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June DeLacey
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Question Apr 22, 2020 at 07:31 PM
  #1
Hey all! I was curious about if and how those of you with ASPD develop a moral code. I talked to a friend with ASPD who felt very strongly that he had a strict moral code that he would not break, and that it was just as valid as a person's would be who does experience empathy. Do you have anything similar?

As someone who experiences excessive empathy, it's hard for me to imagine acting in ways that aren't governed by empathy. I don't know if I'll be able to quite "get it," but I'd like to come to have some greater understanding of what this is like.
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Smile Apr 23, 2020 at 02:20 PM
  #2
Hello June DeLacey: I don't believe I could be diagnosed as having ASPD. So I can't really comment on your post. But I noticed this is your first post here on PC. So I thought I would at least welcome you to Psych Central.

Actually, as another member commented a while back (in a post in this forum I believe) there don't tend to be many members here on PC who actually have a diagnosis of ASPD because people with that disorder tend to quickly run afoul of the Community Guidelines & get kicked off the site.

I've never actually received anything in the way of a genuine diagnosis myself although I've been kicking around the mental health care system where I live for over 20 years. So I have no idea what some mental health professional might suggest for me in the way of a diagnosis. But I think I pretty clearly have some narcissistic traits, although I doubt I could be diagnosed as having NPD either.

I am an atheist. I accept the explanation for the existence of life on earth that is provided by the theory of evolution. And, that being the case, I have no basis upon which to formulate a moral code. And I myself don't really have one other than that I don't think I would ever kill someone or commit a serious crime... that sort of thing.

I have from time-to-time though toyed with the idea of whether or not there could be such a thing as a spirituality of oblivion... in other words... a spirituality (which presumably would include some sort of moral code) based on the fact that there is no such entity as god & human beings are just another species of animal that happened to evolve on earth. I don't have an answer for that. But I thought, since you raised the question of people with ASPD having moral codes, I would share these thoughts with you.

Anyway... thanks for posting this question here on PC. I enjoyed replying to it. I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

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Default Apr 25, 2020 at 03:21 PM
  #3
Quote:
Originally Posted by June DeLacey View Post
Hey all! I was curious about if and how those of you with ASPD develop a moral code. I talked to a friend with ASPD who felt very strongly that he had a strict moral code that he would not break, and that it was just as valid as a person's would be who does experience empathy. Do you have anything similar?
To answer your question, I don't.
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Default May 20, 2020 at 10:12 PM
  #4
Full disclosure, I have not been diagnosed with ASPD officially. According to the Levenson Psychopathy Scale, I scored higher than 77% of people taking the test for primary psychopathic traits and 91% higher for secondary psychopathic traits. I was a bit surprised, but only due to various people always insisting what a good person I am because they don't know any better.

Anyway, I do have a pretty strong moral code. Mine is built on utilitarianism. I did not intentionally set out to make it so, I just learned in an ethics class about various moral philosophies and recognized that I work from a utilitarian perspective. The caveat is that there are certain areas where I hold a double standard - I may view something as morally wrong, but only when others do it. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say I just don't care if I do certain things which I consider to be "wrong." However, I think that's how most people are, I'm just more self aware about my own hypocrisy. My lack of empathy makes the double standard feel acceptable to me. But those are the exceptions and not the rule. I don't just throw morals by the wayside if they're inconvenient, either. I don't eat animals due to my moral beliefs, and that is often inconvenient.

ETA - I am an atheist as well and I disagree that atheists have no basis for a moral code. Deontological morals are but one philosophy.

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