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GreySun369
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19 Nov 2011, 12:13 am

On YouTube I had met this girl who claimed she was a diagnosed sociopath and was explaining how the condition really works. At first I thought maybe she was full of BS because I was under the impression that all sociopaths were horrendously evil people like on TV who never admit to what's wrong with them, but after I got to talking to her and explained about my Aspergers we actually had an interesting talk. We even talked about how Aspergers is like the polar opposite of Sociopathy and she said she had dealt with Aspies before. She seemed to mock the condition because we have poor social skills compared to sociopaths who have very good social skills for manipulating people, but she seemed to be under the impression that aspies feel no empathy just like sociopaths. I actually explained to her that we do feel emotion but just aren't good at expressing or understanding it which makes us easy to abuse and manipulate by both sociopaths and neurotypicals, and she seemed to think that was kind of interesting even though she showed no genuine sympathy for the condition. I guess I learned a lot about sociopathy too, not all of them are evil villains and killers like on TV but they genuiely just don't feel compassion for people, though they will sometimes respect people for different reasons.

So yeah I just thought I'd share that, it's amazing what you can learn when you talk to somebody who not only has experience but can admit what they have about themselves. :)



conundrum
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19 Nov 2011, 12:18 am

Sounds like it was a very enlightening conversation. :)


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GreySun369
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19 Nov 2011, 12:22 am

conundrum wrote:
Sounds like it was a very enlightening conversation. :)


It actually was. I guess I realize now that even sociopaths are people too and maybe if there was more research put into studying the condition that we could understand it better instead of labeling all sociopaths as evil people like they do on TV.



AspieWolf
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19 Nov 2011, 12:29 am

As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating Captain."


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League_Girl
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19 Nov 2011, 12:32 am

I might be a sociopath and that is scary but at least I am a good one because I don't go out and manipulate people or try and hurt anyone.



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19 Nov 2011, 12:34 am

so i was wondering if aspies have very bad social skills, and socios have very good ones... would an aspie socio have average social skills? :)


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GreySun369
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19 Nov 2011, 12:34 am

League_Girl wrote:
I might be a sociopath and that is scary but at least I am a good one because I don't go out and manipulate people or try and hurt anyone.
A lot of people suspect they are sociopaths, but if they are actually worried about it then the chances are they don't have it. A true sociopath rather they accept the condition or not could care less, because they genuiely think everyone exists for them to use as objects. Even if sociopaths aren't killers or criminals they are always users and abusers of others and never feel any remourse or regret for how they treat people.



sogj
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19 Nov 2011, 1:14 am

It is estimated that fewer than 2% of all sociopaths are violent. Most understand the laws (even if they can't understand the reasoning behind them or feel the guilt of disobedying them) and are upstanding citizens.


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19 Nov 2011, 1:32 am

GreySun369 wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
I might be a sociopath and that is scary but at least I am a good one because I don't go out and manipulate people or try and hurt anyone.
A lot of people suspect they are sociopaths, but if they are actually worried about it then the chances are they don't have it. A true sociopath rather they accept the condition or not could care less, because they genuiely think everyone exists for them to use as objects. Even if sociopaths aren't killers or criminals they are always users and abusers of others and never feel any remourse or regret for how they treat people.


That's a relief :P

Not meaning to float my own boat but maybe that means I am intelligent enough to spot ways to manipulate people without actually acting on it. Then again sometimes I do before I can stop myself...

Maybe I'm a compulsive sociopath with anti-sociopathic reasoning :P


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NeantHumain
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21 Nov 2011, 1:54 am

sogj wrote:
It is estimated that fewer than 2% of all sociopaths are violent. Most understand the laws (even if they can't understand the reasoning behind them or feel the guilt of disobedying them) and are upstanding citizens.

Sociopaths, by definition, transgress social boundaries in a way that is harmful to others. If they are law-abiding, upstanding citizens who are dutifully honest, never abusing, manipulating, or exploiting anyone, they are not sociopaths, regardless of their emotional composition. Antisocial acts—a pattern of lying, cheating, recklessness, abusing, stealing, violence, and exploiting—is required by definition.



NeantHumain
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21 Nov 2011, 1:54 am

GreySun369 wrote:
On YouTube I had met this girl who claimed she was a diagnosed sociopath and was explaining how the condition really works.

