sociopath vs psychopath

I heard somewhere that a
sociopath can feel emotions such as empathy and guilt for others but they chose to ignore it.
Psychopaths can not feel emotions at all as there is damage in their brains.
If this is true then isnt the sociopath more bad then the psychopath as sociopaths chose to ignore while the psychopath has a brain malfunction that stops them feelin

Sociopath is not an actual term used in psychiatry or psychology. It is a social term which usually implies a more severe form of ASPD. People with ASPD can usually feel some range of affective responses but are usually: Indifferent, process it logically versus emotionally, &/or it is too fleeting to take much notice of. At least that's what I have noticed. But I might be different because I'm also schizoaffective? My "emotions" don't really register on their own -- It is a response to events or thoughts. And even at that, they have to be extreme or they make no dent, but then very quickly subside. I can't even hold a grudge. It's not that I forgive anyone for being an asshole, but I just don't see any benefit in continuing to be pissed off. I can't muster the energy.

Apologies for the block text & if it was slightly incoherent. I'm tired.

Ok thank you for explaining stuff.

That's just my personal experience & what I have understood through research, so don't take it as gospel. But it's more reputable than all of the "ASPD victims" websites that assume all we do with our time is plot about how to **** up everyone's day.

Oh... I was expecting a cage fight...

was you lol.whys that

sociopath vs psychopath

HAHAHAHA that would be kind of hilarious.

Personally, I don't believe it's so black and white. I don't think one is worse than the other, in my opinion both are horrible given that both can be extremely hurtful to anyone in different scenarios.

I found a very interesting article about it once: http://helpingpsychology.com/sociopa...the-difference

Basically there is more than one area to evaluate once you come down to it. When I've tried to understand from the mental evaluation is difficult to understand how someone could just not know feelings. And from a criminal point of view, it is absolutely scary how someone who can feel no guilt or remorse is truly capable of.

"Both are horrible given that both ca be extremely hurtful to anyone in different scenarios."
How do you suggest that this doesn't apply to ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE on the planet?

Everyone is capable of injuring other people. Even those with alleged moral structures. If they don't THINK they did something wrong, or it abides by some precept of social acceptability, then it's magically alright for them. No responsibility necessary.
Unfortunately, people under the blanket of ASPD don't have that luxury. We are automatically grouped into monsters because we don't have a moral structure to hide behind when we do something everyone else thinks is "bad" or "wrong". We have to take the blame for society's faults because people are deluded into thinking they are innocent based on a subjective rulebook of right/wrong.

We pretty much just have logic & impulse. I suppose that's close enough to right/wrong? We have a capacity for logic, but the impulse is ingrained into our beings. Not everyone is able to live in logic. Not everyone is able to attach enough meaning to even logic in order to abide by it...
So it seems an unfair judgement to blame someone for what they are incapable of, or incapable of understanding. It's like blaming a mentally retarded person for not understanding basic arithmetic & then proceeding to punish them for it. It makes no sense. It's like blaming you for your PTSD & the reactions from it even though you didn't actively cause it.

</rant>

I was referring to:

I didn't particularly use the word "bad" but "horrible" instead. So in a way, my intention was to agree with Kazza in that either situation of knowingly so and not caring, or just no caring at all are both rather off.

It goes beyond just an opinion, it is a fact it is a dangerous condition. For example everyone can physically hurt anyone, yet it has been proved that those with anger management issues are more likely to become physical when dealing with stressful situations, unlike others that do not show problems controlling stress. It goes along the same line of thought when it comes to criminal profiling, which both sociopathy and psychopathy seem to be common.

In any random social situation, mental conditions are something that sets us apart from anyone else. There's a reason why, at least legally in a work enviroment, for example.

And yes, the fact that I've got PTSD doesn't mean anything because whether I like it or not I am responsible if I were to commit a crime. Anyone is, regardless of the result of any legal proceeding. I am responsible of whatever episode or stupidity I do or say whether I intended it or not. Let's say I kill someone while having an episode, I doubt the Judge or anyone else would go like "Aww, but she's got PTSD". Whatever the outcome of the final decision: it was an accident, it was self defense, etc; I will have to answer for what I did.

"Blaming someone" mentally retarded of not understanding Math is somewhat pointless (and far from what my comment was about), but if they were to let's say they would rape a kid, then this is something outside himself how it does damage others. By law, this is something relevant and it does become a problem.

