Sociopathy (Psychopathy)

The Defining characteristic of the narcissist is grandiosity. The narcissist is more likely to be attention seeking, envious and to desire admiration.

The defining characteristic of the sociopath/psychopath is callousness. The sociopath/psychopath is more likely to engage in illegal activity, to be aggressive, impulsive and deceitful.

All sociopaths are narcissistic but plain narcissists are not also sociopaths

A psychopath is more likely to use violence rather then the narcissist.

Narcissist is not as "bad" as the psychopath.

Disorganized Episodic Aggression: (psychopath-born)

Organized Sociopathic Hatred: (sociopath-made)

Ritualistic behaviorSuperficial charm and "good" intelligenceAttempts to conceal mental instabilityAbsence of delusions and other signs of irrational behaviorCompulsivityAbsence of "nervousness" or psychoneurotic manifestationsPeriodic search for helpunreliabilitySevere memory disorders and an inability to tell the truthuntruthfulness and insinceritySuicidal tendencieslack of remorse or shameHistory of committing assaultinadequately motivatedantisocial behaviorHypersexuality and abnormal sexual behaviorpoor judgment and failure to learn by experienceHead injuries; injuries suffered at birthpathological egocentricity and incapacity for loveHistory of chronic drug or alcohol abusegeneral poverty in major affective reactionsParents with history of chronic drug or alcohol abusespecific loss of insightVictim of childhood physical or mental abuseunresponsiveness in general interpersonal relationsResult of an unwanted pregnancyfantastic and uninviting behavior with and sometimes without drinkProduct of a difficult gestation for mothersuicide rarely carried outUnhappiness in childhood resulted in inability to find happinesssex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integratedExtraordinary cruelty to animalsfailure to follow any life planAttraction to arson without homicidal interest

Symptoms of neurological impairment

Evidence of genetic disorder

Biochemical symptoms

Feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy

The parent must recognize and seek help for the child, usually on recommendation of teachers and other professionals in the school system. This cannot be diagnosed by an untrained person.

One specialist is Dr. Robert Hare of Canada; he has developed a specialized type of therapy that will help child psychopaths (sociopaths) veer off the destructive path and have the best life the illness allows! Arguably, he is the ONLY one who knows how to train therapists to deal with sociopaths, and has a special type of therapy developed for children with this devastating mental illness. See his BOOK, "Without Conscience," available at online bookshops, and you'll be able to understand much more.

Here are three very different opinions from FAQ Farmers:

* Be careful that you are not confusing social anxiety with sociopathy. Social Anxiety is technically classified as a disorder, but think of it like a symptom. Don't try to get rid of the social anxiety. Find out what is causing it before you try to overcome it.

* "Sociopath" is a misleading word: it implies a disorder, something wrong and unnatural with the person, and this couldn't be further from the truth. We, the people you refer to as sociopaths, have nothing wrong with us. (That, while arguably true from a sociopath's perspective, does not mean one should not do something about the situation. "Sociopaths" can be quite damaging to those around them). Just as science understands that epilepsy is not demonic possession, that people with dissociative conditions are not harboring ghosts or devils in their bodies, and that depression is not a "deadly sin," it would and will be able to prove that sociopathy happens for a reason and that it can be dealt with. Sociopaths do very bad things. But branding them all "pure evil" isn't going to help anyone. It's just more hate.

ANSWER:

Yes a woman can become a Sociopath, even a man. This will depends on what kind of background a person have. People that become this sick has pattern and sometimes it does start when they are young. They probably got hurt, or worst so when someone become this way the only thing we all can do is medication , understanding, support, and love..

Answer

I am sorry that you are in this situation. Escaping a sociopath can be both a scary and a dangerous action. Please proceed with caution. Do not react on impulse (ie. suddenly, when you are enraged), as this will carry more risks. If you are living with the sociopath then you need to make plans about where you are going to go, your income, etc. A sociopath can become unexpectedly aggressive when he feels that his power over you has become compromised. For this reason, make sure that you are with somebody that you trust. They will be much less likely to attack you is you do not stay alone, and that friend may be able to call for help if he does arrive with malicious intent.

When you are safe, find some way to tell him to stay away from you, and hold true to your word. Then, make sure that you are around people at all times, and if he has been aggressive in the past; you may want to inform the police of the situation. They may be able to provide you with some options.

That is an interesting topic though. Can people be taught to have a conscience?

