Ask a Psychopathy Researcher - What's the difference between Psychopathy and Sociopathy

[@dmwalker24]

I completely agree that of course these people did not choose to have this condition, and they should be helped in any way possible. It is important to be able to separate personal value judgements about the way someone with psychopathy behaves, from the more objective understanding of their condition. That said, given the nature of the features of psychopathy, there's a certain imperative to maintain a level of situational awareness around them.

[@solitudine_aspi]

Тем более что они концентрируются в правительствах и во главах корпораций, по сути диктуя нам как жить.

[@KpxUrz5745]

Very well presented. I appreciate learning more on these topics.

[@tayetrotman]

I absolutely agree. Such people often do things that make them come across like arseholes, and of course it’s really hard not to resent them for these behaviours. But at the end of the day they don’t understand why their behaviour is wrong in the same way we do. We often teach children why certain behaviour is wrong by asking them how they would feel if the same thing was done to them, but if you have extremely low or no empathy you can’t quite the make the emotional link between how you would feel and how others might feel.

[@wutwaVo542]

well said. Children generally do not have built-in empathy, that's something what parents are teaching them about, and if they don't care then their children will certainly grow as psychopathic adults.

[@oliver1224]

Very interesting. I've taken a deep dive of late due to being targeted by certain Narcissistic individuals who regularly engage in antisocial behavior yet never seem to experience guilt or empathy for their toxic activities this makes them very reckless. I find it interesting their intentions are always targeted indirectly & always in a group towards me. Its interesting to see how a Narcissist would compare to a Psychopath. I understand sometimes the traits can cross over. Fascinating video.

[@dianaverano7878]

Psychopaths have narcisism. They have grandeur ideas about themselves & opinion. Psychopaths have highly disagreeable personality. They hate rules or people who enforce rules on them. They exact regenge. Thinking of perfect plans to have revenge on enemies after many yrs. They manipulate people to agree with them, even as far as making up lies. They are charming. All these categories have to be found in a psychopath according to american & canadian clinical psychologists In a psychopath, only thier opinion matter.Psychopaths hate it if you can not be manipulated/you dont agree with their ideas. It is a personality disorder. Run away from these people if you can. They need counselling from a medical professional.

[@solitudine_aspi]

Sam Vaknin

[@Lommy9999]

She is fascinating.

[@damienhackney6499]

Extremely informative. Thank you.

[@ScottBurns-g1m]

Keep Occam’s razor in mind as the narrative shifts with these individuals. Pay attention to the sequence of ideas being presented, the intentions behind them, and the outcomes they aim to achieve from you. Observe the condescending tone and demeanor in their speech and actions, as well as the patronizing attitude and smirk. Always remember who you’re dealing with-apply Occam’s razor.

[@RiMarBrown]

I try to tell people “occams razor. If you think I’m screwing with you, consider whatever I just said in its most basic form. If I am prevaricating then I am deceiving you on purpose and using the truth to do it. If I am very apparently racking my brain for the most digestible but accurate terms to describe something, I am being genuine.” :-/ they don’t listen.

[@freiagalacar5786]

Factor 1 is known as primary psychopathy. Factor 2 is known as secondary psychopathy and is referred to as 'sociopathy.' There is a behavioral difference between the two, and ASPD has more of a connection to sociopathy.

[@JDdr86]

Show me ONE recent (from the last 20 years) scientific article about SOCIOPATHS/SOCIOPATHY, that uses THOSE WORDS (Obviously). I dare you.

[@cobrah1068]

Factor 1 isn't primary psychopathy, primary psychopathy is a construct, factor 1 is a correlation of items from a checklist, and factor 1 is hypothesised and assumed to measure some aspects of primary psychopathy, but it doesn't define it. In fact studies using the PCL-R have defined two groups, primary psychopaths and secondary psychopaths. Both groups scored over 30 on the PCL-R, which means even the secondary psychopaths scored high in factor 1 traits, the difference between the two is something that is largely unmeasured by the PCL-R and that is psychopathic fearless dominance as measured by the PPI-R or "boldness" on the TriPM. The addition of fearless dominance is what makes a primary psychopath. This is mildly measured by facet 1 of factor 1, namely glib/superficial charm and grandiosity. The aspects that the PCL-R doesn't measure is stress immunity and fearlessness. Essentially, psychopathy + boldness (lack of fear and anxiety) = primary, but psychopathy + high anxiety is secondary.