I may come off as cynical and it's got nothing to do with you, or anyone in this forum.

By everyone else's standards? We are responsible. It's confining, annoying, & unnecessary but I grapple to pretend I understand it. But truthfully? Someone with bipolar is more likely to physically injure someone in a mixed mood fit than a sociopath would on a regular day, but that is just my presumption. People are inconsequential, yet everyone is under the flawed impression we spend every waking moment, stalking like lions until we find a victim... Anyone who may get caught in the crossfire is mere happenstance. And if someone didn't want to live a long life at the hands of the legal system? Like pretty much all of us in our right minds? We find the best possible margin between satiating whatever need (money, sex, etc) & that harms the other person as little as possible, objectively.
How else are we supposed to stay under the radar? If we all just "came out" in such a blatant fashion, no one would be huddled in a corner, afraid of becoming a victim. There wouldn't need to be websites for victims because they could just be avoided. Not all of us are Ted Bundy or whatever stereotype you people have in your heads. Same general premise, as it IS limited to diagnostic features, but we don't cease to be individuals based on a simple personality defect. I understand your cynicism, but you can't simply generalise an entire group of people because there have been bad experiences. No one has bothered to compile a list of antisocials/psychopaths that have made positive contributions to the world. So you're not the only cynic. You're just following society &, as someone who fits there, I can't blame you for that decision. I just thought people would practice discretion.

Again, apologies, writing this from an iPod & I haven't the foggiest on how to go back & reformat!

I think we're talking about apples and oranges here. But I've got nothing to do today, so I'll bite.

Either you understand it or you don't. There are no grey areas there. You may no want to accept it, but that doesn't exclude you that if you intend to live in a society full of whatever you may want to label it, you must follow rules in order to live together.

And in my most absolute and biased corner I have not just survived a psychopath, but I have heard about this endlessly from psychiatrists, psychologists, two different law firms, an entire police department (who happened to be very repetitive and blunt) and different specialist in the matter due to it was part of my "tortured path into healing" from my psychiatrist. The one that was recommended to me by my attorney. So maybe it's just me? or maybe I'm just brainwashed on the topic by everyone else. Who knows.

So call it what you will, but yeah. I think I may believe everyone needs to be accountable for what they do, regardless of their label, mental condition or social status.


Someone bipolar does experience mood swings yet according to the nerdy guys who happened to spend a lifetime making money out of labeling things, the whole "experiencing feelings" part makes it as day and night in whether who would be most likely to act upon a situation like that, but I guess everyone is entitled to think whatever they must.

To psychopaths there is not such word as victims, so this is the part where I truly understood we're talking about different things here.

I want to move there. Sounds nice.

I'm sorry you consider a diagnosis a personality defect. That sounds rare for someone with psychopath traits to even consider that. I'd say it just makes you different, clearly with much more awareness of your health in particular. That's the way I'd see it.

Sorry, but I fail to see how we are reaching any sort of understanding here. I am just giving you text book and you fight it like I just made it up, well sorry, that is not the case.

Not sure if it's that I can't make myself clear enough or that this is a touchy subject it seems? Either way, I will just agree to disagree with you because I can only put together so much energy at all these days.


Having traits of such doesn't make someone one. But it is rather obvious that if this antisocial cares this much about society or what it thinks of one, this person is by far, the most unique antisocial there is. Truly special.

And thank you for saying I fit into society, very sweet of you. I've paid quite the amount of money to be taught how to mimic normalcy once again. Good it's finally giving results

Shayatanica - First of all, one of the diagnostic criteria of AsPD is irresponsibility. A "responsible" sociopath or psychopath seems to be somewhat of an oxymoron, don't you think? Next you presume that people with bipolar are possibly more physically dangerous. Let's for a moment say okay, maybe people going through an extreme state could physically injure someone, what about the fact that people with AsPD are well known to manipulate and torment people? Some now days might argue mental anguish is more scarring than physical.

Generally speaking I haven't come across people assuming that AsPD and predator like behaviour go together, although there's certainly a negative view in general for a reason. You yourself just showed some casual disregard for the law as if it should be a normalcy (and as someone with a heavy interest in politics and current events, I can get certain disagreements with the law but somehow I get the inclining you aren't going to be debating about union rights or foreign affairs) and even go on to show people as "mere happenstance" should they get "caught in the crossfire." Furthermore you go on to say that you find the "best possible margin between satiating whatever need that harms the other person as little as possible." Let's look at the disturbing part of that. You're not aiming for your goals whilst avoiding harming others, since people just "happenstance" in those occurrence.

