Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about psychopaths, sociopaths, and the Dark Triad
Now, let’s begin.
What’s the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?
These labels describe the volatile personality types on the planet.
They’re impulsive.
They’re selfish, and they don’t think twice about hurting other people… at least,
that’s what most people think.
No doctor would ever use labels like psychopath or sociopath.
People misuse these labels for a wide range of irregular personalities.
Individuals who struggle with schizophrenia, for example, are frequently called psychopaths.
They may have unusual symptoms, like auditory hallucinations, but having a mental disorder
does not make you a psychopath.
So let’s talk about real psychopathy.
What does a true psychopath or sociopath look like?
And what makes these personality types so rare and irregular?
To answer these questions, let’s talk about APD or antisocial personality disorder.
APD is one of the most challenging and diverse mental disorders out there.
APD includes irregular, sometimes dangerous personalities that show signs of impulsive,
self-centered behavior.
Common symptoms include deceit, frequent irritation, reckless decision-making, and a lack of remorse.
But APD, like all psychological disorders, differs from person to person.
Individuals diagnosed with this disorder exist on a spectrum.
Some people with APD show minor symptoms, like impulsiveness or reckless behavior.
But, despite their irregular personality traits, these people may live normal lives.
If no one told you they had APD, you’d never know.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have the most severe cases.
These are the celebrity psychopaths that litter our history books with violent crimes.
These dangerous individuals are well-known for criminal behavior, vicious manipulation,
and a total lack of empath.
When you think about psychopaths and sociopaths, these are the people that come to mind.
But what personality traits define the higher end of the spectrum?
Experts have discovered three defining traits, which explain the mysterious personalities
of these violent characters.
These three, socially aversive qualities are ominously called the Dark Triad
Every psychopath, and every sociopath, falls somewhere in this triangle of negative personality
traits.
The Dark Triad includes narcissism, Machiavellianism, and, of course, psychopathy—each of which
unveil a darker, twisted side of humanity.
Every trait in the Dark Triad has one thing in common: an inflated sense of self.
These individuals believe, for one reason or another, that they are better then or different
from everyone else.
They may think of themselves as deities walking amongst regular people.
Or maybe they view the entire world as their enemy.
Either way, this inflated ego justifies and exaggerates their impulsivity, which creates
a volatile personality.
This brings us to the first member of the Dark Triad: Narcissism.
Narcissism is not an inflated sense of self, though that’s the way most people define
it.
There are plenty of proud, selfish people in the world.
Your friend may talk way too much about their salary.
Your boss may think they’re better than you.
But these people are not narcissists.
They have big egos, but narcissism describes something far more significant.
A narcissist is someone who is constantly craving attention, admiration, and praise.
They want to be the center of attention at all times, and they expect other people to
treat them like someone special.
They genuinely believe they are the most important people in the world.
They value their time, money, and desires more than anyone else’s… and they think
the whole world should follow suit.
Surprisingly, most narcissists know exactly how self-centered they are.
Studies have shown that narcissists will freely acknowledge their narcissism.
In other words, they aren’t blind to the irregularities in their personalities… but
that doesn’t mean narcissists are willing to change.
While narcissism is an important member of the Dark Triad, it’s also a personality
disorder.
NPD or Narcissistic Personality Disorder develops when narcissistic tendencies interfere with
your life on a daily basis.
Narcissism may cause major rifts in your relationships.
It may destroy your career or motivate destructive habits.
People with NPD also display severe attention-seeking behavior, which creates extreme insecurity
and grandiose beliefs.
If someone has NPD, they may be a narcissist… but that does not mean they’re a psychopath.
Narcissism is just one component of the Dark Triad, and it’s the most common of the bunch.
To understand the personality of a psychopath, there are two more sinister qualities at play.
The second member of the Dark Triad is Machiavellianism.
Machiavellianism describes your relationship with deception.
People with this personality trait, often called “High Machs,” deceive people for
their own personal gain.
They enjoy manipulating others.
They find it thrilling, even fun.
High Machs believe they have the right to control other people.
And they have the intelligence to back it up.
High Machs, on average, have very high IQs.
They’re master manipulators who bend the truth… and make it sound believable.
Unfortunately, many High Machs have taken up powerful positions in society.
Leaders, politicians, and wealthy businessmen throughout history have displayed Machiavellian
tendencies.
