Antisocial Personality DisordersUnderstanding Psychopaths and SociopathsBy: Simeon Miller

Define Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD/APD)

Antisocial Personality Disorder: a personality disorder that is characterized by antisocial behavior exhibiting pervasive disregard for and violation of the rights, feelings, and safety of others starting in childhood or the early teenage years and continuing into adulthood, that is often marked by a lack of remorse for having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from others, and that in practice is often difficult to diagnose because it is confounded with disorders in which drug addiction or substance abuse is a factor - (((Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2016)

Define Psychopath and Psychopathy

Psychopath: a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent. - (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2016)

Psychopathy: a mental disorder especially marked by egocentric and antisocial activity - (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2016)

Define Sociopath and Sociopathy

Sociopath: someone who behaves in a dangerous or violent way towards other people and does not feel guilty about such behavior. - (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2016)

Sociopathy: the condition of being sociopathic -(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2016)

ASPD In Relation to Psychopathy and Sociopathy

Anti Social Personality Disorder (ASPD)

Psychopathy Sociopathy

Characteristics of ASPD according to the DSM-V

Narcissism Pathological lying Impulsive Behavior

Entitlement Conduct disorder Irresponsibility

Nomadic behavior Lack of empathy Irritability

Manipulative behavior Disregard for social norms Violence

Emotional outbursts Cannot feel fear Can’t reciprocate love

ASPD In the World of Statistics

3.6% Off all United Stated citizens have some form of ASPD – (nimh.nih.gov, 2014)

Roughly 1 % Of the general population and 25% of the male population of prisons have some form of ASPD - (Parry, 2011)

Psychopathy

Psychopathy is a mental personality disorder that is characterized by the lack of empathy, remorse, risk taking conducts, and a severe antisocial behavior. Brain anatomy, genetics, and a person’s environment may all contribute to the development of psychopathic traits and there are proven cases in which, if treated at the first signs of psychopathic tendencies, the disorder will not develop at its fullest in the individual.

Psychopathy (Continued)

Psychopaths are typically highly impulsive and highly emotional. They are at high risk of substance abuse and incarceration. According to Joseph Newman at the University of Wisconsin, “Criminal psychopaths are about three times more likely to commit violence than other offenders and about two-and-a-half times more likely to commit other antisocial acts such as lying and sexual exploitation.” (Edwards, 2015). They are very difficult to have relationships with because they lack social skills and empathy.

Sociopathy

Sociopathy is a type of chronic mental condition in which a person's ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are dysfunctional and may become destructive. A sociopath typically has a conscience, but it is weak.

Sociopathy (Continued)

Sociopaths are less able to follow rules and tend to be careless in their behavior. They are narcissistic, and are very open about it. They can have relationships with others, but they hold no value to them. It’s easy for a sociopath to have a group of “friends” but abandon them at any moment. They often have excuses for their own behavior, or blame others. Some experts see sociopaths as “hot-headed.” They act without thinking how others will be affected, as they do not care about it. Sociopaths can have sadistic tendencies, which may result in violent behavior and danger for others.

So then, what is the difference?

Psychopaths Largely the result of genetics Is related to the

underdevelopment of curtain regions of the brain

Completely disassociated from emotions

Have no moral compass

Sociopaths Largely the result of

environment More likely to be related to

childhood trauma and psychical/emotional abuse.

Slightly Capable of Empathy under specific conditions

Have their own moral compass, if at all.

History of Antisocial Personality Disorders(National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK), 2010)

The modern concept of antisocial personality disorders can be traced back to the early 1900s. And can be tightly linked with contemporary societal attitudes towards criminal justice and civil liberties.

Throughout most of the 19th century, the diagnosis of moral insanity was accepted across European and American courts of law.

After Kraeplin (1905) created the classification of personality disorders, it was Henderson (1939) who laid the firm foundations for the delineations of antisocial personality disorders.

It wasn’t until 1989 that it was accepted that ASPD was more than just criminal behavior.

The Psychology behind ASPD

These studies also showed activity in the Ventral Striatum when showed pain, which is the part of the brain that controls pleasure. While psychopathy is caused by abnormalities in the brain, childhood upbringing may also generate changes in the brain chemistry that can result later in real psychopathy. In other words, psychopaths lack empathy, cannot distinguish right from wrong, may like pain or watching someone in pain and have no fear of consequences. But this is all biological, they really do not have control over it.