So you know what? Maybe most of you aren't Ted Bundy. In fact, statistically speaking (the ones that have been tracked since for the most part they're under the radar) many people with AsPD are successful people in society. But guess what? You just went on to show why so many people view people with AsPD in a dim light to say the least. And guess what, there aren't really any known AsPDers that have made positive contributions to the world. So in any event based on what you just said, the diagnostic criteria for the disorder, and lack of psychopaths, I think certain generalizations are fair based on what we do know.

I like how people think they have any right to just decide what other's are like. Apparently someone can tell me what it feels like to be bipolar cos they read it somewhere or they had a run in with a bp'er at some stage. Hehe nice, guess there's no such thing as individuality afterall then.((((((Shay))))))

The way I see it it happened this way. From the start, one assumed a psychopath was in some way "evil" and born that way. Then came the 70s, and everything was society's fault, so society must have created the psychopath that somehow got renamed sociopath.

After that, people used the concepts that were meant to be a replacement, side by side, since they thought they saw two kinds of antisocials. Those who were highly intelligent, with no obvious harmful background, planning and not especially impulsive, and hiding anger, and those with a poor or abusive background, often unintelligent and very impulsive, showing anger.

It seems now, those distinctions aren't especially productive, since people well can have traits from both brands. And from what we know today, psychopaths do have a brain that differs from "normals", that they can get worse by abuse and a good childhood can mitigate the psychopathic tendencies. So it is probably good to maybe not use two different terms. Many people want to keep the term psychopath, and I can see why they want to sort of out of diagnostic manuals, make it a subtype to antisocial personality, since you can be antisocial without being a psychopath.

Personally I understand why people want to do that, but also I think the word psychopath is a non word. The pure meaning of it is just a pathology of the psyche, meaning mentally ill. It is not very descriptive. I also think some other names from the past are quite bothersome, such as schizophrenia, meaning split mind which is not very accurate, and borderline, like between what and what?

The debate not concerning the OP, I leave to others,

1982: Some do understand it, some don't. Like any other problem, it seems to wrest on a spectrum. ASPD, sociopathy, & psychopathy.
I'm not looking to attack you. I really DON'T find it in my best interests to start **** with people because I have had enough conflict in my existence to choke myself with it. So this isn't really a personal attack, though I'm sure your perceptions might differ. I know as well as anyone else that there are some vile ****ing assholes out there. And you know what? I'm not seeking to deprive them of their own responsibility. The **** they start & their eventual consequence has no bearing on my life...
But it's just really agitating to have a label placed on you & you are viewed as one in the same, regardless which area of the spectrum one is on. If I happened to commit a crime? I would get a LOT more years than a neurotypical person would for the same exact crime. I would be "more" guilty of a crime just because I have a diagnostic label stuck on me. Whether the crime was victimless, I would get more years/months. Whether I wasn't even guilty, no one would bother collecting more evidence because society would love to keep more of us behind bars.
Well, I also have symptoms of bipolar disorder & the majority of both sides of my family are bipolar, so I'm somewhat speaking from experience on that note. Not everyone's experience, but from my own personal database of knowledge. And a mixed episode/full-blown manic episode is much more uncontrollable than any normal day.
We all know what legal people have to say about psychopaths/sociopaths/antisocials. Just google search & you'll find a plethora of what has been observed. Most, if not all of the research, takes place in prisons. So there is already a bias towards the convicted felons that also so happen to be afflicted. This doesn't take into mind those of us that have managed to scrape by reluctantly & avoid either criminal behaviour OR avoid getting caught for it... So how many people, how many individual personalities are we not taking into account? Speaking for myself, I know of two others who are very much like me & leading fruitful lives. One of them works for the government.
And yes, awareness is a very big part of keeping oneself in line. That's why there is a forum here... There are some times where we need help with an issue. There are some times where we need to just talk to someone about the **** on our minds that isn't going to immediately cringe & judge how we live our lives. Just because we were born or bred in some fashion, we aren't allowed the decency of our own perspective because everyone else has a problem with it.
I'm not fighting the textbook or what has been researched. I recognise that it applies to most; but if we all lived by a textbook, we'd be overlooking a great deal of information. & Someone has to be my own advocate... Psychiatrists & psychologists dump us aside, whether we need/want help with the personal problems it causes or not. I can't even get proper care for my other MH issues because they thought I was making it all up to get drugs! Hahahah it's nearly hilarious.
Agree to disagree is good enough for me. I like intellectual debate. And hopefully you came out of this with some new information? Everything you said TRULY isn't news to me. I did all my research. I'm tired of reading the same exact thing over & over again, it's enough to make me nauseas. So it's not that I'm fighting the facts -- I'm fighting the concreteness of said facts & the reality that not everyone is form-fit into the same construct.

