Psychopaths vs. Sociopaths
Psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made. This difference is something that people are not aware of today, as when people hear "psychopath" or "sociopath", they automatically think of a serial killer. Although, these people are not always serial killers, and not all serial killers are psychopaths or sociopaths.
These two types of people have very evident similarities, such as the fact that they both suffer from antisocial personality disorder, lack empathy, are violent, and both fail to feel any remorse or guilt. However, the main difference is that psychopaths commit acts that are highly manipulative, and are often calm when doing so. They tend to take calculated risks and their actions often leave little evidence. This therefore justifies why "successful" psychopaths are often the worst criminals in history. They tend to plan their crimes down to the smallest detail where they constantly try to avoid detection. Sociopath's behavior, however, is much more erratic, where their actions mostly result from rage and anger. Their actions are spontaneous and impulsive, so they are much more likely to leave evidence. Sociopath's tend to act based on compulsion and lack of patience, meaning that they often lack detailed planning. Socially, sociopaths tend to form an attachment to one individual or group, but a psychopath is completely unable to have personal attachments.
According to the documentary "Good or Evil", an abusive childhood can lead to sociopathic behavior. It is not guaranteed, but a traumatizing past can make someone more likely to possess these types of behaviors. This is why it is widely believed that psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made. A study on the murder of Morgan Huxley by Jack Kelsall, clearly shows the difference between these two people. In this case, Kelsall followed Huxley home and eventually assaulted him and stabbed him 28 times. Kelsall clearly displayed the qualities of a psychopath, as he had no remorse and never once gave an apology. He was patient the entire time and evidence showed that he had greatly planned out the stabbing. He had similar behavior in his past, as he had fantasized about murdering a stranger with a knife. If he were a sociopath, his behavior would have been more impulsive, where no planning would have occurred.
It is a common belief that the difference doesn't matter, as both can be a severe danger to society. Psychopaths and sociopaths have been the cause of intense havoc in people's lives, even though not all of them are necessarily serial killers.
These two types of people have very evident similarities, such as the fact that they both suffer from antisocial personality disorder, lack empathy, are violent, and both fail to feel any remorse or guilt. However, the main difference is that psychopaths commit acts that are highly manipulative, and are often calm when doing so. They tend to take calculated risks and their actions often leave little evidence. This therefore justifies why "successful" psychopaths are often the worst criminals in history. They tend to plan their crimes down to the smallest detail where they constantly try to avoid detection. Sociopath's behavior, however, is much more erratic, where their actions mostly result from rage and anger. Their actions are spontaneous and impulsive, so they are much more likely to leave evidence. Sociopath's tend to act based on compulsion and lack of patience, meaning that they often lack detailed planning. Socially, sociopaths tend to form an attachment to one individual or group, but a psychopath is completely unable to have personal attachments.
According to the documentary "Good or Evil", an abusive childhood can lead to sociopathic behavior. It is not guaranteed, but a traumatizing past can make someone more likely to possess these types of behaviors. This is why it is widely believed that psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made. A study on the murder of Morgan Huxley by Jack Kelsall, clearly shows the difference between these two people. In this case, Kelsall followed Huxley home and eventually assaulted him and stabbed him 28 times. Kelsall clearly displayed the qualities of a psychopath, as he had no remorse and never once gave an apology. He was patient the entire time and evidence showed that he had greatly planned out the stabbing. He had similar behavior in his past, as he had fantasized about murdering a stranger with a knife. If he were a sociopath, his behavior would have been more impulsive, where no planning would have occurred.
It is a common belief that the difference doesn't matter, as both can be a severe danger to society. Psychopaths and sociopaths have been the cause of intense havoc in people's lives, even though not all of them are necessarily serial killers.
Great blog post, it was clearly well researched after reading this I was curious about learning more about whether or not it was possible to actually be a psychopath not be bad but actually able to do good. What I found and hadn't really thought about previously is that the traits of a psychopath (charisma, charm, coolness under pressure, fearlessness, focus, impulsivity, lack of conscience, mental toughness, reduced empathy and ruthlessness) are not actually bad if you look at them by themselves, it's just when they all get combined together that it becomes a bad thing. There is the concept of a functional psychopath which are able to manipulate their feelings in order to make themselves more productive in business, politics and in life.
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