Quick question, what movie are you watching?
Is it the one about the killer who goes on a rampage?
Actually, a lot of them are like that.
Maybe I should be more specific.
Is it the one about the guy who seems like he has no conscience whatsoever?
He just goes around doing what he wants?
What’s the difference?
I’m not sure exactly.
I think it’s time to review the differences between Psychopath and Sociopath.
To make things more interesting, we’ll discuss characters in entertainment,
as well as examples from real life.
What separates the two?
Do sociopaths really lack a conscience, or is it simply a misconception?
We’ll find out.
But first, make sure you watch until the end and subscribe to our channel.
People who don't’ ring the bell drives us mad…*“And I thought
my jokes were bad” sample.*
We’ve all see villains in movies go off the rails.
Pop culture has always depicted psychopaths has
vicious killers who will stop at nothing to get their way.
Take the Joker from ‘The Dark Knight’, or Norman Bate vs from ‘Psycho’ as examples.
These sinister characters serve as templates for cinema psychopaths.
But are they entirely accurate?
Do all psycho’s have a thirst for blood?
Is it possible for the joker to just want to be left alone?
First, we have to dive into what makes psychopaths and sociopaths different from each other.
Many people have come to believe that they are one in the same.
This is due to the fact that the two conditions actually
share common traits.
These include:
The inability to show remorse.
A knack for compulsive lying and deception.
A consistent display of violence or aggression.
Disregard for the safety of others.
It is estimated that about 4% of the world population are certified sociopaths.
An estimated 3% of Americans meet the criteria listed.
In order to be diagnosed, a person must be over the age of 18 and have a
confirmed history of displaying the above traits.
Because of these similarities, experts have molded
the two terms into one condition known as Antisocial Personality Disorder, or APD.
But what separates the two of them?
Are you saying that psychopaths and sociopaths are pretty much the same?
What’s the point of this video?
Stay with us here.
There’s actually several traits that distinguish them.
For one, sociopaths tend to emphasize the antisocial aspect of the disorder.
Often living on the fringes of society,
many find themselves isolated from the rest of the world.
Their low self-esteem tends to develop into a narcissistic
personality disorder.
They also lack intimacy, making it hard for them to reveal personal details.
If they do attempt to enter society, they often face rejection.
This makes it difficult for them to hold down a decent job, or keep
a relationship, as their antisocial tendencies are often too blatant to deny.
We see this in movies such as ‘Taxi Driver’, where a lonely New York cabbie played by
Robert DeNiro becomes disgusted with the crime-infested dump his city’s turning into.
After being rejected by a woman he’s crushing on,
what seems like his final chance at having a ‘normal’ life is eliminated.
As a result, he snaps and decides to wage war on the streets.
Sure, the movie’s a classic.
But are sociopaths really as violent as they’re depicted on screen?
Are they inherently dangerous people?
Another characteristic that is distinctly sociopathic is their tendency to react on impulse.
Instead of thinking things through, a sociopath can instantly become unhinged.
Think of Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas,
a hot headed Mafia-man you wouldn’t exactly want to have a drink with.
Tick this guy off, and he goes crazy.
Seeing characters like this, it’s no wonder people believe sociopaths
are more prone to violence.
Afterall, the word gets used rather lightly.
The label of ‘sociopath’ is often thrown around to describe a person who seemingly lacks conscience.
It might even be used for someone who simply does something mean.
How many times have we heard people say,
“You know Jasper? He cheated on Becca. The guy’s a complete sociopath.”
It’s simply tossed around.
On second thought, who’s named Jasper in 2019?
That guy sounds a little off.
Stay away from Jasper!
In reality, the stereotype of all sociopaths lacking a conscience is a simple misconception.
While they are prone to impulsive violence, their conscience is still in tact.
It’s their lack of empathy that keeps them from recognizing how
and why their transgressions have hurt people.
When their actions are questioned by others, they will often make up a weak
excuse to justify what they’ve done.