TheDragon: I realise that... I wasn't saying we feel we SHOULD be responsible. But by now, I recognise that society feels very differently about my actions. Does that mean I like it or always follow it? No. But all it takes is simple observation to see how everyone else goes about their business.
And yes, we're known to manipulate & torment. Some are worse on this note. I'm not going to pretend I haven't bee guilty as charged, so I'm not arguing your point... But regular people are just as capable of manipulation. The frequency in which it happens or the motivation for it are vastly different, but it's incredibly common. People like to forget that fact when they think someone else's behaviour is "worse". Ultimately, you're still very capable of harming someone. Shouldn't that still be taken into account?
You'd be surprised. A great deal of people group ASPD & Sadistic Personality Disorder together so much so that the line is very much blurred. I'm not particularly sadistic. I just go about my business & make as little noise as possible... But yes, you called me out correctly. I cannot always recognise when I make such statements, since I don't have the same filter as regular people do to realise when something I say is or isn't acceptable. [I do however have some strong political views on socialism, but those opinions personally serve me from how I grew up & continue to live. ; )]
If it disturbed you, that wasn't my intention. You came here of your own volition, knowing there was going to more than likely be debatable content. It's not my responsibility to change my opinions so that it's easier for other people to swallow... But I'm pretty sure it's at least a little better to actively avoid people, knowing the behaviours I am predisposed to, than repetitively throwing myself into interpersonal situations in which I might feel myself at liberty to inadvertently harm someone?
And I do have goals. Not a great deal of them & I am known to procrastinate, but I have a pretty good idea of where I'd like to be in the future... This, however, is probably a personal quirk gained from the counterexamples I grew up with in life. I'd like an intellectually challenging career with awesome pay & very little human interaction! I think I can cope with university long enough to be set for the rest of my life.
Well, the nazis invented methadone which is responsible for the rehabilitation of opiate addicts around the world. They invented the Volkswagen. They heavily supported animal conservation, welfare programs, & anti-tobacco causes. They were a major contributor to IBM which has served to create the computer technologies we are relying on at this very moment. They're evil & horrible, right? Perhaps not everything is so black/white. I'm not a skinhead or racist [I'm actually a minority], but isn't it funny how any small bit of positivity magically makes no difference in the midst of events that negatively appeal to emotions? Has anyone ever served to entertain that this might not be so different than the blind judgement we all are subject to, regardless of our personal behaviours?

Trippin: If the bipolar part negatively impacted you, that wasn't my intention. I was just attempting to make a point... I know you & a majority of the BP forum wouldn't hurt a fly! ****. It would make me so happy to prove all of these people wrong & laugh in their faces once I conduct my own research after I get my degree. At least my grandiosity would be justified. ; )
You know what I think it is? It's a logical fallacy called "appeal to the majority". Just because 90% of people who are X have done all kinds of bad ****, the other 10% are expected to take responsibility for everyone else's shortcomings... It's really ****ing annoying & close-minded. There aren't a lot of things that actively piss me off, but close-mindedness is one of them. It's a form of stupidity that even gets its own fan club!! Hahaha
Thanks for the hugs, sweetheart. Send me by a personal message & let me know how you've been doing if you'd like!

Jimrat: I really like the way you phrased that! And it rings very, very true. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

hey sweets my bipolar bit in my post was in 100% support with what you stated. Oops, should've made that clear I feel the same way about close-mindedness,it urks me, but apparently it's socially acceptable, hehe I did not know this! Will drop u a pm as soon as I figure out this phone

Where has reason gone?

Funny, the posts in this thread made me ask the same question. As well as 'where's Mike?...

I've been away. Searching for spirituality, to no avail. How have you been?

me? I've been ecstatic,angry,annoyed and sad. The usual erratic bipolar pendulum,but I started a new job today, so it should even out And you? How have you been? Spirituality's strange hey, while you were searching for yours I've been discarding mine... Not very successfully tho, need to strategize