually where the term “borderline” came from, as is used today to refer to “borderline personality.” The borderline is some point between neurotic and psychotic-borderline psychotic actually. So perhaps we could consider psychopaths those sociopaths who are so afflicted that their thinking and behavior indicate they have lost their grip on reality. Some psychiatrists do think of psychopaths as the worst sociopaths.
Should those with moral insanity who commit crimes be treated differently than others? Should John Hinckley be released now that he has been judged not psychotic? These are questions for another week.
See also:
https://lovefraud.com/blog/2006/07/30/confusion-about-sociopaths-pyschopaths-and-antisocials/
If you have a personal example of a sociopath’s “loose grip on reality” please share it with us in a comment.
Well Wini,
I’m glad you got away. Now it’s on to something bigger and better.
They sound like a bunch of losers.
Elizabeth Conley: Oh, I love not having any of them in my life and not having to see them every day. I was so tired of hearing their selfish excuses why they did anything. It was unbelievable, to know grown women were acting like selfish brats. The destruction all of them have done to others every breath they take is unbelievable.
I know, now I can pick and choose who I want to be in my life again … and not get forced by the selfish managers that I was to forgive and forget. I can forgive anyone, but I’ll never forget. Big difference. Plus, I knew those managers were just as bad as these co-workers. I still gave them the benefit of the doubt that they were listening to the wrong people in that place of employment … until my lawsuit I realized that either the managers trained the subordinates in their techniques of lying and conning and manipulating or it was vice versa. Either way, I still knew the game (which was half the battle) before they went full force on me … except I never expected my fiance was a ringer for them or sold out to them …
But, I no longer have to worry about having a job … because I don’t have one.
I no longer have to worry about money, because I don’t have any.
I no longer have to worry about the games because there are no game players left in my life.
Life is good. Yes it is … it’s how you look at it … and my soul is at peace …. my waters are calm. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Peace.
Dear Elizabeth,
I have been warned by well meaning friends about Ps that I went to work for (as my new boss) and another one I had a business arrangement with. I didn’t listen either time, and I paid the price. In the future if I am warned, I WILL listen, but I agree with you that most people resent you warning them (just like I did! LOL) and will go ahead and have the relationship with the P.
A dear sweet friend of mine who is one of those wonderful people who “sees no evil” in anyone just married a P. Her closest friend tried to warn her, and I did lightly early on, but it was too late. She was so needy for a male romantic relationship that she blundered on ahead full steam. Nothing any of us could do. I did Not go to the wedding, I ust couldn’t bring myself to go and pretend to wish them well, when I know what is going to happen. You know, I have about come to the conclusion that you have that “warning” people is a waste of my breath and their time. Once in a great while you might catch someone before they have been in the relationship long enough to get hooked, but since the victims are usually needy in one way or another and set the hook early in the relationship, unless they have been in a relationship with a P before (in that case they MIGHT listen) my friend didn’t (Her x husband was a nasty abuser) because she hadn’t figured out what her X was and learned the red flags.
Her new husband had worked for me for a while, and also he had persued me for quite some time and when I wasn’t interested he started in on her. She is his 4th wife. He is financially irresponsible as well and she isn’t so he will “get her” on that one I am sure too. He is not interested in working at a paid job, and has only a small enlisted man’s pension from the navy for 20 yrs, but it is not enough to live on so he needs another income and a “wife” is the easiest way to get one. He is nice looking and reasonably well educated, but so socially inept and unwilling to take direction that holding a job is not an option. I ended up firing him because I couldn’t depend on him. He had the best way of “vanishing” if there was work to be done. Just walk off where you couldn’t find him. LOL
Cheryl1951. About Bill Clinton. One word: Womanizer. Sorry. That’s just my opinion.
Wini,
Don’t even get me started on the betrayal of co-workers who prefer the knife-in-the-back method over direct communication. As long as I live, I’ll never figure this one out. I got zinged by one as I was on my way out the door on my VACATION. She is someone I thought was a friend. I’ve known her for 7 years! She was jealous because I invited a few new co-workers to a food tasting for our holiday party which I set up and which they were helping me with. Never mind that I’ve done countless things for this other co-worker over the years. But she couldn’t just say she was jealous. So she dumped her hostility on me.
It’s hard for me not to be friendly and take an interest in the lives of my co-workers. It makes the job more pleasant. But I seem to miss the signs of the ones who are secretly sabotaging me. I’m sure it’s related to how I attracted the P. *scratching my head*
On the subject of Bill Clinton. The only reason I don’t feel I can comment on his womanizing is that power is said to be a huge aphrodisiac. Since I’ve never had that much power, I can’t imagine how it would make me behave. It’s just too dissonant a life to even imagine.
