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.
I also think that there are 2 other factors that might come to mind when trying to differentiate between a psychopath and a sociopath are these:
1). Age of onset. For a psychopath it would be in early childhood (prior to age 10).
2). Prevalence. -Example -> A person who is “psychopathic” towards only their spouse and offspring but who is not that way towards other people would not be a psychopath. Psychopaths are psychopathic across more than just one setting or group where as a sociopath may only do “psychopathic” behaviors towards just one group (i.e. family members, rival gang members, etc)
BloggerT7165: Really? That’s good info to have available to us.
OK … then my big boss is a sociopath, not a psychopath. She knew how to play the game with the higher ups … since I was a pee-on, she made no bones in keeping her mask on with me.
She could have fooled me … besides, the politicians that backed her were anti-social personalities in their own right … I noticed the one that backed her stepped down from his position a while ago.
All in due time … on God’s time frame, not mans.
Keep in mind that people can be made to be antisocial. Just think about Hitler and the holocaust and al the people he convinced to do evil deeds.
Based on what I have read, however, there does seem to be a subset of people who are either born or genetically predisposed to being psychopathic. According to Robert Hare, family influences can determine to some extent how violent they are as adults. For instance, a psychopath from a kind, loving family may become a white collar criminal, while one born in a violent family could become a rapist or murderer. But it is widely recognized (from what I understand) that the basic personality cannot be influenced by upbringing. All we can do is identify them and protect ourselves.
I agree Star and that is why I am strongly in the camp of those that believe there is a difference between sociopaths and psychopaths.
StarG: You are saying correctly what differentiates the murdering types versus the white collar criminal types. But, they all have one thing in common? Their big egos telling them it’s OK to step over this line of the law, it’s OK to break this rule or that rule … Laws and rules are for the average joe schmoe and I, I, I (meaning them) are not by any means average … I am above the average person …. here again, the superiority in their thinking. I believe they don’t are what they go against in society … as long as they go against it is what counts to them.
Which makes me think that somewhere when they were little children, something made them feel inferior to their peers … and, in the ego they went to live for ever more, going against what they felt they couldn’t fit in in the first place.
Correction: I’ve got to read before I hit that post button …daaaaaaa
I meant to say, they don’t care what they go against in society, as long as they go against the grain of society is all that matters to them.
Wini I agree in part with your ego theory but also disagree. Is it my big ego telling me it is ok to break the law when I break the speed limit? Yet it is breaking the law, breaking the rules yet I have done it. Yes most of the ones I have interacted with have the big ego you are talking about but the thought process does not run the way you describe in all of them. They see the rules/laws, all of them, in the same way most of us see the speed limit laws.
BloggerT7165: When you get stopped for excessive speeding and put in the category of reckless driving, have to pay a $1,000 fine, plus attorney fees … you’ll be in the slow lane with all the other offenders … for a while, until you get over the fear and sting of the high price tag, then back to breaking the speed limits again? Why, it’s human nature to throw the finger at the establishment … on some things. Speeding, seems to be the way most people get their aggressive energies out, without even thinking about it … not even realizing they are releasing pent up energy.
Peace. I’ve seen many Porches, Jags, Corvettes in the slow lane … creeping along for a while … then after they get used to driving again …….ziiiiipppppppppppp in the fast lane again.
Oh yeah, to all that hug the fast lane and stay there for their duration of their drive, it is for passing purposes only. Daaaaaaaaaaaaa.
I agree Stargazer. I have met people from good families who seemed morally retarded. They wouldn’t dream of being violent, and they’re real smart with their embezzlements. They favor conning family members and romantic partners, because these two categories virtually never report them.
I spent three hours at the hospital bedside of a seriously ill woman who was still trying to figure out how to give one of her adult children still another chance at a decent life. The adult child was a 45 year old woman who had stolen, lied, manipulated, dominated and conned virtually everyone in her sphere of influence. This had been a lifelong pattern. As far as we know, she’s never been reported, in spite of the fact that she’s stolen tens of thousands of dollars at a time from family members and “friends”. She’s an incredibly clever liar, and is able to weave convincing false impressions without actually telling a direct lie.
The mother was all but on her deathbed, but still she tried to figure out how to save this “child”. I’ve known the “child” for about 27 years, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what is wrong. She’s very, very, confusing. Her own siblings make a point of never listening to her voice, because they know she can confuse and mislead them at will. Given that she’s badly educated, and both siblings have master’s degrees and successful careers, that’s pretty amazing. Every once in a while we see another “boyfriend” freak out and cut all ties with her. She frequently sees herself as the victim of others, and tends toward paranoia. She keeps herself in exotic prescription drugs through on line doctor/pharmacy sites. She’s stoned a lot, and tends to get in car accidents. It’s amazing she’s still allowed to drive. In spite of all here apparent sociopathic traits, there are strong indications she loves her children. Unfortunately her love is toxic. When a child or spouse escapes her influence, all of their problems and handicaps disapear.
You couldn’t meet a nicer person, unless she feels you’ve wronged her. Then you’re subjected to histrionics and outlandish bids for pity. She seems to be quite religious, and belongs to a cult called The Way Intl. I’m pretty sure they’ve conned her out of at least as much money as she’s stolen over her lifetime. At the same time that she doesn’t understand that boundaries and ethics are applicable to her life, she seems to be clear enough on moral issues where other people are concerned.
I think I could write a book about her, and still scratch the surface on all the peculiar traits she exhibits. Really and truly, I can’t say for sure what’s wrong. All I know is that she was raised by very good people, and still does the wrong thing on a consistent basis.
Wini like I said to Ox in the other thread – I can’t explain it well in this medium. What I am trying to convey is how some of them think/feel. I know it is not my ego nor do I feel anything when I break the speed limit even though it is breaking a law. That same thought/feeling set is similar to what the ones I have interacted with have described to me. hopefully that makes sense
And another thing that many of them were lacking in was fear. In fact many of them could be described as fearless.