[@BCMears]

Just the last 30 seconds alone of this video were fantastic. It bothers me how so many people ignore the scientific and objective reality of mental disorders. EVERYONE benefits from compassion for the sick! 😊

[@preetadhikari3366]

Mine, the opposite. Yes compassion is very important but to think that all psychopaths have none is ignorant. Psychopaths do have cognitive empathy. It would have been better to say to treat psychopaths who are a threat to society, not all of them. But then, the prosocial ones end up doing very well in life. So, yeah, fair point but a little tweak required.

[@solitudine_aspi]

Им бы запретить занимать высокие посты..

[@RiMarBrown]

I was diagnosed aspd in 2007 with 36/40 psychopathy score ( brain scan was normal, though ) and I can assure you that simply showing compassion for something I find ridiculous back then would have made me want to poke you and see what made you squeal… I mean, I would probably have tried to put you back together so it wouldn’t happen again after the fact but it’s not nearly so easy to help as to harm. We can be valuable and loyal friends- but we aren’t kind in a neurotypical understanding of the word. And you can absolutely suffer for showing us compassion. We won’t hold it against you if you don’t show us compassion, we would just see you as a human who is living honestly in that moment: self centered, as is proper- to us. Showing us compassion means you are trying to use us to make yourself feel better or something worse- and if we think it genuine, then you are trying to help us when we think you need help since you are so controlled by emotions. My perspective has softened in the decades sense, I grew up. I’d trust a dyslexic with hyperactivity to properly spell transubstantiation and discomfiting spontaneously before I would just offer compassion to someone like me; if I wanted to avoid disappointment, anyway.

[@NotAyFox]

I'm an autistic individual and majority of autistic community prefers to use "autistic" as opposed to "having autism", because we consider autism to be naturally occurring neurodivergence and not something that is gained, can be put down, or lost along the way. Taking in account everything I've heard and read about psychopathy, I would think about it as another naturally occurring neurodivergence instead of personality/psychiatric disorder. In my experience, professionals tend to resist this line of thought in spite of overwhelming evidence, but I'm very much interested in how wider psychopathy community feels about this.

[@trumpaigaming7632]

Antisocial Perosnality Disorder is not just a hoge poge of symptoms. It may be different from psychopathy, but it is still a valid perosnality disorder. In the end, there are a great many people who are effected by it and have to live with their ASPD despite not being psychopathic.

[@JDdr86]

I'm Mexican, I live in Mexico, and I've been diagnosed with ASPD by four different, separate clinicians, one in the public health system and three private practitioners, two psychiatrists, and a couple psychologists. I'm telling you, it is A BOGUS DIAGNOSIS WITH NO ACTUAL REGARD FOR PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OR AFFECTIVE DEFICITS WHATSOEVER!. It should be replaced by a Psychopathic Personality diagnosis instead, as in, you know, a diagnosis that actually describes PERSONALITY STRUCTURE AND FEATURES, and accounts for emotional-affective deficits rather than just Criminality and some ADHD symptoms. Especially if you are a queer person, like me, it is really expected to have history of so called “Antisocial” behavior, as we have to defend ourselves.

[@sararamos9432]

@@JDdr86 antisocial behaviour is not expected from a queer person to defend themselves 😧 There's a million other ways to defend oneself that are more productive and assertive, if someone turns to antisocial strategies, that needs to be looked into

[@SporthighlightsS1]

@@JDdr86your not worth it

[@SporthighlightsS1]

@@JDdr86keys

[@mikeyfinn2]

fyi, google scholar returns 918 review articles related to "sociopathy" since 2000

[@gujono.eiriksson8553]

Oh-o.

[@9fiveb180]

FYI, a "review article" is not the same as a funded clinical study resulting in an amendment to the DSM or serious medical text. A "review article" is secondary. Usually borrowing from previously established original findings, and making them more understandable for a broader scope of readers. Therefore the amount of rev art's per published medical study is limitless.

[@jonathanz.9675]

Does anyone know how to best insure that a psychopath wants to follow morality? Perhaps through emotionless philosophy?

[@Me_549]

Yes, it has to be in their best interest to do so, it has to be rewarding to them somehow Or at least threatening to lose something they value as they only see the world through logic.

[@jadegreen1554]

I have a question. How does one get rid of a psychopath? One can get rid of a narcissist by mortifying them. They will never try to Hoover you again. Contrarily it is dangerous to mortify a psychopath. They will become stalkers and have it in for you, FOREVER. So, how does one get a psychopath to leave them alone? Is it ever possible? Especially after mortifying them? Thanks.

[@usacut6968]

They will get rid of you. . . By the way, this isn't meant as a joke.

[@grdn02100]

"treating people with it...." really Dr Marsh, and how often do Psychopathic people seek treatment sans a court order?

