We commonly mention the terms of psychopath and sociopath To refer to the same pathology, this is a mistake that society in general makes very often. The reason is that, although they do have many similarities, they are two different conditions and it is worth knowing their differences.
In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to let you know what the differences between psychopath and sociopath as well as we will also provide you with information about exactly what the characteristics of each of them are.
Characteristics of a psychopath
There are a series of characteristics or symptoms that a person with a mental disorder such as psychopathy that can undoubtedly serve as a guide to identify it.
- Handling. They use manipulation all the time to achieve their own goals, going so far as to pretend that they really care about the other person. That is why they tend to relate more to submissive people whom they can manipulate more easily. In this article you can see.
- Lack of empathy. They are not able to empathize with another person and/or animal. They are people who totally lack empathy and that is why they only care about themselves. They are, since lacking empathy, they do not mind hurting others in order to get what they want.
- Lack of regrets. They will never experience emotions such as guilt or fear since they do not have a moral conscience and are governed solely by what they need and want, which they will try to achieve at all costs. They have no remorse, so if they act in a bad way that harms others, they will never regret it or feel bad about it.
- Job success. They usually have good jobs and occupy high-level positions. They tend to be quite intelligent and planners.
- Tranquillity. Generally, they are very meticulous and calm.
- Superficial charm. They may seem charming to other people, but that charm will always be superficial since it is used for the sole purpose of getting what they want. That is, it is related to manipulation.
- Inability to establish bonds deeper in the long term. For example, they will never be able to keep their same group of lifelong friends, nor have a lasting relationship. Find out here if.
Characteristics of a sociopath
Before talking about the differences between psychopath and sociopath, let’s see what sociopathy is and the characteristics of a sociopath. Among the main ones on which we can base ourselves to more easily identify your pathology are the following:
- Impulsiveness. Generally, sociopaths tend to be quite impulsive. They don’t usually plan the things they do.
- Ability to establish links. Although they tend to lack empathy towards most people, they can establish closer interpersonal ties with certain people. In this article we explain.
- Irresponsibility. They are irresponsible and find it difficult to abide by laws and regulations.
- emotional instability. Psychopaths have very little emotional stability.
- Isolation. Sometimes they can completely isolate themselves from other people.
- Troubled childhood. They were raised with an inefficient parenting style from their parents.
- Non-normative behavior. It is not so easy for them to go unnoticed since they are considered “strange” by society. In this article you will find information about.
If you identify with the symptoms, you can do the .
4 Differences between psychopath and sociopath
Next, we are going to mention the differences between a psychopath and a sociopath so that you can better understand these two disorders. Let’s look at sociopath vs psychopath point by point:
1. Planning/impulsivity
- The psychopaths Unlike sociopaths, they are quite planners, so they do not usually act on impulse, they prefer to first establish a series of strategies To achieve their goal, they can, for example, always have a plan B on hand so they are less likely to fail when it comes to achieving what they want.
- On the other hand, the sociopaths are more impulsive and being quite emotionally unstable, they do not know how to control themselves, they allow themselves to be dominated by their emotions and this means that when they carry out something they are more likely to fail in the attempt.
2. External perception
- The psychopaths unlike sociopaths They tend to go unnoticed by society, since being much more manipulative, to the point of seeming charming, they can be seen as “normal” people.
- The opposite of sociopathwho is generally perceived by others as a somewhat strange.
3. Cause
- Another difference between sociopath and psychopath is the main cause at the base of each of the disorders. The causes of the psychopathy They are generally biological origin.
- Of the sociopathy due to a style of negligent parenting on the part of the parents.
4. Interpersonal relationships
- Psychopaths totally lack empathy and are unable to establish interpersonal relationships deeper and more lasting.
- While sociopaths can do it, but only with certain people.
You can see the differences between sociopath and psychopath in the sharing table that you will find at the beginning of the article.
Similarities between sociopaths and psychopaths
The main and most obvious similarities that exist between sociopathic people and psychopaths is that both show a rejection of the values and rights of other people. We are talking about extremely manipulative people who care absolutely nothing about the well-being of others and are capable of harming anyone who gets in their way in order to achieve their objectives.
Sounds pretty gloomy doesn’t it? Although most people who suffer from any of these diseases do not appear exactly like they do in the movies, there are also some cases in which reality can even surpass fiction, although they are less common.
In most cases, sociopaths, but especially psychopaths, can go unnoticed in society since not everyone is violent.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between psychopath and sociopathwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Miguel, MJL, & Gaitán, MDCN (2009). Psychopathy versus antisocial personality disorder. Spanish journal of criminological research7, 1-17.
- Prado, BC (2019). Psychopaths, sociopaths and perverse narcissists in police literature. in Black genre without limits (pp. 243-251). Andavira.
- Rámperez Alcolea, F. (2004). Psychology and sociopathy, according to Michiel Foucault.