Sociopaths Vs Psychopaths
Both terms are now obsolete for the purposes of therapy, but their continued use requires clarification. Therapists talk only of ASPD (Anti-social Personality Disorder) to recognise also the valuable public contributions that some sociopaths still make to society (more later).
But ASPD, which includes both sociopathy and psychopathy, effectively solves another issue: providing a consistent definition to both groups. There’s never really been a consistent definition of how sociopathy and psychopathy really differ.
The two terms used to be used interchangeably by many. Some asserted that sociopathy was seen from a social, sociological stand point and that psychopathy was better to describe it as individual psychology. Others claimed that sociopathy was made not born, unlike psychopathy which is broadly understood to be innate. Sociopaths vs psychopaths was even an odd proposition to resolve for each was so loosely defined.
Psychopaths (Around 1 in 250’000) are rarer than sociopaths (1-2% of population). Both exhibit structurally low levels of emotional feedback, empathy, remorse, and/or internal shame, which causes confusion, but their neurology is different. There is also a school of thought that posits that sociopathy itself can be either born (frontal lobe traumatology) or made (horrific trauma), which further blurs definitions.
Sociopaths vs psychopaths as seen from the lens of real-world symptoms, are similar and largely overlap differing mostly in terms of intensity:
Psychopaths – Typical traits & manifestations
- Are extremely rare, around 4 in a Million (1 for 250’000)
- Have hardly any inner life at all. Where sociopaths do structurally lack emotional variety and resources, psychopaths have virtually none. That means they do not feel virtually any love or hate, anger or jealousy, no real sense of excitement, no hatred, not even elemental emotions such as violent fear or sadness.
- Display commonly a typical body language of psychopathy: Whilst we should always be mindful of reading into physical attributes a consensus exists around the “psychopathic eyes” for example. Psychopathy has been written about since times immemorial in art and more recently in literature and cinema (The Silence of the lambs) and typically describes a “ill of ease” in their presence. A visceral clamminess and odd jumps in anxiety levels.
- Are generally more extreme across the board in their absence of empathy and general behaviour. Though most psychopaths are not murderers (thank God) it is also true that many of the most famous serial murderers appear to be psychopaths (Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Ed Gein on whose life the Silence of the lambs was based, etc.)
Sociopaths – Typical traits & manifestations
- Are fairly common, around 1-2% of the population. Can be CEO’s, engineers, home makers, lawyers etc.
- Have some inner life, they do hold some values, they do have some kind of “learned” moral compass. They do exhibit lower/insufficient levels of empathy, connection, integrity etc. but they show some limited empathy.
- Are typically great at “superficial charm” and “hiding in plain sight”. They often do “over-compensate” for their want of organic groundedness by “acting” in public, complimenting, flattering, asking people about themselves, etc. They often choose careers that will either hide them best (doctor, charity president etc.) or will best accommodate their ruthlessness, with clear and strong hierarchies (police, army).
- Are generally less extreme. Instead of Charles Manson think rather toxic boss or “effective CEO” in the real world. In the business world, money and legal clauses can be great tools for rewarding sociopathic behaviours.
- Sociopathy is an evolutionary advantage in trades requiring unfeeling effectiveness (army, surgery etc). It is however an evolutionary disadvantage in terms of social fabric and connectivity, as well as for the sociopaths who ultimately is much more likely for example to experience jail and severe defeats, antagonise many around them.
Sociopaths vs Psychopaths: Who is more dangerous?
It is an odd question, but clearly psychopathy is more brutally violent and directly dangerous than sociopathy. However sociopathy, if broadly “milder” than psychopathy, still represents a violent and highly traumatising personality disorder. Core sociopathic traits (low empathy, low remorse, low internal shame) can be observed in many related personality disorders such as BPD, narcissism and bipolar. And sociopaths are much better at charming socially and hiding their manipulation.
Sociopathy can have benefits for society, as it makes for ruthless leaders and leaders. Their lack of natural empathy makes them great at keeping their head cool during crises. It may well also give advantages in some highly skilled trades such as surgery. Sociopaths vs psychopaths can be seen in this way not only in negative terms, as much as which one has the most positive trade-offs for society: Clearly sociopaths if we compare with psychopaths.
Sociopaths are great if they are employed as surgeons or first responders able to carry out near perfect performance with limited emotional disturbance. They are perfect, coldly doing the very best with little interference from say, an emotional patient.
However in relationships sociopaths typically visit large amounts of mental trauma on their partners. It is here also a matter of intensity, some mildly sociopathic people can feel some “true” love and kinds of affection. Some mild sociopaths can also “own” their condition more than most, and this minority typically finds ways to contribute objectively to the lives of their partners.
Others at the more extreme end of the spectrum feel very little empathy and operate in a state of constant acting and manipulation, sometimes imperiling the mental health of their partner for decades. Sociopaths and particularly psychopaths are conscious of “controlling the narrative” and display easy charm in public, often described as upstanding members of the community or “the life of the party”. Or “they put it on better than the real thing, like that!”
This ability to hide in plain sight and project such different images further endangers partners, who often feel they cannot confide into friends and family, prolonging their harmful dependence.
Sociopaths vs Psychopaths can at times feel like an artificial separation as they are both grouped in ASPD in modern therapy, and share most behaviours at different intensities. They both also share a rare trait, being sometimes considered “intra-species predators”, a rare type of predation that happens “blue on blue” inside the same species (here humans). It is very rare in nature, typically contextual. But for the sociopaths or psychopaths, their partners or business relations are often just a key and immediate source of “value” to be manipulated.
