On the subject of sociopaths again....?

Question

I saw another question regarding sociopaths and like to get a little more info on them. Are they usually highly intuitive and brilliant people?Also, for the ones that aren't serial killers or anything of the sorts,what kind of things do they usually pull off to be considerd a sociopath?If i'm correct,alot of them are highly successful people who are good at getting what they want.Correct?

Answer 1

Sociopaths are known to be quick and witty, but do not confuse that with brilliance. They lie about their abilities and accomplishments, and make themselves sound more important and interesting than they truly are. If a sociopath really is successful, it's usually through someone else's money, plan, or ideas.

They ignore personal responsibilities, have no sense of guilt, manipulate others (using fake emotions or even violence), do not feel emotions as a "normal" person would (does not become embarrassed, nervous, or afraid), exhibit "dare devil" behavior, and lack self-control.

Not all sociopaths end up as serial killers, but many find themselves in trouble with the law...fraud, domestic abuse, shady business practices, etc. They often neglect their families emotionally and financially, cheat on their spouse, spend money frivolously, and other things one may consider immoral.

Answer 2

There is a great book on the subject..This is a totally different disorder from schizophrinia. Schizophrinia can be helped with medication. Most sociopaths are no more inteligent than the general population - they just don't get embarassed or feel sorry for others...
From Publishers Weekly
[Dr.] Stout says that as many as 4% of the population are conscienceless sociopaths who have no empathy or affectionate feelings for humans or animals. As Stout (The Myth of Sanity) explains, a sociopath is defined as someone who displays at least three of seven distinguishing characteristics, such as deceitfulness, impulsivity and a lack of remorse. Such people often have a superficial charm, which they exercise ruthlessly in order to get what they want. Stout argues that the development of sociopathy is due half to genetics and half to nongenetic influences that have not been clearly identified. The author offers three examples of such people, including Skip, the handsome, brilliant, superrich boy who enjoyed stabbing bullfrogs near his family's summer home, and Doreen, who lied about her credentials to get work at a psychiatric institute, manipulated her colleagues and, most cruelly, a patient. Dramatic as these tales are, they are composites, and while Stout is a good writer and her exploration of sociopaths can be arresting, this book occasionally appeals to readers' paranoia, as the book's title and its guidelines for dealing with sociopaths indicate.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Answer 3

Rent "Girl, interrupted". Angelina Jolie plays a sociopath in that movie. Many schitzophrenics are highly intelligent and intuitive too, but often times, if not fully incapacitated by their disase, even the treatable ones lack the will and motivation to succeed, let alone kep up personal hygeine, and let the state or the ward or whatever care for them. Mental illness is a double edged sword, not something to boast and glorify.

Answer 4

Absolutely Correct! It is as if they live 2 or 3 different lives and you only know one of them.
They are masters of deceit. I don't agree with "Sylph" above about personal cleanliness...the sociopath I know is clean and neat as a pin, quite fastideous. Schizo's are tormented and BP's and do get that tormented look tho.
Keep on it, you are doing great.

Answer 5

Break the word down. Socio = social. path (pathy) = disease.

Sociopaths are aggressively anti-social. They hate people and tend to play games with them. They can be brilliant, but that trait is not related.

Answer 6

Pretty much. But if you're insightful enough to recognize one in your midst, you can outwit them.