It’s not uncommon for leaders to climb to the top of the social ladder by abusing their
authority.
The third member of the Dark Triad, Psychopathy, is also the most unusual.
This irregular personality trait turns a self-centered con artist into a truly dangerous individual.
Why?
Because psychopathy strips away your feelings of empathy and remorse.
With this personality trait, at-risk individuals can do harm to others without feeling any
sense of regret.
These people are insensitive, impulsive, and unemotional, because they can’t connect
with other people on an emotional level.
Because they cannot experience empathy, these people use their high intelligence to create
a superficial persona.
They have a knack for analyzing and controlling other people, so they use their charm and
versatility to take advantage of others.
On its own, psychopathy leads many people down a dark road, but the most dangerous individuals
represent the entire triad.
These are history’s most famous criminals, the serial killers whose legacies haunt the
world to this day.
These killers are governed by self-absorption, and they satisfy their needs above anyone
else’s.
They display extreme attention seeking behaviors, and they consistently chase impulsive thrills.
Think about all the criminals who wrote letters to the police and publicized their crimes
just to get on the News.
They wanted to be heard.
They wanted attention.
Of course, their High Mach tendencies make them elusive—almost invisible.
They control their surroundings like a puppet master, pulling the strings at every turn.
Their lack of empathy drives them toward self-satisfying violence.
And they feel no remorse after creating so much pain and suffering.
Because these devious characters only care about one person… themselves.
This is by no means a complete discussion of the Dark Triad.
But, even in this small summary, it’s obvious that these personality traits make a catastrophic
combination.
So what do we call these people?
Are these people sociopaths… or psychopaths?
Both of these terms come from the Dark Triad, but there is a clear line between a sociopath
and a psychopath.
Even though neither is academically relevant, it’s important that we distinguish between
them.
They’ve become mainstream labels for individuals with APD, but not everyone fits into either
category.
Just like unhealthy and crazy are two different things, there’s a big difference between
a sociopath and psychopath.
Some experts boil down this contrast to one significant discrepancy.
Sociopaths have two traits in the Dark Triad, but psychopaths have all three.
While this is the easiest way to distinguish between psychopaths and sociopaths, it’s
not entirely accurate.
Many sociopaths do experience psychopathic tendencies.
They struggle with empathy.
They may not feel remorse all the time.
But sociopaths do have a conscience.
It may be dull, twisted, and irregular, but it’s still there.
Unfortunately, that conscience is the biggest reason why sociopaths are such volatile and
unpredictable people.
They can form meaningful relationships.
They can experience intense emotional pain, but their mind processes those emotions very
differently.
Sociopaths struggle immensely to function in our society.
They cannot conceal the irregularities in their personalities, so those irregularities
take over their lives.
A psychopath, on the other hand, does not have a conscience.
They show significant signs of all three traits in the Dark Triad.
Psychopaths are 100% lacking in both empathy and remorse, so they’re far more controlled,
measured, and calculating than sociopaths.
Psychopaths will hide under everyone’s noses, because they read and analyze people better
than anyone on the planet.
It’s not uncommon for psychopaths to have exceptional knowledge about the way people
think.
Even though they can’t experience empathy, psychopaths have turned deception into a science.
But why?
Psychopaths take advantage of others to protect themselves.
They crave attention, but they blend seamlessly into the crowd.
Why?
Because a psychopath never wants to give themselves away.
Similar to sociopaths, psychopaths do have emotions.
This is a very common misconception.
People think psychopaths are emotionless monsters, but that’s not true.
Psychopaths can get lonely and experience hardship, just like anyone else.
They can love people in their own way, even if it doesn’t look like the love we’re
used to seeing.
Being a psychopath, especially a non-violent one, is incredibly isolating.
Psychopaths learn not to trust anyone but themselves, so their lives are often colored
by sadness, instability, and emotional pain.
All extreme personality disorders are complicated… but APD is the most complicated of them all.
In this video, we’ve introduced the Dark Triad, discussed the symptoms of psychopathy,
and distinguished between two types of antisocial personality disorder.
But we’ve only scratched the surface.
Psychologists are learning new things about APD every day.
We have a long way to go before we truly understand the millions of irregularities inside our
complicated brains.
But if there’s one thing you can take away from this video, it’s this: calling someone
a psychopath doesn’t do this severe personality disorder any justice.
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is on the way.