I would be interested to know if that is actually true, that they are a lost cause. I tend to have hope that all human beings can get help and evolve. Granted, it may take A LOT of work, a lot of conditioning, but aren't people essentially malleable and able to be affected, thus changed? We still don't know what creates a sociopath. There are theories. But I've heard people say sociopaths or ASD is caused by abuse in childhood and I tend to doubt that. Is there any research to back it up? It could just as easily be neurological disorders. Who knows. Perhaps there will be viable treatments in the future once they understand the cause of their condition. The more important question may be what can You do to help yourself if you are living with a sociopath. My father is one, so I speak from first hand experience when I say it's true they will Never feel remorse for the abuse they dish out. If they do apologize it is always insincere and has an ulterior motive. It is incredibly difficult and unhealthy to live with a sociopath. They will behave abominably and blame you, and you will either have to learn to put up with it..or leave. Simple as that.

Another viewpoint:

Sociopaths, along with other "hopeless cases" like people with Alzheimer's disease, Down Syndrome, Asperger's, ADD, ADHD, autism, and the schizophrenias, along with more common disorders such as depression and addiction, and so on, are a mystery, but scientists have a way of hammering away at mysteries until they unravel them, and they are well on their way to the core of this one.

If one says that sociopaths aren't worth helping, one rather misses the point, after all. The price the world pays for not being able to help these unhappy people is incalculable.

But it also shows the hopelessness that sociopaths/psychopaths and their behavior make many people feel, itself a mirror-image of the emptiness and meaninglessness that hide always within the psychopath.

To counter that hopelessness, please know these two incontrovertible points: (1)no, the sociopath who hurt you isn't genuinely happy; (2) yes, the massive population of sociopaths the world over will be able to be treated before long, and possibly the first threads of that are already starting now.

If one says that sociopaths aren't worth helping, one rather misses the point, after all. The price the world pays for not being able to help these people is incalculable. Euthanasia isn't the answer. There are people (whose consciences I really must wonder about) who suggest that all the sociopaths that can be located and diagnosed by the authorities should be gathered up whether or not they've done anything wrong yet, and killed en masse (shades of World War Two, but with a different group of people). This is appalling, for reasons I hope I don't really need to explain!

But it also shows the hopelessness that sociopaths and their behavior make many people feel.

To counter that hopelessness, please know these two incontrovertible points: (1) no, the sociopath who hurt you isn't happy; (2) yes, the massive population of sociopaths the world over will be able to be treated before long, and possibly the first threads of that are already starting now.

True that most if not all sociopaths are firmly within the definition most everyone else has of "evil" -- but also true that it is a neurological problem to start with; over the years from infancy to adulthood, a person born this way learns nothing about connecting with people and everything about manipulating them. Empty and unable to change that circumstance, sociopaths drift aimlessly around, occasionally colliding with other people and causing damage. They return again and again to new people, but cannot get anything satisfying from their parasitic contact (they'd make lousy vampires if such things existed!), and so, drift on...

But "society" -- specifically, some neuroscientists -- may soon be capable of changing that, of freeing sociopaths from that trap and sparing the people who would otherwise get hurt by them. First of all, the parts of the brain that are silent in sociopaths and not in normal people can be awakened, although the resulting maelstrom of response would have to be carefully managed in a controlled setting. Secondly, it's been proven now beyond the hint of a remaining doubt that the patterns learned in early life are not as "fixed" in the adult brain as was once thought: even people in their sixties and seventies can change the courses taken by information in the brain, as work with stroke survivors has proven.

What no sociopath can do on his or her own, not too far in the future, neuroscientists can do.

But this would entail a lengthy in-patient stay.

With no knowledge of how to cope with the emotions the rest of the world has been dealing with all their lives, the recovering sociopath would be rendered as vulnerable as a baby. Which makes sense, because some of the most basic aspects of the human mind would be developing from the primordial stasis in which they had remained since birth!

A person thus treated would never be fully normal, but the human brain is amazing in the way it adapts and continues to develop all through life.

And given the utterly joyless and meaningless existence a sociopath leads, any genuine improvement is better than none.

But until neuroscientists can alter the thinking of a sociopath remember this: "No life is ever a total waste; it can always serve as a bad example." Anna Valerious.

Sociopathscrave victims and narcissists need people to feed their self importance.

Yes, but they get bored very easily. Once they've had their fun they'll dump you. It's like eating a bag of crisps, for them: once it's empty, you throw the packet away. You're not "fun" any more. They crave victims but unfortunately there is no shortage of people who'll fall for that warmth and charmth.