What is a sociopath?

Question

I need to know the definition of a sociopath and how they think. Thanks.

Answer 1

A sociopath is a person who has antisocial personality disorder. The term sociopath is no longer used to describe this disorder. The sociopath is now described as someone with antisocial personality disorder.

The main characteristic of a sociopath is a disregard for the rights of others. Sociopaths are also unable to conform to what society defines as a normal personality. Antisocial tendencies are a big part of the sociopath’s personality. This pattern usually comes into evidence around the age of 15. If it is not treated, it can develop into adulthood.

Visible symptoms include physical aggression and the inability to hold down a steady job. The sociopath also finds it hard to sustain relationships and shows a lack of regret in his or her actions. A major personality behavior trait is the violation of the rights of others. This can appear as a disregard for the physical or sexual wellbeing of another.

Although these symptoms are all present, they may not always be evident. Research has shown that the sociopath is usually a person with an abundance of charm and wit. He or she may appear friendly and considerate, but these attributes are usually superficial. They are used as a way of blinding the other person to the personal agenda behind the sociopath’s behaviour.

Many people with antisocial personality disorder frequently indulge in alcohol or drug use. They may use these substances heavily as a way of heightening their antisocial personality. The sociopath sometimes sees the world on his or her own terms, as a place of high drama and risky thrills. The sociopath may suffer from low self esteem, and the use of alcohol and drugs is a way to diminish these feelings.

The causes of antisocial personality disorder are thought to be either genetic or environmental. Children who are influenced by antisocial parents may adopt these tendencies. Similarly, role models such as one's friends or peer group may also influence the behaviour pattern of a sociopath. Antisocial behaviour is more likely to occur in men than in women. About 1% of women have this disorder, while 3% of men are affected by it.

It is very rare for a person with antisocial personality disorder to seek help of their own accord. Treatment for antisocial personality disorder is usually through group psychotherapy. Sociopaths often find it helpful to talk through and recognize their problems with people they can trust. In a number of cases, this type of personality disorder tends to diminish from the age of 30 onwards.

Answer 2

The whole brutal anger thing is wrong. Its more sociopaths become defensive even pointing out your flaws to distract from the fact that they are in fact imperfect. They will be very charming as others have said its all a tactic to cover that they are sneakily insulting you, hurting you and really getting under your skin. They don't have a problem with other peoples rights they just survive off hurting people. It's unstoppable inevitable it's an urge that cant be controlled. Its difficult because they know what they are doing is wrong and its unhealthy but they have to do it, just like they need to breath or eat. I just don't understand why people hate sociopaths so much its a problem most of them don't even realise they have.

I'm a sociopath, I realised it by myself I didn't feel like I was normal and I had my suspicions once they were confirmed I refused help. Now I know for certain what my symptoms are etc. I am slowly getting better at controlling it, we are not all bad people.

Answer 3

"a person, as a psychopathic personality, whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. "

Essentially, a sociopath is a person who has traits which are contrary to that which would be considered socially acceptable. Anti-social in this sense doesn't mean like a person who stays home on Friday nights and doesn't have many friends, it means contrary to commonly accepted social behavior. There's no cookie-cutter example of a sociopath. Anti-social personality disorder can take countless different forms. The term sociopath commonly gets used in the description of serial killers or other violent criminals, but from a psychological standpoint, there are tons of different personality types that could be potentially defined as sociopathic.

There's hundreds and hundreds of books and millions of pages that have been written by a thousand different PhD's on this kind of topic. You'll not get anything near an answer that even skims the surface from a place like this.

Answer 4

sociopath - One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior.

If that isn't bad enough, most people who show sociopathic behavior aren't just sociopathic. They often also have narcissistic tendencies, sometimes intensely angered by anything that seems to suggest that he or she might have a flaw. In this mode, they will do anything, including brutalizing their own family, to maintain their own feeling that others see them as without any flaws. The combination is terribly painful to live with.

For many of us, struggling to live with this kind of abusive partner, the first handhold we need to grasp is that we are not crazy. Whether the person we live with has narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, sociopathy (antisocial personality disorder), or alcoholism, people who suffer from these disorders have extreme emotions, which lead them to actions that can range from puzzling to brutal. Living with them is painful and confusing. Personality disorders are aptly named, because the minds of people who suffer from these disorders work differently than healthy people.

It is only by understanding how you and your partner function, how his or her personality disorder affects his or her behavior, and how you interact, that you can begin to really judge what is happening. To figure out what you should do, you need to understand your own emotions and how to handle the decisions you face. Tears and Healing (up top) deals with your situation, while Meaning from Madness (on the right) explains a disordered partner. Both are written by a man who survived a violent relationship with a narcissistic/borderline/alcoholic wife and has been engaged helping others through these situations for the past 6 years.

Answer 5

Believe me or not, I knew a few Sociopaths. Here's one thing I am certain of. There are different kinds of them. There are different levels of sociopathy, in other words. Think of it like this. When you say "Human", you can't just think that every human being is the same just because they are labeled as humans. Same goes with Socios.

Answer 6

I was married to a sociopath for a mind-boggling 14 years. I agonized for years over what *I* could do to make him understand that he was hurting me, so he would stop. Never occurred to me that he didn't care to. A healthy-minded person has trouble understanding why their partner would behave like they do, so they tend to push the gravity of it to the back of their mind, and convince themselves that they are "just upset" right now, or "just having a bad day." Also, accepting that the person you thought you knew and loved can't really love you back and give you what you need emotionally is excruciating. Selfishness and the inability to care about how you make other people feel is probably the easiest way to recognize what you are really dealing with. RUN. RUN LIKE THE WIND.

Answer 7

That answer describes someone who is authistic. Not a good enough answer

Answer 8

a remorseless person