[@beatagagatek9149]

Exactly, it's all said in a nice way but who is gonna take responsibility, surely not psychopaths??

[@wishesandfishes]

Well, she didn't say that all treatment had to be involuntary. Also, psychopaths do sometimes seek treatment because their antisocial behaviors are beginning to impact themselves personally

[@Hailsatan13]

Early intervention can have big impact on outcomes. Children with psychopathic traits should be a significant target for intervention

[@ElkoJohn]

from moral reasoning: ''first, do no harm''

[@decarlocalloway01]

People throw these terms around with people they simply disagree with. "There must be something wrong with (almost anyone) that disagrees with me". It doesn't make someone a psychopath or sociopath, there should be exact contributing factors that are strictly defined to diagnose someone with either.

[@usacut6968]

Watching 5-8 minute videos makes anyone an expert in any field. Of course, all of these videos have absolutely nothing to do with self-promotion of any kind, etc.

[@RiMarBrown]

This one is actually not that bad, comparatively. I wouldn’t give most researchers or clinicians the time of day if that time didn’t include me amusing myself at expense of their inane tests. I’d interact genuinely with her for research purposes- not for her to gain anything but because she could help me learn more about my own mind. I don’t mind if others benefit but doing it for that reason alone just isn’t worth moving

[@RPBCACUEAIIBH]

2:42 Don't you see the problem with trying not to offend a psychopath? It's extra work completely in vain since they don't seem to care, and you can't really offend someone with bluntness who truly doesn't care... So just call it what it is! ;) For other disorders this may not be appropriate, but for psychopathy, I really can't see the problem with calling a psychopath a psychopath...

[@floatingsara]

Hi, I'd have a question. A friend of mine told me she was diagnosed as a "sociopath". She explained to me she is pathologically shy and is terrified of physical contact and interaction with people, and this affects her job. She attributes this trait to psychological abuse in her family. However, she managed to have a relationship with a man, had a child, and she told me she makes a huge effort to get in touch with other parents for the sake of her daughter. Since she's not going to have a second child, she bought her daughter a dog. Her daughter is showing a tendency to connect to a boy who treats her really badly and she is trying to address this issue without huring anybody....She always looks very calm and soft-spoken and I'd say she is one of the kindest person I've met. In other words, I don't recognize my friend as having psychopath traits at all. I am seriously puzzled by the fact that her doctor used the term "sociopathy" for her, if this is a synonym of psychopathy.

[@PoochieCollins]

That does sound odd. Could be a bunch of details you're missing about her?

[@codys447]

"Sociopath" is sometimes colloquially used as a synonym for ASPD w/o psychopathy, though this is not clinically correct. It sounds to me though that she was abused and given a false diagnosis by her family, if I had to guess based on the details you have given.

[@AbdurRehmankhandurrani9]

Narc?

[@crustyfapkin4349]

maybe she said she was "antisocial" but meant "not social" instead of aspd? alot of people who are shy say theyre "antisocial"

[@AnimosityIncarnate]

​@@crustyfapkin4349 thats incorrect... Antisocial behaviour is defying norms, laws and proper socially acceptable frameworks of engaging. Introversion ir a social means your a homebody, a hermit, don't like people.

[@jadegreen1554]

Saying someone has “psychopathic traits” is different from the diagnosis of being a psychopath.

[@AnimosityIncarnate]

Thats how disorders of the personality work... This is somewhat philosophical and not really a set in stone science... NPD is the diagnosis, but you can certainly have traits of the disorder, or a narcissistic style of personality and not be a diangosed Narcissist...

[@Arginne]

There is no diagnosis in the dsm 5 called “psychopathy”, only Aspd

[@angeldip5797]

Psychopathy researcher…missed my damn calling!! 😵

[@ngel2323]

Take out this music please😅😅😅😅😅

[@usacut6968]

MOREOVER: Watching 5-8 minute videos makes anyone an expert in any field. Of course, all of these videos have absolutely nothing to do with self-promotion of any kind, etc.

[@dattmougherty_5392]

so she is saying not to call anyone “Psychopaths” or “Sociopaths” but this very channel has a series of videos titled “Ask a Psychopath”…

[@AGameCharacter]

1. Psychopaths don’t care about others or about what they want or think and they operate as such 24/7, but doing illegal stuff is up to the individual’s decisions. 2. Secondary psychopaths turn off their “caring” when social stress comes up, so it’s defensive and it’s based on trauma. 3. Sociopaths thrive on deceiving others and they go above and beyond to manipulate them just to feel better or to gain something and as a result, their main interest is how others operate, so that they can end up on top. Science CANNOT keep up with what is happening in society, so it’s best to look for truths in the wild, rather than trust science completely.