StarG: If one thing we all have to realize about any of these FOOLS is … they have absolutely, positively NO patience.
Double click on the link below. Turn your speakers on and view the presentation … this is what we know that they will never know, nor appreciate even if they did view the same URL.
http://www.pathways-to-peace.com
Peace. I’m outta here … beam me up Scottie
Wini,
I found that very inspirational. Thanks for brightening my day. I think we really need this perspective sometimes to shed light in the darkness.
I’m thinking about my co-worker who dumped on me. I know how hard it is for her to express anger. I think it was actually a big deal for her to even say anything to me. As dysfunctional as it was, it was her way of reaching out. I’m going to follow this line of thinking to forgiveness.
Thank you, thank you. I think you are an angel.
Dear Star,
I think the “crap” in the work place is just that, and is to be expected to one extent or another. Any time you get a group of people together there is always it seems going to be at least one “bad apple” in the barrel.
The last place I worked (a hospital psych unit) I have never seen so many “crazy” or “mean” staff members in my life. As a supervisor without any authority to discipline anyone except to “write them up” (about which nothing was done) I was tearing my hair out most days just to get the patients (the elderly and demented) adequate medical care, not counting psych care. We had some excellent staff and we had some real zingers who were only concerned in watching TV and calling that “interacting with the patients.” LOL
They would watch violent movies that the patients couldn’t follow or relate to. So I bought tapes (my own money) of old I Love Lucy, Red Skelton, Roy Rogers, and Alfred Hitchcock, the films that the patients could relate to, and 20 year old musicals, and DECREED that was the only thing to be on the TV. Talk about some pissed off staff members who couldn’t watch the modern movies that were almost porno as far as these elderly people were concerned! At least I won that round because the medical director backed me up!
After my husband died, I tried to go back to work about 3 months later, and worked about 3 months, but it was such a hassle and I spent so much time pissed off I decided to retire. Best decision I ever made. It lowered my stress level from dealing with these lazy and self centered “health care givers” who didn’t give a flip about the patients’ welfare. Sometimes no matter how much the job pays, or how “convenient” it is there are just some environments that are so TOXIC because of the bad apples, it isn’t worth it to stay there.
My son C that just came home from out of state is taking a few weeks off before he goes back to work. Not because he worked in a hostile environment, but he just needs some time to decompress before he has to punch a time clock again. He hasn’t had any time since his wife and her BF attacked him that he wasn’t having to go to work or move, or look for a job, or try to get his head back on straight while working 40-60 hours a week. I’m glad he has decided to take some time just doing physical labor here on the farm (his brother and I can use the help and it is stuff he enjoys) and there is no time frame, no rush rush, and no stress or anything else. We use the sun for a clock, and if we decide to take a day “off” we do it. No reason, just cause we want to. Some weeks we may put in 60 hours, but others it may be 10. C needs some time, I think we all do, to just “contemplate the lint in our navels”–unfortunately, not everyone has that luxuary. But “pampering” ourselves by not doing things that we don’t have to do, at least for a while, is a good idea. I realize I have done waaaay too little of that in my life. I’ve lived life in a rush, a hurry up, and sometimes I’ve felt like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
We all need to take as much time to smell the roses as we possibly can. It is good for the spirit and the soul of us all.
Oxy: It isn’t just a few bad apples, it’s a lot of bad apples, one more sour than the other … especially in health fields … where the Patients are running the asylum.
Peace. I’m glad you and I are out … out … out of that environment.
People who work in the health field are suppose to be the caregivers of the world … which is true for the most part of some, not all lefty in this field … and I will never knock those who are the true caregivers to others in need, at their most vulnerable … but the health field does house a lot of anti-socials … and now you can guess why there isn’t health care for everyone in our country. GREED, GREED, GREED along with anti-socials that jump to the top of the heap … and keep any road way into breaking up their monopolies … GREED plus POWER of the greedy. And boy, get close to finding out who they are … they’ve got 100s that will block you from ever seeing where their power lies … 100s. They will put you on wild goose chases, exhaust you, give you lip service with nonsense that not only doesn’t make sense, but makes you work hours to figure out what the document or statement they gave or told you is all about … and then it ends up being nonsense.
Don’t write me all the loving, caring health professionals … I know you exist … thank God for all of you. It’s just those evil EGO ones that control the purse strings and have the power to make or break you.
Peace.