Sociopath and Psychopath are common terms used to define a person who is prone to violent or criminal behavior and lacks any regard for the feelings of other people and any guilt for his/her crimes. However, they are not diagnosed officially in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) which is a used guide for diagnosing mental health conditions. If you want to know how it is caused and what the treatments can take for this disorder. This article will help you to know and compare both Sociopath vs Psychopath.
Mental health professionals understand both psychopaths and sociopaths as types of antisocial personality disorders (ASPD) that affect people’s thinking, feelings, and behavior. It can only be diagnosed after the age of 18 years because until this age the person’s personality is still developing. Both of these disorders differ from each other just by a few characteristics but have most of the features in common.
What is the difference between Psychopath and Sociopath?
Here we’ll discuss the difference between psychopath and sociopath with different parameters, their traits, and causes.
Sociopath
Sociopath refers to someone with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). The term ASPD is defined as a consistent contempt for rules, and also social norms and frequent violation of other peoples’ rights.
People with this condition may seem charismatic at first, but they usually find it very difficult to understand other people’s emotions and feelings. They probably know they are doing wrong or unethical things but they have little empathy and hard to see things from the other’s perspective. They often:
- Behave aggressively or impulsively
- Use manipulation and controlling behavior
- Break laws or rules
- Feel little guilt for the harm they cause to other people
The term sociopathy was introduced in the 1930s by experts. There was a widely held belief that the traits and behaviors of sociopaths are related to socio-environmental factors.
Psychopath
Although the term psychopath is not an official term as per The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), it still remains a term in psychology to indicate individuals who show high levels of impulsiveness, unemotional, antisocial traits, and destructive or aggressive behavior.
The symptoms of psychopathy arise in early childhood and impact all areas of an individual’s life. This includes relationships with family, and friends, at work or at school. Psychopaths have control over their thoughts and have very low levels of anxiety and they also don’t take as much as stress which is called low reactivity.
According to a study conducted in 2021, 1.2% of the adult population suffers from psychopathy. They can negatively impact relationships as they struggle to connect to the world around them.
Traits of Psychopath and Sociopath
The traits of a sociopath and a psychopath are the same as they both fall under antisocial personality disorder. However, in terms of social construction, they are viewed differently.
- Sociopaths struggle to maintain a family life or a job, whereas psychopaths may be able to do so.
- Sociopaths usually act more erratically and impulsively as compared to psychopaths.
- Psychopaths may be able to disassociate from their lives and experience less guilt than sociopaths.
- Psychopaths struggle to form attachments, but sociopaths may be able to do so with a like-minded person.
For a patient to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder they must show a disregard for the right of others. This disregard is indicated by the presence of 3 or more of the traits mentioned in the following list.
- Lying repeatedly, deceiving others for personal gains, or using aliases
- Failing to feel remorse
- Being impulsive or failing to plan ahead
- Not following the law or rules
- Getting easily provoked
- Frequently getting into physical fights
- Acting irresponsibly
Causes of Sociopathy and Psychopathy
Psychopathy is believed to arise from biology and genetics with some environmental influence. However, research on the causes of psychopathy is still ongoing. There is a lot of research and examination on how biology and social forces cause the development of psychopath traits. It is also caused by genetics such as your parents or someone else in the family getting this disorder.
Sociopathy is believed to arise from an individual’s environment. Social forces such as bad parenting, trauma as a child, bullying, and abuse contribute more than biology to causing sociopathy.
Are You a Sociopath or a Psychopath?
Genetics play a vital role in causing antisocial personality disorder. Researchers conclude environmental factors as a cause of sociopathy and biological factors as a cause of psychopathy. Therefore, this means that sociopaths are a result of their upbringing, and psychopaths are born that way.
Antisocial personality disorder can exist with other mental conditions such as:
- Bipolar disorder
- Gambling disorder
- Major depressive disorder
- Somatic symptom disorder etc.
Treatment of Psychopathy and Sociopathy
Treating psychopaths and sociopaths can be a very difficult job as they do not believe that something is wrong with them. Psychotherapy can be recommended for them as it might benefit them with some symptoms.
Psychotherapy:
It is not very successful for sociopaths and psychopaths because they don’t believe there is something they have to change in their behavior. Therapy can help individuals change their behaviour but is only likely to succeed when it starts before the person reaches adulthood.
Medication:
There isn’t any medicine that treats psychopathy and sociopathy, but drugs that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may help control their symptoms.
These medications include:
- Antipsychotics: Drugs like risperidone are used to treat mental conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They reduce aggressive behavior.
- Psychostimulants: These medications treat impulsiveness in children with ADHD and help reduce aggression. For instance, Adderall and Ritalin are some of the common drugs.
- Mood stabilizers: These are prescribed for bipolar disorder and may help reduce outbursts and aggression in people. For instance, Depakote and Lithobid drugs.
Conclusion:
Both sociopath and psychopath are not formal medical health terms. Sociopath is an aspect of environmental factors, while psychopath is an aspect of biological cause. Traditionally, people saw sociopaths as angry and hostile while psychopaths as charming, manipulative personalities.
The causes of both conditions are complex and there is no specific treatment for either condition. Therapy is usually not helpful for people with such traits, but a few medications may help control their symptoms. It is also recommended that always consult your doctor if any of your loved ones suffer from this problem. Due to a lack of knowledge, many of them take medicines for ADHD which can worsen the condition of the patients.