Psychopath or Sociopath?

Potayto, potahto right?

If you “Google it” you’ll probably realize that many people use the terms interchangeably.

This is most likely due to the fact that both psychopaths and sociopaths are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) according to the DSM-V.

When a psychiatrist diagnoses either a psychopath or sociopath there are many common traits they use to undoubtedly diagnose this person with ASPD. Why have two terms if they are both diagnosed under the same disorder in the DSM-V?

Your typical psychopath, as we’ve learned previously, lacks a conscience. This means he won’t feel bad stealing or physically hurting others, although he can do a very good job pretending to. Psychopaths don’t have the same regard for others as we do; they see others as objects they can “play” with. These are the murderers, cult leaders and school shooters you see on TV. Thankfully, these very violent crimes are rare. Typically, psychopaths plan crimes that are more similar to fraud or manipulation.

Here’s the kicker, psychopaths are also the ones that blend into society, hiding behind the mask they show people every day. Remember Ted Bundy? He was charming, well spoken and charismatic; all qualities of the typical psychopath. These qualities, in addition to their lack of empathy and conscience, lead them to manipulative behaviors without remorse.

Psychopaths are always psychopaths, and have always been psychopaths.

Their genetic traits and neurology are different from ours, resulting in the lack of empathy which makes their abnormal behaviors visible from a very young age.

They are also born with traits such as impulsiveness and fearlessness.

On the other hand, sociopaths often become sociopaths through their upbringing. Negative environmental factors like difficult childhoods, poverty or delinquent peers lead these people to shut down and become a sociopathic.

Sociopaths typically do have a conscience but it’s not as prominent as yours and mine.

Unlike psychopaths, sociopaths let their true selves through a little more; they are often disorganized and easily annoyed. Although these people are less likely to kill you, you are also less likely to invite them to a friendly gathering. For these reasons, sociopaths have a hard time holding up a job or even a home.

Simply put, the psychopath is the one you should be wary of, but the sociopath is the one you’ll most likely notice. They both lack the ability to understand how others feel, lack a moral compass and lack our general sense of disgust, which leads us to turn away. Fortunately, both psychopaths and sociopaths can be treated with therapy and medication if properly diagnosed.

The similar traits and treatment methods lead psychiatrists to not bother differentiating between the congenital psychopath and the environmentally caused sociopath, classifying both under Antisocial Personality Disorder.

However, this lack of distinction has also lead to a lack of consensus concerning which measures to use. Many of these problems come from the larger issue of disagreement in the definition of these disorders.

So if the terms psychopath and sociopath are used interchangeably, and there are still disagreements in the definitions of the terms themselves, we’re back to…

Tomayto or tomahto?

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Bonn, S. A. (2014) How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath [2015/03/11] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath

Diffen. Psychopath vs. Sociopath [2015/03/11] http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath

Kelly, D. (2013) The Difference Between Psychopaths and Sociopaths [2015/03/11] http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/11/03/the-difference-between-psychopaths-and-sociopaths/

Lilienfeld, S. O. (1994) Conceptual problems in the assessment of psychopathy. Clinical Psychology Review, 14, 17–38.