[@zekova]

Science can keep up, but popular low tier science can't. The cutting edge of research is decades ahead of what people commonly know. :x

[@RiMarBrown]

:-/ “science” requires you be able to observe and measure directly. We aren’t any better than neurotypicals at relating what’s actually in our thought processes- which means you are attempting (it’s laudable; to be sure) to apply scientific method to secondhand information that you then had to interpret. And we are rarely spoken to by shrinks outside ages of 18-25 when men are going to be prone to acting asses, anyway- and when we have zero reason to actually help you understand us. It isn’t a science, it’s an attempt to apply science. It’s a philosophy, and thanks to neuroscience it has provided some insights. But it’s just astrology with 10000 years less anecdotal evidence. The stars were just used in the descriptive cause because they are constant. If your first 6 months of life start in November & ur stuck inside with stir crazy grumps your neurodevelopment at that critical time will be impacted in a range of probabilities and now you see why the generalization of each sign is derived. Please don’t take this to be me insulting your field- your patience is something I rather envy. Neurotypicals are insane & we are adverse to cooperating with you if it means giving you something you could use against us mentally. I only looked up because hearing you talk I thought you were someone with aspd- and watching your manner of moving made me further suspect such. So I rewound it to actually listen and it makes sense that someone who tends to work with people like us would present similarly. Don’t know why you’d say sociopathy isn’t a used term since the DSM is for insurance more than diagnostics for the sake of diagnostics itself & psychopathy 2 just sounds ridiculous. Not that people use either term properly, or most terms lately… Anyway- since you are someone who might know. Are there any studies that wouldn’t require in patient assessment at length? 2007 I was diagnosed 36/40 on Hares laughable (I don’t see how someone hasn’t properly done his work over since he failed basic scientific inquiry) assessment but my brain looked normal. If you can say any brain looks normal that is… look weird as hell to me but eh.

[@VenusFeuerFalle]

People shouldn't demonize psychopaths. They can be nice or bad people just as everyone else. Feeling empathy isn't what makes you empathic, it is you choocing to be empathic. For example an actually psychopathic friend of mine was always reliable when it comes up to help me. Maybe she made her jokes, and deceptions but never when it seriously harmed one of her friends. NTs on the other hadn, really felt like helping others, but haven't been able to due to their emotional disturbance. They emotional affections blocked this. It is the person not the disability, which makes us "good" or "bad".

[@solitudine_aspi]

Не похоже, что Ваша подруга психопат. Либо ей было выгодно вести себя по-доброму.

[@specialtwice4975]

You are right, psychopaths can be good or bad people and non disordered people can be good or bad too. However, you should still always be cautious around psychopaths and not give them too much of your empathy. (They are dangerous) It's best to keep your distance from them, period. Maybe your psychopath is a "good guy" or at least "chooses to be", which if so, great for them. But in my personal experience with many many many psychopaths over the years, majority of them, like over 50%, don't want to do that. Won't do that. They are generally bad people. A long time ago, I had a best friend that is a psychopath, we would still would be best friends to this day, if they didn't turn into a bad person. Other psychopaths I've met were generally the same too.

[@carrieo5628]

Background music is too loud and distracting

[@philosophynfilm]

What about people who suffer from normalcy?

[@usacut6968]

Believe it or not, normalcy is harder to define than psychopathy.

[@orphanrafferty1955]

5:38 No but psychopaths are proud of being psychopaths

[@iwant2haveu]

I don’t think in all or even most cases. They love to fit in and want to be normal. The masks get really tiring.

[@orphanrafferty1955]

@@iwant2haveu lol, no, they dont want to be normal

[@MK-fk4kp]

@@orphanrafferty1955 they can't be.

[@MK-fk4kp]

@@iwant2haveu They have nothing but masks.. They are born this way, and develop masks since childhood..

[@larryc1616]

Talked to enough psychopaths and sociopaths online and they all love it and wouldn't want empathy or change to be normal. They think the rest of us as weak and prey to them.

[@lovenottheworld5723]

They're good at complaining about how badly they've been treated, but they choose to take it out on anybody who gives them a listening ear who isn't going to treat them badly. This is why they are so abominable.

[@whiteshadow8520]

I mean you’re exactly describing Andrew Tate

[@terriNCCC]

I was good with her explanation until she said “all” genders. Let’s not gaslight ourselves. There are TWO genders, whether a man identifies or feels more like a woman or vice versa .

