Brainy Dose Presents: Psychopath VS Sociopath – What’s The Difference? When we think of the words “psychopath”
and “sociopath,” we often think of them as meaning the same thing. But what many people don’t know is that
there are major differences between the two. Although they seem similar, they are in fact
very different. Psychopathy and sociopathy are classified
as antisocial personality disorders. And although both of these disorders do share
similar characteristics, there are a number of traits that differ them from each other. To better understand psychopathy and sociopathy,
here are the five key differences between the two. Number One - Brain Differences One of the most important distinctions between
psychopaths and sociopaths is how they are created. Most psychologists will say that psychopathy
is a disorder you are born with. This implies that the disorder is passed down
through genetic coding, and if a member of your family is classified as a psychopath,
you could very well be carrying the same traits that have classified them as one. Medical research has shown that the brain
function of a psychopath is critically different than those of “normal” individuals due
to the fact that their brains are structured differently. Many psychopaths are accompanied by a general
lack of emotion-regulation and also have a hard time controlling their impulses. When it comes to sociopaths, they often are
born without any disorders. Sociopathy is more of a learned behavior which
is influenced by the environmental factors of the individual’s life. Most of these environmental factors have to
do with childhood trauma, history of abuse to the individual, or how they were raised. As a result of their upbringing, a rather
large number of sociopaths tend to be even more impulsive than psychopaths, and they
spend less time thoroughly calculating their decisions and how they will act upon them. Number Two - Emotional Stability and Criminal
Tendencies Psychopaths are often more likely to commit
crime due to the fact that they lack the basic feelings of empathy that most other people
are used to. They can be very cunning and manipulative,
and they can spend copious amounts of time calculating their actions. Psychopaths are known con-artists, and they
often commit white collar crimes such as fraud or money laundering. They carefully plot their ideas and often
use aggressive behavior to obtain what they want from someone. The two basic emotions that most psychopaths
tend to lack are fear and distress. For example, if you walked up from behind
somebody and clapped your hands behind their head, they would most likely jump and become
rather startled. But scientists have learned that if you did
the same to a psychopath, they will often remain neutral and calm, not seeming to be
affected by the action at all. Psychopaths tend to be very calm and collected
under pressure, and often share a common trait that scientists call “a resilience to chaos.” This means that psychopaths thrive in situations
that other people would typically find highly stressful. Psychopaths have an easy time remaining calm
and are meticulous in planning their steps. This makes them more threatening to others
and allows for an increasingly more dangerous criminal record. When it comes to sociopaths, they are typically
more nervous about things and easy to put on edge, despite the common trait they share
with psychopaths - a cunning and charming appearance. Although psychopaths spend fair amounts of
their time planning their activities, sociopaths are more impulsive, and their actions are
more erratic than those of psychopaths. Sociopaths tend to have a general problem
with anger, and often have anger issues, sending them into random fits of rage out of nowhere. The aggression that accompanies them, fused
with their inability to cope with stress, allows for a tendency to create dangerous
situations. Sociopaths are not only hostile themselves,
but they are more likely to interpret others peoples’ behavior as hostile, which influences
them towards revenge. Lots of this anger that derives from sociopathy
results in rage towards others in harmful and sometimes even deadly ways. And since sociopaths are less meticulous and
less careful about their actions, the crimes they commit are generally sloppy and less
thought out. Number Three - Social Interactions Psychopaths are usually very manipulative
and imperious. They know how to mask their true nature and
use their charming character to influence you into giving them what they want. Individuals classified as psychopaths will
sometimes spend a lot of their time practicing their manipulative techniques. They may appear to be completely normal and
trustworthy, which is what draws you into their web. A lot of psychopaths end up managing successful
and high-end careers, such as managing a company, running a business, or becoming a CEO. They tend to be extremely intelligent and
know how to word their phrases in order to trick you into trusting them. Not to mention, psychopaths are usually also
very good at reading people’s emotions. They are incredibly skilled in faking their
emotions and feelings, and they use what they know about emotions to learn how to successfully
manipulate them for their own personal gain. Sociopaths aren’t as gifted when it comes
to these mind-reading abilities. Since sociopaths are often very awkward and
will avoid social interaction, other individuals will simply label them as “weird” or “a
little off.” When a sociopath is called out for doing something
wrong by societal standards, they will often blame others for their misbehavior. Sociopaths also tend to make it clear to everybody
else that they are only worried about themselves. And unlike psychopaths, sociopaths tend to
have major difficulties in keeping jobs, due to the fact that they are so unreliable and
crude. Number Four - Conscience When learning to understand the differences
between a psychopath and a sociopath, we must first understand the differences between their
consciences. Conscience plays a very important role in
determining whether or not somebody is a psychopath or a sociopath. Psychopaths do not have a conscience. There is nothing in their brain that tells
them when they are doing something wrong. If a psychopath lied to you to obtain your
money, he wouldn’t feel sorry about it. Rather, he would portray the learned emotions
of an innocent individual to keep himself from getting into any trouble. Sociopaths are sort of different. The main difference in conscience between
psychopaths and sociopaths is that sociopaths actually have a conscience. This conscience, however, is extremely vague
and disregarded. When a sociopath misbehaves or commits a crime,
they may be able to recognize that it is wrong, but that will not stop them from continuing
to commit the action. Number Five - Relationships Since psychopaths are out to use people for
their own personal gain, they often have a difficult time forming relationships or attachments
with other individuals. Instead of going through the trouble, they
often form fake or shallow relationships which they tend to have the most control over. They learn how to manipulate their significant
other over time, while masking their sadistic qualities. Regular people are seen to psychopaths as
pawns in a lifelong game of chess. Psychopaths will get to know their pieces,
so they can carefully move them accordingly - for their own benefit. Although sociopaths have major difficulties
forming relationships and attachments with others, they can still form and maintain relationships. They’re just not very healthy ones. Relationships can be friendships, acquaintanceships,
relationships with family, or even romantic relationships. Sociopaths have a hard time maintaining their
relationships because of how emotionally erratic they are. And although psychopaths can mimic other people’s
behavior and portray a seemingly healthy and happy lifestyle, sociopaths don’t represent
such a life. They often don’t care how they are seen
by others in the outside world. Both psychopaths and sociopaths are unable
to significantly portray feelings of empathy and common sense, and both have trouble relating
to regular human emotions – and that’s what makes each extremely unpredictable and
often times dangerous. However, it’s important to note that while
these people may seem frightening and dangerous, not all of them are. Violence is not present in many individuals
who suffer from psychopathy or sociopathy, but it often sits in the back of their minds,
waiting to be awoken. Having said that, psychopaths and sociopaths
are everywhere, and they can present risks to our society, because they will often try
their hardest to live a seemingly normal life while coping with their disorder. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs
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You make psychopaths sound like the apex predator. The perfect people, the C.E.O’s, politicians, and Hollywood big shots. Very interesting stuff.