Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Sociopath vs. Psychopath: What’s the Difference?

You may have heard people call someone else a “psychopath” or a “sociopath.” But what do those words really mean?

You won’t find the definitions in mental health’s official handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Doctors don’t officially diagnose people as psychopaths or sociopaths. They use a different term instead: antisocial personality disorder.
Most experts believe psychopaths and sociopaths share a similar set of traits. People like this have a poor inner sense of right and wrong. They also can’t seem to understand or share another person’s feelings. But there are some differences, too.

Do They Have a Conscience?

A key difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is whether he has a conscience, the little voice inside that lets us know when we’re doing something wrong, says L. Michael Tompkins, EdD. He's a psychologist at the Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center.

A psychopath doesn’t have a conscience. If he lies to you so he can steal your money, he won’t feel any moral qualms, though he may pretend to. He may observe others and then act the way they do so he’s not “found out,” Tompkins says.

A sociopath typically has a conscience, but it’s weak. He may know that taking your money is wrong, and he might feel some guilt or remorse, but that won’t stop his behavior.

Both lack empathy, the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. But a psychopath has less regard for others, says Aaron Kipnis, PhD, author of The Midas Complex. Someone with this personality type sees others as objects he can use for his own benefit..

More from WebMD

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hillary Clinton is a PSYCHOPATH! God be with us.

Anonymous said...

We were talking about this ten months ago and came to the same conclusion. Hillary is the Ted Bundy of national politics.

Anonymous said...

Killary = definite psychopath.

Anonymous said...

The word is bandied around too much and has lost its power/impact. Kinda like racist.

Anonymous said...

5:45 AM - Except that this is one that has specific conditions and behaviors to qualify it and to fit the term to a person. Here we have a person whose behaviors fit the bill to a T.
"Racist" has become a derogatory term that has lost much of its actual meaning due to being misused more often that not.

Anonymous said...

If that picture is Hillay, then who has been in the debates?

Not the same person.

Anonymous said...

3:25 PM - That would be the Hillary with the 3" of pancake foundation put on by a Hollywood makeup artist, the back brace, the knees to sternum girdle, the 2 liters of extra fluids just IV'd into her along with her anti-seizure and anti-Parkinson syndrome drugs, and the little nibble of Valium to take the edge off.
Catch her an hour after the debate when the meds have worn off, the girdle and brace taken off, the makeup scraped off and her aides told to f**k off.