sociopath vrs aspies

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Yeah, I just don't like how the term 'sociopath' gets thrown around by people with no empathy for loners and the like.
Textbook sociopathy is indeed stupid though. If one seeks power, going about it the most depraved way possible is the poor-man's way of doing it. Choosing the moral path is far more difficult but rewarding in the end.

I don't believe it is helpful at all in this context to anthropomorphize forces of nature. Nature is not cognoscente nor does it actively go around looking to make your day worse nature is a force not an entity.

I also believe it is important to distinguish between psychopathic/sociopathic tendencies(there is no real distinction any more although historically there was btwn the two terms) and true psychopathy.

NT's and Auties alike can do sadistic and psychopathic things BUT the impetus for such behavior the underlying causes are different.
For example, war is largely psychopathic by nature. Since it does not follow that all soldiers are psychopathic it means we have inherently non-psychopathic people doing inherently psychopathic things (eg: horrific torture of POW, murder, concentration camps, etc) which tells you that psychopathic behavior is not limited to natural psychopaths.
However, just like an Aspie can pantomime NT behavior and pass for NT and practice enough until it becomes second-nature the fact still remains that the CAUSE for such behavior was completely different.
I may say: "hello, how are you? I'm fine. Nice weather we are having today isn't it?" because I've learned that is what one should say. Is it natural? No, but for an NT it would be: (Note: not an amazing example, but we all know there are plenty more examples where that came from...)
So, where an NT or Autie could act psychopathic they would still feel guilt or remorse or horror at those actions, and they may even be to align with some other principle or misguided notion or even rooted in prejudice, but for a psychopath the root is simply because it served a need and they wanted to and so they did. No guilt no remorse, no true concern for others, no shame, no sadness, no guilt or compassion for the trauma or pain inflicted upon the other person- essentially no conscious.
So, if that be not evil then what is your rubric of wicked and immoral?
If a lack of regard for humanity and the suffering and pain you inflict upon others regardless of your awareness of it is NOT EVIL then what is?

Additionally, I do not believe that a psychopath would care if I were empathic towards them or not, by definition.

How do you feel about that? (Note: that was just a question; I'm truly not trying to be antagonistic here)

Just because you haven't met a sociopath (that you know of) doesn't mean they're 'mystical'.

Most people who screw others over are not sociopaths. Even most criminals are not sociopaths. However, about 30% of criminals meet the criteria for psychopathy, as do about 1% of the general population. These people aren't all Jeffrey Dahmer types, and some aren't even violent, but they all lack empathy - defined as 'an emotional reaction more appropriate to the perceived situation of the person you're observing rather than your own situation' (such as wincing or crying when someone else gets hurt). Because they lack empathy, they could hurt anyone, even their closest friends or family, and not feel any remorse for it. (Doesn't mean they will - psychopathy doesn't make someone enjoy hurting others, it just makes them indifferent to it. They'd need a motivation to actually hurt someone.)

Actually, some sociopaths/psychopaths are also sadistic; that type do indeed enjoy inflicting pain and suffering on others and controlling them, because it makes them feel powerful (which, if you can call that an emotion, seems to be one of the few things--other than anger--that they CAN feel).

I think you're getting sociopath mixed with psychopath. Though sociopaths are self-absorbed they don't necessarily not care about anything, or anyone, else. It is extremely difficult for them to feel they have a meaningful bond with others but it is possible.

Also you saying that people on the spectrum care and won't exploit others is extremely incorrect. ANYONE is capable of apathetic behavior and only caring of their own agenda.

Actually, I am.

Oh, OK. I've never actually seen the film (and I hope to continue not seeing it indefinitely), so I was unaware it was about sociopaths. Interesting--would not have predicted Disney taking that particular dark turn.

Who was a sociopath in Frozen?

Hans. He had a facade of shallow charm, and went ruthlessly after the throne. Warning signs are accurately done (the biggest one being his "that's what I was going to say" answer in the song, given out fairly smoothly, when there's no way that was true. This is something that's actually more easily spotted by an aspie, if you stick to looking at facts, rather than simply trust apparent honesty of facial expressions. How people responded to him is also realistic.

Lying comes naturally to sociopaths; honesty - sometimes misinterpreted as bluntness - comes naturally to autistic folks.

As someone who's oldest and dearest friends are Sociopaths, and Psychopaths, I find the sheer amount of ignorance in this thread both disgusting and offensive.

Perhaps you are misinformed about psychopaths then, if you think some are capable of being good friends. If they are actually good friends to you, they can't possibly be diagnosable psychopaths (unless you consider impulse-control-related violence and a pathological inability to care about anyone but yourself "good friend" material.)

Or perhaps you are misinformed?

Call me an idealist, but I think that everyone has the capacity to be a good friend to someone.



We went to the same school for gifted children, some 19 years ago now, I assure you, that they are indeed a Psychopath.

Also, I find your post to be extremely insulting and offensive to my friends.

Do you also believe in the stereotypes involving people with Autism?

No, I believe in the criteria for being diagnosed a psychopath. Have you ever read this book? http://www.amazon.com/Without-Conscienc ... 1572304510 I assure you I am not misinformed about psychopaths--they are dangerous by nature. This is not bigotry, this is the reality of what a psychopath is. Perhaps they cannot help being what they are because they were born that way or abused or whatever the ultimate cause of psychopathy is (likely usually a combination of genetics and environment), but understanding that and even feeling some sympathy for them doesn't make them any less dangerous because of their inability to feel bad when they do something wrong. There is literally nothing built in to their psyche to help prevent them from harming others or doing wrong, they have no conscience by definition and diagnosis.

Not exactly true, they are capable of cold calculated reasoning about their interests. They also tend to not lie to themselves, unlike NTs, so that is one less thing to figure out about their mental processes. If you know some game theory and economics, their behavior can be predicted, and it is possible to keep a step ahead of them.

Last edited by UrchinStar47 on 19 Dec 2015, 12:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

People who think Aspies and sociopaths are the same are idiots. If this was 1600 AD, they would be calling us witches.