[@petrumare]

Strange video. Nearly anyone would at the very least say that psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made and she just pretended this notion doesn't exist...

[@JamesBaleLA]

Look at the scientific literature. What she says is true. Your colloquial definitions are irrelevant.

[@orion9k]

Completely agree - that is the number one and most important distinction between the two 🙏

[@matthewr3986]

@@JamesBaleLA no, your colloquial terms are what's irrelevant.

[@sagnorm1863]

internet moron vs expert? Who is more reliable?

[@diasahgasparias5991]

She’s a professional in a scientific/medical field, why would we take what “anyone” says over her without you posting something as evidence from another distinguished professional?

[@Jessica-kk1cz]

1 minute in. And so far this is an academic saying what the field defines or doesn’t define, as if that’s relevant. All that says is the field is behind. If biologists said viruses exist, but didn’t recognize chickenpox, that would not me an it doesn’t exist. Biology has an advantage because it’s viewable, whereas the field of psychology is largely inferential.

[@wishesandfishes]

Behind what? Psychology is the study of people's cognitions and behaviors, how else could the field operate? Unless you mean to infer that psychology is invalid because it is not studying the physical structure of the brain? Well okay, that's neuroscience, which has absolutely found biological markers for psychopathy. Getting mad at psychologists for studying behavior and thought instead of concrete physical variables is a bit like getting mad at biologists for not describing animals in terms of chemistry; sure, ultimately all life is fundamentally a series of biochemical reactions, but if you tried to describe the migratory patterns of emperor penguins exclusively through chemistry it would be completely incoherent - and that isn't even taking into consideration that neuroscientists only have very, very, vague inferential ideas about how the brain interacts with or creates behavior

[@johnjohnson1681]

I want to know why you think people with ASPD shouldn't be called sociopaths? So you wouldn't call someone with NPD a narcissist? Honestly these people are not mentally ill they have a personality disorder... Last time I checked abuse was a choice manipulation is a choice lacking remorse or guilt its a choice. Normalizing this behavior from these character disturbed individuals is why they are able to keep victimizing unsuspecting targets. Label them for the predators they are AND SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE of how these individuals will ruin your life... #sorryNOTsorry

[@kateashby3066]

“Not mentally ill”. Let see your sources for this statement, please. Because that’s not true. There is a genetic component in most cases. Furthermore, you make it sound like a regular Joe can become a narcissist or psychopath just because they want to. That is DEFINITELY not how this works. We have genes and our environment can easily turn some of those genes on. Hence why toxic childhoods= mental illness such as personality disorders, including multiple personalities, aka “DID”

[@vice2versa]

Exactly 💯

[@wishesandfishes]

Having clear diagnostic criteria =/= approval. As she says in the video, better understanding promotes public health. Clear language helps us talk about these problems and study them with greater efficacy

[@sararamos9432]

People do not choose to have personality disorders, and they definitely do not choose to carry out the behaviours that come with it. Those are unconscious mechanisms that are really hard to change with willpower, if not impossible. There's a subyacent cause for those behaviours. That doesn't mean they're okay and not hurtful, but it is definitely not a choice for them

[@AnimosityIncarnate]

Because aspd is a disorser of behaviour... You can have have ASPD with NPD, HPD, BPD, schizophrenia and even be normal with it. Sociopaths(secondary Psycopaths) have excessive BPD traits and comorbidities. Its detached psycopathy and makes sense its chronic pervasive dissociation baseda and ties into that disorder. Think of "core" issues of the self and behaviour is more so traits of the disorser, people only see the behaviour. You would call someone with NPD a narcissist. Thats the literal term. Sociopathy is canned, not used in research or literature and is an archiac fragment of a bygone era of psychology, only holding relevance colloquialy. That's not how this works. They technically "are" just not like psychosis levels if "mentallt ill. Mental illness is just socially adverse behaviour that effects the person and those around them, the environment and society at large. Abuse is framed here problematically. If you laxk perspective, you dont "know" something is wrong if you also lack the internal mechanisms to grasp them. Or to "stop you"

[@sirmadam8183]

Why don't you simply use pictures of world leaders such as Trump, Hitler and Putin? Instead you use a random actor. Pathetic. This is also what is wrong with the mental health field. Ridiculous.

[@usacut6968]

MOREOVER: Watching 5-8 minute videos makes anyone an expert in any field. Of course, all of these videos have absolutely nothing to do with self-promotion of any kind, etc.

[@AtticTapes14]

Narcissist?

[@JDdr86]

Paranoid a$$?

[@tristan4175]

What?