The Sociopath/Analysis: Difference between revisions

Line 8:

A feature of this is "semantic aphasia" -- sociopaths don't associate the same negative meanings to words as normal people. Thus you might hear a sociopath, ''honestly trying'' to keep his cover and blend in with normal society, suddenly crack a crass joke in mixed company about rape, etc. Think about it: a mass murderer or serial rapist probably doesn't understand the full moral implications of what they're doing, if they thought they were "bad" they wouldn't do them. On a broad, theoretical level, they sort of understand that they're not supposed to admit to murder, rape, etc. but the exact line between "morally acceptable" or not is very blurred. Essentially, true sociopaths are like anthropologists interacting with aliens on Mars - intellectually, they've picked up the major rules, but little mistakes will give them away. In interviews with real-life serial killers like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, etc. they actually seem to have surprisingly normal speech patterns, they're not ranting or raving, but if you pay close attention over a long period of time, every now and then they make little slips where they say bizarre or disturbing things -- because they're just ''pretending'' to be normal, its all an act.

Sociopaths do not necessarily have some sort of [[Freudian Excuse]] for their Lack of Empathy (although if they get caught out with a lie they will invent one). However, many works will have such characters grow up with [[Abusive Parents|horrific abuse]], conditioning them to believe that they live in a [[Nietzsche Wannabe|nihilistic]] [[Social Darwinist|dog-eat-dog]] [[Crapsack World]] where [[Humans Are Bastards|empathy is useless]]. This is partly because many people can't see why somebody would be so 'cold' and 'ruthless' without a good reason. But sociopathy generally does not have any better reason to be there than any other sickness (although negative experiences with other human beings will change the way it manifests itself). Sociopaths will often try to play the sympathy-ploy that they are they way they are due to abuse or trauma they suffered...but the reality is that even small children who grow up experiencing the [[War Is Hell]] environment in all its horror, subjected to truly nightmarish experiences, *don't* turn into sociopaths (and in fact may turn even more empathic to those suffering around them). Sociopaths have some innate problem ~~- possibly not genetic, but due to factors in the womb, but this is purely understood -~~ and an abusive childhood will *often* exacerbate their behavior, help it manifest, but it doesn't cause it. Then again, some sociopaths have completely normal upbringings, with seemingly no provocation for their behavior.

Sociopaths do not necessarily have some sort of [[Freudian Excuse]] for their Lack of Empathy (although if they get caught out with a lie they will invent one). However, many works will have such characters grow up with [[Abusive Parents|horrific abuse]], conditioning them to believe that they live in a [[Nietzsche Wannabe|nihilistic]] [[Social Darwinist|dog-eat-dog]] [[Crapsack World]] where [[Humans Are Bastards|empathy is useless]]. This is partly because many people can't see why somebody would be so 'cold' and 'ruthless' without a good reason. But sociopathy generally does not have any better reason to be there than any other sickness (although negative experiences with other human beings will change the way it manifests itself). Sociopaths will often try to play the sympathy-ploy that they are they way they are due to abuse or trauma they suffered...but the reality is that even small children who grow up experiencing the [[War Is Hell]] environment in all its horror, subjected to truly nightmarish experiences, *don't* turn into sociopaths (and in fact may turn even more empathic to those suffering around them). Sociopaths have some innate problem and an abusive childhood will *often* exacerbate their behavior, help it manifest, but it doesn't cause it. Then again, some sociopaths have completely normal upbringings, with seemingly no provocation for their behavior.

In real life, medical tests conducted on sociopaths show that they're often unable to recognize pain or suffering in others - they're not necessarily ''evil'', they just lack the ability to "connect" to other people's feelings even if they understand them on a rational level. In fact Cleckley notes that often the greatest harm that they bring to others is the worry and sleepless nights that they create in family members from their frequent unexplained absences, irresponsible and reckless behavior. That said, an "evil" person would probably score highly on a Sociopathic checklist.

Line 36:

However, it's possible for people diagnosed with sociopathy before having aged 15 to 18 years can be treated to become effective members of society (treated, mind you, not necessarily "cured"). Sometimes they can be convinced that [[Good Feels Good]], or taught to use their manipulative abilities to further positive goals. While The Sociopath is often associated with other [[Above Good and Evil]] personalities, [[Moral Sociopathy|many examples with morals also exist]], but they are more likely to suffer from [[Moral Myopia]], or subscribe to a [[Ubermensch|self-centered moral code]].

There is a great deal of overlap in terminology between "Sociopath" and "Psychopath", though these terms generally refer to the same thing. This is heavily debated, but essentially the difference is this: a "~~sociopath~~" is so impulsive that he isn't very good at lying or pretending to be normal, while a "~~psychopath~~" is able to channel this into pervasive lying and charming, which means that in casual social circumstances they're quite able to pass off as "normal". Its really a spectrum based on how well they're able to mime normal emotional responses, though even the psychopath is just "acting" as best he can, based on broad observations of normal people.

There is a great deal of overlap in terminology between "Sociopath" and "Psychopath", though these terms generally refer to the same thing. This is heavily debated, but essentially the difference is this: a "psychopath" is so impulsive that he isn't very good at lying or pretending to be normal, while a "sociopath" is able to channel this into pervasive lying and charming, which means that in casual social circumstances they're quite able to pass off as "normal". Its really a spectrum based on how well they're able to mime normal emotional responses, though even the psychopath is just "acting" as best he can, based on broad observations of normal people.