Link?



FaeryEthereal
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21 Nov 2011, 11:10 pm

NeantHumain and GreySun369 are the only people on this thread who have any grasp of what a sociopath really is. Run like the wind from a sociopath/psychopath they bring NOTHING but trouble and will prey on any weakness. Very dangerous people even if not actually breaking the law or killing people, they are expert liars and manipulators. Try reading Robert Hare's book "Without Conscious"

http://www.amazon.com/Without-Conscienc ... 1572304510



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22 Nov 2011, 12:14 am

I feel bad for sociopaths some of them might just have been children who were raised in a none compassionate environment like an orphanage, and they developmentally did not learn empathy from other human beings. Here's something I've researched:
There is a high rate of sociopathic tenancies in children raised in Russian orphanages
adoption story ------>http://news.discovery.com/human/can-a-child-be-a-sociopath.html
Living conditions ----> http://www.hrw.org/news/1998/12/15/repo ... orphanages



FaeryEthereal
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22 Nov 2011, 12:40 am

I too have a lot of compassion for those who had horrific upbringings Angel_ryan. It's understandable how some develop sociopathy, but there are many people who come from backgrounds of the worst kinds of abuse and they do not become sociopaths, in fact they become exceptionally amazing, kind people, Dave Pelzer is one such example. So the personality/temperament you are born with has a lot to do with it too. I've heard of many people, good decent people who have been wonderful parents struggling with a sociopathic child who since very young ages (3/4 years old) have displayed horrifying levels of malice and lack of empathy and these parents have tried EVERYTHING to no avail. Some people have terrible backgrounds and some are just bad apples.



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22 Nov 2011, 7:35 am

FaeryEthereal wrote:
I too have a lot of compassion for those who had horrific upbringings Angel_ryan. It's understandable how some develop sociopathy, but there are many people who come from backgrounds of the worst kinds of abuse and they do not become sociopaths, in fact they become exceptionally amazing, kind people, Dave Pelzer is one such example. So the personality/temperament you are born with has a lot to do with it too. I've heard of many people, good decent people who have been wonderful parents struggling with a sociopathic child who since very young ages (3/4 years old) have displayed horrifying levels of malice and lack of empathy and these parents have tried EVERYTHING to no avail. Some people have terrible backgrounds and some are just bad apples.


I'm talking about infantile neglect where a child is not given any kind of attention needed to develop empathy during major developmental stages of it's life. I know a few people abused as children and they turned out to be the opposite of their parents, but I'm talking about children so young their psychological development was incredibly tampered with. I've been abused to point myself, but it's not the same as the kind of abuse I'm talking about. As for a child with loving parents developing it there could be something neurologically wrong with the child. An Ex boyfriend of mine was thought to be a sociopath in childhood, but he turned out to have childhood schizophrenia, he's a completely different person now, he's not a bad guy.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/professio ... onding.htm
Quote:
The impact of impaired bonding in early childhood varies. With severe emotional neglect in early childhood the impact can be devastating. Children without touch, stimulation, and nurturing can literally lose the capacity to form any meaningful relationships for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, most children do not suffer this degree of severe neglect. There are, however, many millions of children who have some degree of impaired bonding and attachment during early childhood.

Quote:
The child's "personality" or temperament influences bonding. If an infant is difficult to comfort, irritable, or unresponsive compared to a calm, self-comforting child, he or she will have more difficulty developing a secure attachment. The infant's ability to participate in the maternal-infant interaction may be compromised due to a medical condition, such as prematurity, birth defect, or illness.



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22 Nov 2011, 8:19 pm

Actually, I think my best friend might be a sociopath. He's chosen not to behave in a destructive manner, but he has no empathy of any kind for anyone or anything. It's not like the AS thing where you are mistaken for having no empathy because you do not express it well-- he truly, avowedly does not care.

I think that's what I like the most about him. I know he will always tell the truth, without letting concern for emotions or relationships get in the way, and if he listens or spends time with me it is because it is what he wants to do for his own sake. He can always be counted on to be objective-- coldly so.

I wouldn't want to live in a world of people just like him, but I'm very glad that one such person lives in my world.


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