sociopathy

haha, it is so cool to see that no one posts about it. sociopaths don't really want to write about their "troubles." because they don't need advice. they don't take self-help tests and they can't truly empathize... that's why a place like this is only useful when used as a fish tank to manipulate and make themselves feel good and in control...

it's just interesting, and i wanted to say it )

I beg the differ. Who says we can't ask for advice?

You go Michael! Seems the poster above might be planning to go fishing. Seems he does not know there are people that are self aware and being treated successfully like your self. So my question to the initial poster is, what brings you to PC and how can we help you?

my sister is a sociopath. i am a schizphrenic. i am kind of offended you thought i was fishing. my sister wanted to see if she could meet any other people like herself to talk to on this site.

obviously she can't, so there. question answered!

Sorry if you got offended by my fishing comment. The way it was written seemed less than supportive. This forum is used for both support to those dealing with APD as well as those with APD. Its pretty rare to find someone like Myers here who is a helpful member of the PC family. Then there are those that got burned and almost killed by someone with APD. I've read your other posts and you seem cool and this post did not fit so I must have "mis-spoke" when I thought you were here to do us harm. Appology accepted? Afterall, this is actually a very rare forum where ALL are welcome to interact in a supportive manner with eachother. APD's usually get bullied everywhere else.

yeah i completely agree. and yes this is pretty awesome that all are welcome, that is why i love this so much!!!

I'm new here too,and I think this'll turn out to be a cool place for you to visit after some time.I wish you a chill day.

I'm sorry if this is random, but I may be a bit biased in this area since I was abused by a sociopath (my brother). I've always heard it was an "incurable" condition; is this not so?

Well, there are treatments that are experimented with lately that have gotten some positive results. Myers here is a great example of that. He uses other forums to give non-manipulative, supportive feedback. He writes about his own issues in here where it needs to be safe for everyone. Especially in this forum because the subject is so highly emotionally charged. If someone comes in here and is anything less than supportive, they may receive a snarky comment in response as a defense. Myers here represents HOPE. Living proof that with the right treatment, they can be contributing members of society. I no longer lump all with APD together as distructive dangerous intra-speices beings. But I can recognize who to steer clear of.

I was wondering NF - what got you interested in antisocial and psycopathic behaviors? Do you have past experience with someone who has these traits? I became interested in this personality type because I know someone who has some of these traits and because I saw a special where it talked about an area of the brain that lacks the capacity to feel empathy. I wondered is a person is born like this or could it be from some neglect in early childhood? it's well known if a child suffers severe psychological neglect their brains don't develope to full capacity. So my question to the experts is - is a psychopath or antisocial person born with this problem(is it geneticly linked) or is this something due to lack of developement from a deprived childhood? I really would like to know, is a person born with this or does it develope in early childhood??

The expert in this area would be Dr. Richard Hare. He is at the University of British Columbia. He has spent over 20 years studying and researching Psychopathy. He is also known for his diagnostic criterion for the DSM IV. He also developed the diagnostic instructions for both testing procedures and training those who administer the test. My brother shows traits as well as his daughter. My brother was anything but neglected, his daughter is not receiving the emotional support she needs, just given toys and sent off to boarding school. I feel in love with someone with every trait; 8 felonies, lies, cheats, has an organized form of stealing, addicted to booze and coke, many lovers at the same time, revocation of parole. He was shallow, showed false charm. I let him seduce me and I'm gay! On the difference between sociopaths and psychopathy, not sure in my research but psychopaths are born, sociopaths are a product of their environment. Beware of Sam Vankin, a self proclaimed narcissist who has many websites.

yeah my dad is a sociopath. mom told me it was incurable...even with meds. Thats what her cousin told her (psychiatrist). So my mom left my dad.

NuckingFutz, what's the difference between psychopaths & sociopaths?
Myers wrote that there's a difference between psychopaths & people with ASPD. (???)

I'm too lazy to go to Dr. Hare's site. Could someone please explain?

I am really confused.

Having a few problems tonight. I will have to gracefully bow out for now. I know one is born that way and the other has environmental factors mixed in. Working on this is bringing up some really bad memories for me. A nice hot bath and some hot tea in the good china are calling to me.

ASPDs are a product of their childhood. Their mommies were crack addicts, or their daddies were alcoholics, and they lost sight of why it is they should follow the order of hypocrites. What they didn't realize is that those hypocrite parental figures aren't the only ones doling out punishment. The justice system fancies it as well. Their behavior is learned. They were privileged with every ability to feel love, to care for others, to understand - truly understand - right from wrong. They just ignore it.

