Sociopaths are people with a major personality disorder and they possess sociopathic characteristics of being tremendously antisocial and they have no conscience. They react on impulses and they usually fail to plan ahead. Sometimes a sociopath often believes that they are doing nothing wrong or when they are do terrible things they believe that they’re doing something that’s good or acceptable. This definition may fall a bit short because of the simple fact that one will truly never understand what a sociopath really is, or what they think, unless you’re one yourself. This is because of the many characteristics that a sociopath have. Not all sociopaths are good people, but the same thing could be said that, not all sociopaths are bad people.
When people hear the word “Sociopath,” theyat automatically think about serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or Ted Bundy. These men were notorious sociopaths. Although just because someone is a sociopath it does not always make them a murderer.
The Book, The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson is about Jon Ronson trying to learn and discover the inside and out of a psychopath. Jon is a journalist who is drawn into the world of psychopathy through a mysterious book that was delivered by an anonymous person to many different types of people. This prompts Jon to look deeper and he comes out thinking that the person who wrote this book is a psychopath. As his story matures he comes across a man named David Shayler. David has been categorized as a psychopath, but not a dangerous one. This allows him to live in the sane world. David shows an enormous amount of passion towards what he is pursuing or trying to get people to believe, but what he is trying so hard for people to believe is not often taken as truth. He is first thought to be a completely normal, great man but later found to actually be a psychopath. He is also certain that this woman was a government worker trying to cover up a government mandated bombing. Finally he is certain that he is the next Messiah and
The psychopath know the reasons behind acting a certain way and just don't think about the consequences. Even in the DSM-IV clear definitions of a psychopath doe not exist but the closes to diagnose is anti-social personality disorder. Dr. Hare instead developed the Psychopathy Checklist for people to diagnose psychopathy. The first part of the Psychopathy Checklist looks at the emotional and interpersonal traits of the disorder(Hare, 1993). Some of the emotional qualities that the clinician would look for is as followed: glib/superficial, egocentric/grandiose and lack of empathy.
...not function without an element of ruthlessness and a need to win. Could any capitalist be called a sociopath? In my opinion I believe that while this non-fiction novel does enlighten us to some degree on the nature and behaviors of sociopaths, it is not a myopic and in depth study worth putting any faith-based investments into. Also, it fails to answer a major and simple question: what does the future hold for these ‘monsters’? Will the population of sociopaths increase exponentially, until it is they who must destroy us for being the minority? Or are their numbers diminishing due to social awareness about this condition? Is sociopathy purely biological in nature or does this personality disorder also stem from personal experience or otherwise? In short, this book raises more questions that in answers, resulting in a disappointing and unfulfilled search for truth.
They are able to do things without thinking about it, therefore they can be irrational at times. In “10 ways to spot a sociopath” it says “Sociopaths tend to do bizarre, sometimes erratic things that most regular people wouldn’t do...their behavior often seems irrational or extremely risky.” Not only are they unpredictable, they can be dangerous to be around because of their carefree attitude. They can manipulate you into doing things you would never do.
It stems from an underlying sense of rage. Sociopaths feel deeply angry and resentful underneath their often-charming exterior, and this rage fuels their sense that they have the right to act out in whichever way they happen to choose at the time. Everything is up for grabs with sociopaths and nothing is off limits. Meyers - "The 'Meyers'"
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a sociopath as someone who behaves in a dangerous or violent way towards other people and does not feel guilty about such behavior. Sociopaths lack a conscience that allows people to decipher between right and wrong. In A Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator, Montresor, is believed to be a sociopath by many. He kills his friend, Fortunado, after he literally adds insult to a thousand of injuries. Though what the insult was and the previous injuries were never revealed to the reader, it could be assumed that Montresor probably overreacted to the Fortunado’s insult. But in order to answer this question the evaluation upon his motivation, strategy, and Montresor’s feeling and emotion towards
What is a psychopath? What type of person can be characterized by this and how do they come to be? But first, before we can answer these questions, we must first know what a psychopath is. Psychopaths are people suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviors; clinically it is a person who has a lack of what we would consider a conscience. Psychopaths are seen to suffer from a lack of empathy because of psychological, genetic and environmental factors.
Sociopaths are prevalent among society, and some researchers, like Martha Stout, claim that one out of every twenty-five people is a sociopath. However, this statistic is incorrect. This statistic is based on the assumption that sociopaths and psychopaths are the same people—which is untrue. While the sociopathic and psychopathic traits overlap, sociopaths differ in that they are obviously nervous and agitated, unable to create the illusions that psychopaths are so proud of. They live on the fringes of society, uneducated and unable to keep a steady job. Psychopaths, unlike sociopaths, are suave and able to maintain an illusion of conformity and maintain relationships on a superficial level. Both, however, are dominantly male, tend to disregard the rights and social mores of others, and have a tendency display violent and disruptive outbursts without remorse. Unlike psychopaths, who completely lack remorse and the ability to love, sociopaths may attach themselves to certain people, though they still remain contemptuous of the rest of humanity (7).
Depictions of psychopaths today have become exaggerated based off of what you see in movies and films. The psychopaths in movies are believed to be dangerous or have an anti-social personality disorder. Not all psychopaths can be defined in that manner. Psychopaths are identified as people who are emotionally unstable. They are ultimately suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. There have been studies ultimately wondering if a psychopath is born, or is it raised? Genetics and environment combine to produce conditions that create psychopathology. By paying attention to environmental variables we can potentially reduce the amount of people who become dangerous psychopaths.
Society plays a key role in making Grenouille and Mersault sociopaths. After Mersault left the orphanage he was basically homeless, making him feel alone. Grenouille was also an orphan, after being left to die in a Grenouille was basically unknown, society didn’t see him as a regular human being, because of this he was made an outcast. He had no one to guide him from right or wrong. Both Grenouille and Mersault were abandoned by society. While they were committing crimes, they didn’t show any remorse. Though once the crimes were committed, they were judged and then they began to feel abominable for their actions. When Mersault’s parents died he doesn’t feel anything, but if any normal person went through such an ordeal, they would be in the
Sociopaths have a strong need to be right. They can be convincing and an expert and knowledgeable in what interests them (Cangemi & Pfohl, 2009). Because of these personality traits, they could be good employees, leaders, inventors or even doctors. They would be able to contribute positively to society by inventing something to make people life better, or invent a cure or new medicine.
According to Culhane there are three or more victims, three or more incidents and an emotional “cooling off” period in between murders that are considered the three main characteristics in defining a serial murderer. Being a serial killer is hard work in their minds, but yet again it’s very easy to them just depending on if they are organized with their killings or unorganized with their killings, along with having a difference in their behaviors of which is which. Is it a serial murder or a serial killer? A serial murder, or as some people know it as a mass murder, is defined when a large number of people are killed usually at the same time in a single location, whereas a serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people
Sociopaths can be dangerous Sociopaths can be dangerous due to their lack of remorse. In the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare, a character named Iago fits the definition of a sociopath. A sociopath is “a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviours and a lack of conscience” (Wikipedia). He fits the definition of a sociopath ell because he acts based on selfish purposes throughout the play. In addition, he is manipulative.
According to The Atlantic National, “a serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of time,” or more as their “cooling off period”. When it comes to serial killing, it is all about their motives, the what, when and whys. Usually, a killer’s motives are often sexual, revenge, or just the thrill of killing somebody for just the fun of it. There are all different types of killers. The scariest thing is that the person who you think could never commit a crime like this. Might be a serial killer behind close door.