A great example is everybody’s favourite drug
dealing science nerd Walter White from ‘Breaking Bad’.
As the series progresses and more blood is shed, Walter repeatedly
mentions that he is dealing drugs in order to provide for his family.
While he eventually reveals that it was all self-indulgent, Walter
continually uses this excuse to justify the increasingly
drastic measures he’s taken to avoid both prison and death.
Whether you’re a sociopath or not, drugs are never the answer, kids!
Another discussion within the psychology community pertains to the factors that create sociopaths.
Have you ever heard of the Minnesota Twin Family Study?
Researchers from the University of Minnesota examined sets of twins who had been reared apart.
Focusing on their environments, the study indicated that around
60% of psychopathy cases are due to an inheritance from other family members.
While the debate still rages on, many suggest that sociopathy is created by one’s environment,
while psychopathy is said to come from one’s genetic makeup.
This leaves us the perfect opportunity to discuss psychopaths in detail.
While 4% of the world is said to consist of sociopaths, psychopaths are estimated at just 1%.
If we are working off the theory of psychopathy being mostly genetic,
this tiny percentage may be due to the difficulty of knowing a person’s genetic makeup.
It may also be due to the fact that…
And this may startle you…
Psychopaths are harder to spot.
When it comes to blending in with society, psychos make up for the skills sociopaths lack.
Psychopaths are much more calm and calculated.
They are also more likely to hold high positions in important industries.
Did you know that the most common occupations for a psychopath to choose are:
CEO Lawyer
Media Figure Salesperson
Surgeon
While’s it’s estimated that 10% of CEO’s may be psychopaths,
the possibility of a psychopath being a surgeon is enough to terrify anyone!
With that said, due to their charm, charisma and manipulation tactics,
psychopaths are often very successful in their occupation.
Their inability to grow personal attachments to people also helps
them keep their eye on the prize, whereas sociopaths easily become attached to people.
They’re ability to hide in plain sight also helps.
Examples of these kinds of psychos in entertainment include:
Gus Fring on ‘Breaking Bad’,
Patrick Bateman in ‘American Psycho’ and Anton Chiguhr in ‘No Country For Old Men’.
While all three have traits that differ one another, each uses strong manipulation skills,
and thoughtful logic to calculate their next move.
Dexter Morgan on ‘Dexter’ is possibly the master at this tactic.
A serial killer who works as a blood spatter analyst for the police?
You’d have to be quite the risk taker.
In fact, risk taking is another quality associated with psychos.
While they may coordinate their moves, they certainly love to
live on the edge.
During a study by Vanderbilt University,
researchers told a group of subjects they were going to receive a cash prize.
Those with regular brains got excited.
Those with psychopathic brains displayed a
much higher level of activity in their nucleus accumbens.
This is known as the “reward” part of the brain,
which indicated that the psychopath had an intense impulse to get the cash.
You mean, he was excited to get free money?
What a crazy person!
Better lock them up...
On the topic of the human brain, let’s take a second to refer back to the “lack
of conscience” stereotype attributed to sociopaths.
Remember how we said that sociopaths actually do have consciences,
and they just make excuses to justify their actions?
A psychopath shows ZERO remorse over any transgression they make.
A very peculiar case is that of 21 year-old Thomas Hemmings.
After a night of drinking in 2014, this Australian man knocked on a
couple’s door to ask if he could use their telephone.
Upon letting him in, Thomas pulled out a knife, and stabbed the husband and wife.
A grizzly, cold-blooded murder.
When it was all over, Thomas showed zero sense of remorse for what he did.
But the real twist in it all is that Thomas didn’t have a history of violence.
While many originally pointed to his Aspergers syndrome as the reason for the killing,
medical experts stated that he was more likely to be the victim
of a violent crime rather than the perpetrator.
When asked why he committed the murders,
he stated that he simply wanted to know what it was like to kill...
Do you think Thomas Hemmings is a psychopath or a sociopath?
Sound off in the comment section and don’t forget
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