Blog post comparing Aspergers and Psychopathy

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Another Pots which I got by this website is troubling indeed. http://heartlessaspergers.com/stunning- ... f-empathy/

People don't become psychopaths / sociopaths because they're Autistic. People become psychopaths / sociopaths because they've been desensitized to the suffering of others following years of neglect or abuse.

People who become psychopaths / sociopaths are typically loners who have been bullied for many years and snap at a certain point in time because they're fed up with the abuse. They've become consumed by rage and hate because they've only seen the nasty side of humanity for most of their lives.

While some individuals with Autism end up become psychopaths / sociopaths, attributing it to their Autism is like attributing a woman killing the man who raped her to her being female. Men like Adam Lanza did not choose to be a loner. Men like Adam Lanza did not choose to be consumed by rage. They've victims of a society that shows little tolerance for those who are "different".

I'm sure killers like Adam Lanza did experience bullying and trauma growing up. But many people do who do not become consumed with rage and violence, and in fact grow from their experiences to become more compassionate and sensitive toward others. I believe that the few who do snap, who do become psychopaths, do so because a neurological tendency was already there, and got triggered by difficult experiences.

Abuse/neglect does not produce psychopathy in most people, and actually, there are psychopaths out there who did not experience trauma - I should think these would be more 'functional' psychopaths, but still neurologically wired as psychopaths.

I also think that when people become consumed with rage, there is a significant element of choice - it's the choice to embrace the rage, or resist it and mature past it, regardless of who you blame for it. While I think it's good to understand the triggers and lead up to mass killings, I'm not too fond of the idea of viewing someone like Adam Lanza as a victim. I mean, I'm sure Hitler was a victim in his own way (ah crap, did I just invoke Godwin's law? Oh well)...Point is that regardless of all the reasons they got to be the way they are, at some point, certain people are just flat out truly evil. And I think Adam Lanza qualifies as evil.

Not every bullied turns into a school shooter
Not every abused grows up to be a narcissist or have BPD or any cluster B disorders
Not every abused grows up to be an abuser
Not every stressed out person turns into a psycho that they end up killing their own children and themselves, especially if they were handicapped


Everyone is different and I wonder if there is some genetic component and the only way for them to be that way is if something in their environment happens. There is a debate about rather someone can be born evil or if they are created but I wonder if it's both. One has to be born with it but for that person to be evil, it has to be triggered like abuse or something. Look at Diane Downs, she had Cluster B disorders and people could argue, including her, that she became that way because of the abuse from her father and the fact none of his kids were allowed to show feelings and not allowed to cry but none of her siblings grew up to have Cluster B disorders and they were raised the same way as her so could she have been born that way and her father just triggered those disorders because she was born with the genetic factor?


And many others seem to grow up to have PTSD than turning into a psychopath or a narcissistic. Some get multiple personality disorders.

If you feel enough rage and hate that you feel like you could go into a school and start shooting people, there is something pathologically wrong with you whether you were abused or not. Anyone who feels that way should seek professional help immediately. There is never an excuse for acts of violence like what happened at Sandy Hook, no matter what one has experienced. The fact that some people here sympathise with mass shooters is extremely disturbing, and is not something I want to be associated with as an autistic person.

I heard the same thing in a documentary about serial killers. They said that many abused children don't grow up to be killers or abusers or predators. There are tons of people out there who were abused and they turned out fine. What I mean by fine is they didn't turn into an abuser or a psychopath or a narcissist or a killer. I am also sure many bullied don't turn into school shooters or else that will be a hell a lot of school shootings every year and it would happen more on a daily basis everywhere. But I agree that if you feel like killing anyone and find yourself plotting to kill, get help. As a parent if your kid is talking about killing people or themselves or even fantasizing about it, do not have any guns around. Get rid of your fire arm or lock it up or rent a storage unit and store them there. Also get your kid help. That is where Adam's parents failed, they allowed him around fire arm, ignored the red flags and they should have gotten him help and not allow him around any fire arm as a child. Now he was a f****d up 20 year old.

What frustrates me is thet I started this thread to argue against the perception that autistic people are prone to acts of violence but all this talk about Adam Lanza and planned acts of violence re-inforces it. Can we get back on topic please.