What is the difference between Psychopathy and Sociopathy?
What is the difference between Psychopathy and Sociopathy?
When you hear the term ‘psychopath’ what do you envision? Do you see an axe-wielding maniac murdering entire families while they sleep? According to Hollywood cinema, a psychopath is someone you can pick out from the crowd based on a pair of retro 70’s glasses, a thick mustache, and a windowless van. However, a psychopath is generally someone who is meticulous in their thinking, effortlessly manipulative of those around them, and often someone who is very successful and popular amongst their peers. A sociopath, on the other hand, is someone who is often erratic, lacks critical thinking skills, and commits violent and impulsive crimes.
According to the Fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders, or more commonly known as the DSM, both psychopathy and sociopathy fall under the category of being Antisocial Personality Disorders. Due to both of these disorders falling under the same category, they share very similar traits. Some of these shared traits are a disregard for the law and authoritarian figures, a general disregard for the rights of others, a failure to feel remorse or guilt and a tendency to display violent and aggressive behaviors. Despite many shared similarities between the two disorders, the one thing that sets them apart is calamitous: a psychopath has an inability to feel empathy for others or form meaningful emotional attachments to those around them.
A sociopath is described as someone with extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviors that lack a conscience. However, a sociopath does have the ability to form meaningful connections with one specific person or group while not feeling anything towards those outside of that group. A sociopath is often a nervous individual that is easily agitated, volatile, and prone to emotional outbursts; these outbursts can include fits of rage. Due to this mental disorder causing someone to feel inferior or displaced in society, they often live on the fringes of what is deemed normal. They often have a hard time holding down jobs or staying in one place and are viewed as being outwardly disturbed and erratic. Their crimes are often frenzied, unplanned, and messy; they are the type of killer that is likely to kill while upset and angry.
Unlike psychopathy, the origins of what causes someone to become a sociopath are slightly more muddled. In cases of psychopathy, there is a distinct under development in the prefrontal cortex, or the part of the brain that is responsible for impulse control and emotions. Sociopathy, on the other hand, is more closely linked to childhood trauma such as physical and emotional abuse.
In a research study performed in 2005 by Martha Stout, a practicing psychologist and instructor in the psychology department at Harvard University, research results found that as much as 50% of the cause of sociopathy can be attributed to heredity and the remaining 50% is caused by outside forces such as trauma.
An example of a sociopath is Jodi Arias; Jodi was known to grow obsessed with the men in her life and had tunnel vision for that single person. When the man she was having an affair with, Travis began to show signs of losing interest in her, she began to become increasingly hostile and persistent in keeping her relationship with him. When she murdered Travis, she did it in a frenzied attack while they were in the shower together and continued to take pictures during the entire murder. After being arrested, she continued to lie about her involvement in the crime and when she did admit to it she claimed that it was because he was a sexual predator.
After her arrest, one of her future cell mates came forward claiming that Jodi made her uncomfortable because of her total disregard for the atrocity she had committed. She reported that Jodi would tell her that Travis was a child molester and she did the world a favor for getting rid of him. Whether or not she actually believed Travis was this monster, she felt no remorse for killing someone she supposedly loved in such a brutal way. During recorded interviews, she was known to ask the camera crew to stop recording so she could fix her hair or powder her nose; she relished in the attention she was receiving for Travis’s murder.
Psychopathy, on the other hand is more neurologically rooted within a person’s mind due to the under development of the emotional control center of their brain. Due to this under development, psychopaths are unable to feel any form of empathy. Without the ability to form emotional attachments, it is easy for psychopaths to view people and animals as objects. The biggest difference between a psychopath and sociopath is the fact that psychopaths commit crimes with every step and action planned out, with contingency plans in place. They thrive under pressure and learn how to mimic necessary emotions to manipulate those around them. These killers are often referred to as “cold blooded” and are often narcissistic, with a strong belief in their ability to evade the law.
Often times, a psychopath is the most educated, sought after and successful person in the room due to their ability to read a crowd.
An example of a psychopath is Ted Bundy; he worked as a crisis prevention helpline worker and was known to protect people from being robbed, yet had the ability to turn off his “empathy” and brutally beat numerous women to death. While on trial for Kimberly Leach’s murder, he was able to convince a majority of people that he was innocent. It wasn’t until the cast of his dental impressions were taken that the true conscience-lacking nature of Ted Bundy was revealed.
Now that you know the official difference between a psychopath and sociopath, what killers come to your mind when trying to label them under a category?
Cold Case Blogger
