Decoding The Enigma: Psychopaths and Sociopaths

Even today, these disorders are still incredibly shrouded in mystery. One reason for that is because these two diseases are almost always accompanied with the ability to masterly manipulate and lie. You can't tell the difference between a sociopath and a stranger. As far as medical facts on psychopaths and sociopaths, there are very little. According to Psychologist Martha Stout, an estimate of 4% of the people in the world are psychopaths and "free of conscienceness." In the United States of America alone, that's 12 million people. That means that there are 12 million people in the U.S. that lack empathy, and have keen skills of manipulation, deceit, and selfishness who have an almost God-like complex. Despite many upon many theorized sociopathic

populations, only a small percentage is ever diagnosed. They shy away from a diagnosis because it simply does not benefit them. It's a piece of paper or an official word confirming the fact that they are different, something they already know and have found makes life easier for them, according to some. One of the few who sought out a diagnosis is M.

E. Thomas, an anonymous sociopath who shared her thoughts and life experiences in the form of autobiography, Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain

Sight. In a section of her book, she described her thoughts and reasons for seeking an official diagnosis:

At first I wasn't inclined to seek a professional diagnosis. I had read all of the criticisms of the diagnostic process. I trusted my own self-assessment as much as I would anybody who happened to have a degree in psychology. However, eventually I decided that the lack of formal diagnosis might lead some readers to discount my point of view...I figured that if I was going to risk outing myself as a member of one of the most hated subclasses of humans, I might as well ensure that people believed me. (52)

Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M. E. Thomas is a rare occurrence. Many have never heard of a diagnosed sociopath coming forth to give some insight into the mind of someone who is without a conscience and throughout her book, her distance from feeling is very evident. Though much of what she writes is questionable in its validity because sociopaths are known to lie, much of what she writes seems to be alarming and laced with irony. What is shocking is the fact that she is highly emerged into a successful life. She is a practicing attorney, a law professor, an author who is published in some highly recognized law journals, a philanthropist, and a Sunday school teacher at a Mormon church. It's safe to say she is someone you wouldn't readily accuse of being a sociopath, but she is.
One characteristic of a psychopath and sociopath is their inability to feel love, romantic or otherwise. Some believe that it is completely impossible for them to feel any version of deep love while others think that they’re simply manipulating people into thinking they cannot feel love. M. E. Thomas touches on this in her book. She claims to feel love, but it is "her" love. It is based on selfish gain, and directly related to how useful the particular person is to her. She separates her love in "terms of possessions or exploits." (M. E. Thomas 246) One type leans towards family and friends while the "exploits" mainly refer to her lovers and sexual partners. In both categories, she only participates in the farce of affection for as long as she is getting whatever she wants. As soon as she is bored, or the chase has lost its luster, she moves on to the next target. This is how a psychopath or sociopath's love is often described as shallow. Though they are devoted to their target, they do not possess an emotional connection with them that would cause pain when a relationship ends. This is why both are known to have a string of brief infatuations throughout their lives. Nothing seems to hold them down to a particular person, not even a sexual relationship. Numerous psychopaths and sociopaths tend to lack a preference in the sex of their particular partner. They will use sexual intimacy to manipulate men and women alike.
It is theorized that one difference between psychopaths and sociopaths is that the sociopath is a result of traumatic and impressionable occurrences that warped their mental and emotional state to the point where they block out feeling.

It's an over-reactive coping mechanism. Though this theory cannot be significantly proven, the tone of M. E. Thomas's childhood can give off the impression that this happened. She personally believes that there is no difference between the two names, but she prefers to be known as a sociopath to avoid the negative connotation that accompanies the word psychopath. (3) While describing events that happened during her younger years, she assesses that she had a non-eventful childhood and she was not physically or emotionally abused to any breaking point as one would think, but glimpses of her past hint otherwise. She tells of her mentally unstable sibling Jim (57), and her parents doing cruel things such as purposely leaving her and another sibling in a park by themselves at dark. (64). She stated how her parents' selfish ways and how her father was reckless with money. She told of her father's behavior that strongly resembled that of her own, yet she went as far as to say she hated him and often fantasized of murdering him. "It's hard to overstate how much

I