Psychopath vs. sociopath?
Psychopath: The psychopath is defined by a psychological gratification in criminal, sexual, or aggressive impulses and the inability to learn from past mistakes. Both are very similar, in that they are very apathetic people, but a Psychopath can be used with a more specific case such as murder, rape, etc. But a difference is that psychopaths generally are anti-social, people hating. Sociopaths generally have no remorse for their mistakes, or anything else. They usually use the "easy way out", such as over using drugs and drinking. They usually do things spontaneously without much thought. More popularly, they are charming on the surface but have a manipulative personality, usually mentally abusive to the people around them. Significantly, they always believe they are right and never take in some else's opinion or feelings.
Can a diagnosed sociopath or psychopath become a social worker/therapist/psychologist?
Sure, I am a sociopath who is a social worker in a skilled nursing facility. It's a good match, actually, because in an environment such as a nursing home, where not many people laugh, a sociopath can always find something funny in someone else's sorrow. Plus, an impaired sense of smell is crucial to working in a nursing home, luckily, that's a trait we have, poor olfactory senses, due to prefrontal lobe issues. Only a sociopath would say to a guy about to lose both legs, “don't worry, shorter legs make your dick look longer”…yes, good sense of humor, poor sense of smell, and we don't cry when someone dies. Sociopath social worker gets the ego boost of helping the helpless, and when you get a man a liver as part of your job, feeds the need for admiration and gives you a powerful feeling of ability to change lives. It's the perfect cover too, who would suspect the social worker was working you. Long live the Sociopath! Who wouldn't love to never feel guilty? Never scared, never ashamed….makes life easier.
Is it more dangerous to date a sociopath or a psychopath?
Psychopath is more dangerous because psychopaths cannot be understood in terms of antisocial rearing or development. They are simply morally depraved individuals who represent the "monsters" in our society. They are unstoppable and untreatable predators whose violence is planned, purposeful and emotionless. The violence continues until it reaches a plateau at age 50 or so, then tapers off. While sociopath is a person who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior it is also called anti social personality disorder.
What's the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath?
This question has been asked before, and I wrote a lengthier answer then. Basically, even the experts in the field don't agree completely, but they are very similar. They are NOT psychotic; they are perfectly aware of what's right and wrong and are completely in touch with reality. They have what psychiatry calls a personality disorder: a maladaptive and chronic pattern of attitudes and behaviors. David T. Lykken (one of the experts) believes sociopaths are largely created by socioeconomic status (SES) variables: poverty/lack of opportunity, learning the behavior from peers or parents, and parental negligence. He believes that psychopaths have an innate temperament that makes it very difficult for them to internalize social values and boundaries on their behavior. Primary psychopaths don't feel much fear or anxiety, which is one thing that helps children learn not to do bad things (fear of punishment). As children, they may go from torturing animals, petty theft, and truancy to armed robbery, bank fraud, and felony assault as adults. The DSM-IV-TR equates both sociopathy and psychopathy with antisocial personality disorder. Robert D. Hare, however, has created a more thorough Psychopathy Checklist–Revised to measure psychopathy, and he believes not all criminals with antiosocial PD are psychopaths. Psychopaths are basically severe cases of antisocial personality disorder.
Is the character, Anton Chigur, from "No Country for Old Men" a sociopath or a psychopath?
It should first be noted that people are not diagnosed as a sociopath or a psychopath. Instead, doctors diagnose people with an antisocial personality disorder. Hollywood helps create these two loosely defined terms and they have become ingrained into society.That being said, of the many flavors of antisocial personality disorders you have given as choices, Anton Chigurh is most definitely a psychopath. This is because a sociopath is believed to have some semblance of a conscience. Anton knows his actions have consequences, but he he does not care about anything but furthering his agenda, and mot importantly, not getting caught. He is very calculating, where as a sociopath would be more likely to do something without regard to the risk involves.Differences Between a Psychopath vs Sociopath | World of PsychologySociopath vs. Psychopath: What’s the Difference?
Can a person be a schizophrenic, a psychopath, and sociopath?
Schizophrenia often and most commonly develops in early adulthood. Schizophrenia can occur at any age, but it tends to first develop (or at least become evident) between adolescence and young adulthood. Schizophrenia affects both men and women, although males tend to develop it at a slightly younger age (teens and 20s) than females (20s and 30s). Psychopaths, also known as sociopaths, are manipulative, deceitful, impulsive and inclined to take risks.While psychopaths tend to engage in fewer criminal activities once they pass the age of 40, most continue to manipulate and deceive those around them.A person must be at least 18 years of age, have a history of delinquency occurring before age 15 and have a pattern of specific symptoms to be diagnosed as a sociopath. The patterns must be continuous and debilitating to form a clear diagnosis.