The Psychology behind ASPD (Continued)

“Antisocial Personality Disorder is a type of chronic mental condition in which a person's ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are dysfunctional — and destructive. People with antisocial personality disorder typically have no regard for right and wrong and often disregard the rights, wishes and feelings of others.” (Mayo Clinic, 2012).

The Psychology behind ASPD (Continued)

Psychopathy is a developmental disorder that is associated with specific kinds of behavior. Psychopathic behavior causes are mostly biological. In studies made with several inmates showed that those with psychopathic traits, present several abnormalities in their brains, mainly in the anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, somatosensory cortex and amygdala which are the parts of the brain which regulate empathy, fear and decision making processes.

The Psychology behind ASPD (Continued)

Since sociopathy also stems from ASPD, this disorder shares several traits, with psychopathy. The main difference is that sociopaths do have a sense of morality, but this is not well adjusted to society standards. This may be thanks to a different or traumatic childhood upbringing or due to a belief system that’s ingrained in the individual’s mind. Perhaps the most identifiable difference between the two, is that sociopaths do have a moral compass and can discern right from wrong, but their right and wrong differ greatly from what we think is normal. They can also form real relationships with people, but only a few and generally they are like minded. This, in addition to the other traits that people with ASPD present, is what makes sociopaths volatile and even dangerous in some cases.

Diagnosis and Treatment

It is difficult to pinpoint who is a psychopath and who is a sociopath. Even in the psychology community, academics don’t seem to be able to reach consensus on the definition for both disorders. Even in most psychology books, patients will be diagnosed with neither disorder, but with Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Diagnosis and Treatment (Continued)

Psychopathy and sociopathy are considered almost untreatable, as people with these disorders are very hard to identify and tend to think that they do not need any treatment. Techniques such as psychotherapy, help groups, interventions and even some medications have proven to substantially help in the development of people with Antisocial Personality Disorders such as psychopathy and sociopathy.

“Antisocial personality disorder is very difficult to treat. People with antisocial personality disorder may also need treatment for other conditions, such as depression, anxiety or substance use disorders. The best treatment or combination of treatments depends on each person's particular situation and severity of symptoms.” (Mayo Clinic, 2012).

In Conclusion

While not clear, there certainly are differentiators between the terms psychopath and sociopath. Even though this is believed to be true, there’s still a lot to be researched and understood about both mental conditions and Antisocial Personality Disorder in general. Psychologists still need to set a final definition for both terms or mix them into a single term completely. These are two of the most important disorders and should not be taken lightly. Media has constantly misrepresented people that suffer from any of these conditions to the point and everyday language. Once a definition is set for both terms and media starts representing accurately people who has any of these conditions, ordinary people will start to take seriously these diseases and give them the respect and admiration they deserve.

Works Cited

Carter, B. (2012, April 10). Diagnosing A Sociopath. Retrieved February 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6v8M78WEOs

Discovery Network. (2015, June 18). Psychopath vs. Sociopath: What's The Difference? Retrieved February 22, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv91IVpLyBk

Franklin, D. (2015, October 1). Psychopaths vs Sociopaths: What is the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath? Retrieved February 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvuFEUogevA

Works Cited (Continued)

Grohol, J., Psy. D. (2015, October 17). Differences Between a Psychopath vs Sociopath. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/02/12/differences-between-a-psychopath-vs-sociopath/

Mayer, K. (n.d.). What's the Difference Between a Sociopath and a Psychopath? Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/sociopath-psychopath-difference

Mayo Clinic. (2012, April 12). Antisocial personality disorder. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/basics/definition/con-20027920

Works Cited (Continued)

MedlinePlus. (2014, October 31). Antisocial personality disorder: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000921.htm

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Psychology. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychology

National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK), B. (2010). Antisocial Personality Disorder: Treatment, Management and Prevention. Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0015230/

O'Keefe, T. (2013, November 25). What is a Sociopath. Retrieved February 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELWQBZuAU5U

Works Cited (Continued)

Ochberg, F. (2012, December 20). Psychopath | Sociopath. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V00EuShJps

Parry, W. (2011, October 20). How to Spot Psychopaths: Speech Patterns Give Them Away. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/16585-psychopaths-speech-language.html

Psychology Today. (n.d.). Psychology Today. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/psychopathy

Van Edwards, V. (2015). The Psychology of a Psychopath. Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2015/03/master-manipulators/