Sociopath Meaning – What Is A Sociopath, Signs Of Being A Sociopath

Here’s the sociopath meaning and its difference from a psychopath.

SOCIOPATH MEANING – This is what a sociopath means, its indications, and the differences between sociopath and psychopath.

The term sociopath is used to describe a person who is living with severe antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines ASPD as a “consistent disregard for rules and social norms and repeated violation of other people’s rights”.

Sociopath Meaning
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Truly, you can never know someone without plunging deep into their thoughts and characters. And people with these conditions may appear happy and charismatic, but they think differently.

They tend to be manipulative, exploitative, or even abusive towards other people.

They can be charming, impulsive, have poor emotional control, and there’s a tendency they behave in illegal, immoral, or violent ways. Sociopaths often possess behavioral problems, have criminal involvement, and can become aggressive to other people.

There’s a category where a sociopath is narcissistic in his ways and this type is typically the dangerous and manipulative type.

Here are some signs that a person is a sociopath according to Andrew Coulter, MD, in an article from Cleveland Clinic:

  • Not understanding the difference between right and wrong
  • Not respecting the feelings and emotions of others
  • Constant lying or deception
  • Being callous
  • Difficulty recognizing emotion
  • Manipulation
  • Arrogance
  • Violating the rights of others through dishonest actions
  • Impulsiveness
  • Risk-taking
  • Difficulty appreciating the negative aspects of their behavior

Now, what is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath? Most experts can tell that the two mental conditions share the same set of traits but really, there’s a wide difference between the two. Sociopathy displays erratic actions and violence while psychopathy can still manage a person’s life live with stability and a sense of normality.

Diagnosis of sociopathy is based on what others see while diagnosing a psychopath is based on what the person is thinking and how he or she has come up with such thinking.

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