Hello I m Darren Magee and today s question asks if I d outline the differences between
a psychopath and a sociopath. AndI do apologise for only getting around to this now I'm aware
that quite a few people asked me to discuss this quite some time ago. But if you like this video,
if you find it interesting or helpful please consider subscribing to my channel. But just
as a reminder, this video is not a substitute for support from a mental health professional nor is
it a tool to be used to diagnose someone. Now in spite of what we see in movies and television,
not all psychopaths, not all sociopaths are evil serial killers or mastermind criminals. Some can
be quite high functioning members of society. They could be quite successful. But both psychopaths
and sociopaths would share some common traits such as being conceited, deceitful, being manipulative,
and there would also be a lack of conscience. Both are part of anti social personality disorder,
part of the Cluster B group of personalities which is characterised by a disregard for other people,
their feelings. Repeated violation of the rights of others and a lack of remorse over their
behaviour. And it can be easy to confuse it took as both are so similar in so many ways, but there
are differences. They are not the same. Firstly, it is believed that psychopathy is genetic. It is
inherited. Psychopath are born. Sociopathy, on the other hand is considered to be environmental. As a
result of, say, abuse, trauma, their upbringing. Sociopaths are a product of their environment.
And although there can be a lack of empathy and conscience and both, in psychopaths what
we see is no conscience at all. No remorse over their actions. With Sociopaths what we
can see as something of a conscience, but it's quite vague and they often disregard it. They
just go ahead and do whatever it is they want. They have a poor sense of right and wrong. They,
they may know something is wrong, it may feel wrong, but they go ahead and do it anyway.
Psychopaths have no concept of it at all. And psychopaths can t form attachments with others.
They know that they maybe should feel something, but they don't. Many are good however at mimicking
emotions, the emotions that they don't feel. Some see, some see other people as things,
objects, a resource, but not necessarily as a person, a fellow human being. And they can form
relationships, but they tend to be fake, quite shallow and usually with people who are easy to
manipulate. Sociopaths on the other hand can have a level of empathy in some relationships and with
some people and can form attachments with some people, maybe a partner or their children. Other
than that their relationships tend to be quite unhealthy ones. Sociopaths generally don't care
about other people, while psychopaths pretend that they do. Psychopaths can be very socialised, blend
in. They can be successful in whatever field they are in. They can spend a lot of time reading other
people's emotions and learning to mimic them. Many can manipulate quite successfully by hiding or
masking their true nature. However sociopaths tend to live more on the edge of society, find it
hard to settle down and find it difficult to hold down jobs, hold down relationships even. They tend
to be impulsive and aggressive, they don't really think things through, they can be erratic and
show a level of distress, for example, if they were caught breaking the law.
They have problems with anger and can show open hostility to others, sometimes perceive others
as being hostile towards them. There is poor emotional regulation and very easily emotionally
wounded and can be quite vengeful. That vengeance, however is generally not very well thought through
or tactful, and can be quite erratic and impulsive. Psychopaths can have more self
control and be more methodical and calculating. They can be charming and not necessarily violent.
Psychopaths would have what scientists refer to as a resilience to chaos , meaning they can be calm
under pressure. They can thrive in situations that others would find overwhelming. And if,
for example, they were to be caught breaking the law, they generally wouldn't panic the way
sociopaths would. So that's a brief outline of the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths.
Sociopaths being impulsive and erratic at times, and psychopaths being calculated and methodical
at times. Now if there s anything I have missed by all means add your thoughts, your comments in the
comment box below I m always interested in your thoughts and opinions. If you liked this video
if you found it useful or interesting please consider subscribing to my channel for future
updates on mental health related topics and until next time, thanks for watching.