Health Care

The differences between psychopaths and sociopaths.

"For starters, the definition of a sociopath isn’t so clear cut. Most people use the terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” interchangeably, and according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) both conditions are listed together under “Antisocial Personality Disorders”. They certainly share a lot in common, including a disdain for authority and social mores, recklessness, a lack of empathy, and violent tendencies.
But according to an article from Psychology Today, there are some significant differences as well. Sociopaths are more volatile, and can lash out unexpectedly. Furthermore, most crimes committed by them will be spontaneous and disorganized.
Psychopaths on the other hand are more cunning. Their crimes are well executed, and difficult for police to figure out. They excel at mimicking human emotions, and tend to have a good education and a steady job. They just fit right in. They’re the sorts of people who rise to the top of corporations, governments, and law firms. We probably don’t even how many psychopaths there are in the world, or what they’re really like. They’re simply too elusive to pin down."

That's how I always differentiated them.

"However, the biggest difference between psychopaths and sociopaths, is the context of their condition. Psychopathy is often considered to be a genetic condition, whereas sociopathy is considered a learned condition (often brought on by a volatile childhood). But more importantly, psychopaths hold no loyalties whatsoever. It doesn’t matter if they’re a member of your family, or someone you’ve known for years. If they think it’s in their best interest to hurt you, and they think they can get away with it, that’s exactly what they’ll do.
This can also be true for sociopaths, but only up to a certain extant. Sociopaths still have loyalty, and they can still feel remorse, empathy, and attachment, but they only feel that way for a limited number of people. It could be a close friend or a few members of their family. But everyone outside of that inner circle is fair game."

I'm skeptical of the genetic versus environmental distinction.

"They also have other, smaller tells that you can use to spot them. Because their outward personality is a blank slate, they’ll often talk in a somewhat monotone voice before they get to know you better (then they’ll know how they should talk to you), and they’ll usually leave a lengthy pause before answering any of your questions."

I think most people are that way. That's not abnormal.

"Sociopaths also won’t reveal very much about themselves. They’ll always try to keep the conversation about you, because for them, every conversation is an opportunity to extract information. However, to make the conversation seem more genuine, they’ll slip personal details to you from time to time. Pay close attention to these, because what they reveal to you is either an exaggerated truth, or an outright lie. Everything they tell you about themselves is designed to illicit sympathy and trust, and impart a sense of intimacy."

Most people don't reveal information to strangers or people they don't know well. Normal people exaggerate too. Normal people try to gain an advantage too. This is just selfishness. It's not the same.

"If approached with small talk, the sociopath is either going to ignore you or they’re going to turn it into an intimate conversation about you, depending on whether or not they want something from you."

This is spot on.