Psychopaths, on the other hand, we're a product only of God's twisted sense of humor. Our amoral nature is inherit, and something never to be changed, even when reared in a loving home. And, unlike our lesser counterparts, we were stricken with the inability to ever know love, or to give affection for another human being. To us, emotion, real heartfelt emotion, is nothing more than an elusive myth. And for those who dare attempt to care about us, their lives will bear the brunt of our hatred for humanity... because, in the end, all we have to give is a deep-seated core of rage and pain!

Thanks for explaining this so well Myers. So how have you managed to function with your wife and in society. Do you feel love for her and new baby or do you just like them? Do you feel bad when you hear about someone who was killed? How does society and caregivers help a person like yourself? Is it, you can learn the rules of adapting to society but you just can't feel the emotions? Please know I'm only trying to understand and not interrogating - this is interesting. Is there any treatment or way to make others parts of the brain compensate for the faulty part, that doesn't feel empathy??

very well put and i could completely follow everything you said, myers. thank you for the descriptions.

You're welcome. I've managed by learning to control my impulses. And, being open with my wife and friends, I don't have to live a nomadic lifestyle like most psychopaths do. When the mask starts to slip, they understand and are able to help me with it.

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Do you feel love for her and new baby or do you just like them?

No, I don't love them. I can't. At least, I can't love them anymore than you could love ... a car. I can have a desire for it, but there's no real emotional attachment. I shouldn't say that, I know some people who have a disturbingly deep emotional attachment to their cars... I've really come to like 'em though.

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Do you feel bad when you hear about someone who was killed?

Usually not, but it depends. I care about people to the equivalent of the convenience they give me. Like one of my aunts... She was a sarcastic, funny woman, and I enjoyed talking to her. I wouldn't say I was grief-stricken over her death, but I missed the pleasure of her company.

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How does society and caregivers help a person like yourself?

They don't. With all psychopaths, as soon as they (therapist, psych hospital, etc.) know what they have on their hands, they cut 'em lose as quickly as possible. They are doing experimental treatment, but until there's any real success, that's how it's going to be.

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Is it, you can learn the rules of adapting to society but you just can't feel the emotions?

Yeah, basically. The more intelligent psychopaths are the ones who are better able to mimic normal behavior and control their impulses. Still, even with the most intelligent psychopaths, the mask does slip and people do realize what they are, which is why a nomadic lifestyle is often necessary.

The less intelligent psychopaths are more likely to end up in jail and studied by researchers like Dr. Hare.

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Is there any treatment or way to make others parts of the brain compensate for the faulty part, that doesn't feel empathy??

I've heard of an experimental treatment that stimulates areas of the brain, but there's no evidence as of yet that it's beneficial. And I'm against a cure for psychopathy. A sudden onslaught of emotion to a person who previously had none can be detrimental to that person's health.

Thanks you very much Meyers for answering all of my nosey(lol) questions so thoroughly. I became interested in this, when I saw a special on Tv about psychopaths, primarily criminal ones. I was amazed to learn, that when their brains were scanned - they all showed the same area in the brain that was different. This was a lightbulb moment for me but also a biytersweet one as well. What I mean is - society has generally felt that psychopaths are evil, somehow by choice and if they ony would be better people -they could change. This medical evidence dispells the myth that psycholpaths are evil by 'choice'. The bittersweet part is, so far the medical community can't fix this with any therapy or rehabilitation process. I think it's great you recognise your triggers and have a supportive family who reminds you to take notice of your behavior. Thanks for helping us understand what most of us are afraid to contemplate.

thanks myers

Thanks, Myers. Very interesting to hear your perspective, & to learn about this. It sounds like you're struggling with this, & I praise you for making the effort.

Good question Lynn. I supect it's a little bit of both. I'm pretty sure my younger brother was a sociopath. He never seem to care truly about anyone but himself.
As for antisocial personality disorder. How much of it is a disorder and how many people that are diagnosed with it are actually people who don't care for society in general because of the way it treats people who don't fit into the white hetrosexual male norm?

Michele, APD is a sociopath. They have no feelings so they do not care how others treat them. They just dump them and move on.

my sister is a sociopath. hence my apparently hugely JERK-like initial thread post here.

i don't really know how to place my feeling abou tthe topic.

did you guys see the house episode? and if you did, what did you think of how psycopaths were portrayed?

I did. It was one of the best portrayals of a psychopath I've seen yet, even if the other medical theories were a little spotty. The way she was able to change her persona in an instant was brilliant. And how she was able to get into thirteen's head like that... She was kind of cute too...