Who is a sociopath? Signs and treatment of sociopathy

People are different, this is normal, some behave recklessly and stand out from the masses. Do you know who a sociopath is? Knowing the definition and signs of sociopathy, perhaps you recognize in yourself such a person.

Sociopathy is a personality disorder when a person ignores or violates people's rights and does not follow the rules accepted by society. A sociopath is a person who is unable to adapt to society.

Sociopaths like girls, screenwriters and psychiatrists. Why? Everything is simple. Women love bad guys, screenwriters see them as ideal heroes for movies, and psychiatrists defend dissertations with their help.

The main problem of a true sociopath is the lack of borders. His behavior leaves much to be desired; he is not responsible for his actions. Personality disorder does not cause suffering because he does not understand that he is acting incorrectly. Almost everyone with sociopathy is smart and incredibly inventive. They lie sophisticatedly and perfectly master the art of manipulation.

According to scientists, each person has two forms of existence from birth.

A biological creature is an individual that, in comparison with animals inhabiting the planet, has a developed intellect.
Man is a rational creature living in a society. The creation and use of material and spiritual culture is carried out by joint efforts with surrounding people.

The features of humanity have been fixed in the genome for many millennia. As a result, the body and nervous system of a person after completion of formation are fully adapted to the process of socialization. We are talking about training, education, assimilation of moral standards.

The conception of a sociopath is accompanied by a genetic disorder when hereditary memory cannot form the qualities of a social person in the brain. A sociopath is a person who, due to a genetic disease, is not able to complete the process of socialization and become involved in society.

Symptoms of sociopathy in adults and children

Dissocial personality disorder - a mental disorder that occurs due to improper upbringing, the negative impact of the environment and adverse living conditions. Pathology does not have a relationship to age, and the most vulnerable are children. Sociopathy manifests itself in ignoring social norms, aggressiveness, impulsive behavior and inability to form attachments. These are far from all the symptoms of dissocial personality disorder.

12 signs of a sociopath

Inappropriate Acts. The sociopath ignores social norms and constantly goes beyond behavior. When making a decision, he does not think about the consequences of his actions.
Deceit. The sociopath is constantly lying, even in cases where you can do without it. Incredible stories seem very plausible, it is problematic to convict him of a lie.
Criminal behavior. To get out of a difficult situation, the sociopath will not hesitate to break the law. In his behavior, notes of cruelty, insolence and adventurism are clearly noticeable. A thief, a crook, a killer is a good example of sociopaths.
Lack of conscience. The sociopath does not feel shame or guilt for committed acts, even of a negative moral or physical nature.
Manipulation. A sociopath likes to be the leader of a group of weak-minded people. Since such people are characterized by a passive life position, it affects their thinking and actions.
Indifference. A sociopath will not build a close relationship. No wonder, because he does not feel pity, respect, sympathy and love.
High pride. The sociopath loves praise, but hates and ignores criticism. He needs admiration and attention and seeks universal recognition.
Unjustified risk. The sociopath likes to take risks, because he considers the life of an ordinary person incredibly boring. In pursuit of thrills, he often takes actions with a sexual connotation.
Aggression. The sociopath seeks to start a fight even over trifles. He often has trouble. He realizes that, being a loner, unable to cope with the united people.
Intimidation. A constant demonstration of moral and physical superiority over people and animals is another sign of dissocial disorder. The sociopath has ill-wishers.
Inability to learn from mistakes. The sociopath does not draw conclusions. Even after a serious mistake, he will not change the order of actions and behavior, and will again step on the well-known rake.
Corruption of another's property. The desire to destroy values belonging to others is a serious challenge to society.

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The listed symptoms are to some extent present in every person, but in people with dissocial personality disorder they are much more pronounced. If your acquaintances have characteristic signs, only a professional psychologist can make a specific diagnosis.

Causes of sociopathy

According to statistics, signs of dissocial personality disorder are present in 15% of people undergoing treatment in psychiatric clinics. Symptoms of pathology are expressed in prisoners serving sentences for cruelty and aggression among people with alcohol and drug addiction. Scientists have long been interested in the causes of sociopathy in adults and children, since the disease harms both patients and society.

There is an opinion that the disease is inherited, like the shape of the ears or eye color. Children of sociopaths are prone to the development of the disease, regardless of education.
The development of sociopathy is facilitated by a combination of the characteristics of upbringing, a genetic predisposition, biological factors and the environment.
Scientists were unable to establish the biological causes of the disease. But they noticed that the brain of a sociopath functions differently. The patient has a poorly developed part of the brain that is responsible for recognizing, responding to threatening or sad facial expressions, and learning from mistakes.
In addition to the genetic predisposition, the appearance of pathology leads to a negative effect from peers or a traumatic event that has happened in life.
The development of dissocial disorder can contribute to the imbalance of hormones, which, for example, in women occurs before menstruation. True, to explain the occurrence of the disease solely by such deviations will not work.

It is impossible to say exactly what causes the disease. Scientists are constantly working in this direction.

Types of Sociopaths

Previously, people with dissocial disabilities were called psychopaths, but later sociopathy became an independent pathology. The life of a sociopath is reduced to the satisfaction of their own needs. He does not take into account the opinions of others, does not want and does not know how to interact with society.

Psychologists distinguish the following types of sociopaths:

Passive (Latent). Contact with people only if necessary. It is problematic to recognize, because he skillfully hides apathy. This can be done when he demonstrates an immoral nature.
Active. Not hiding. At the sight of such a person, one gets the impression that this is a disgusting person, characterized by unscrupulousness, arrogance, selfishness and immorality. He is not guilty of this, it is due to a mental disorder.

Sociopaths of different types differ in behavior, but their essence is similar.

Treatment of sociopaths and sociopathy

I wonder how to treat sociopaths and sociopathy? Is it possible to get rid of the disease by resorting to the help of psychiatrists? Exciting questions. Unfortunately, there is nothing to please on this topic.

There is no effective way in the world to deal with dissocial personality disorder. It is only possible to reduce the severity of symptoms. For example, cognitive-behavioral treatment focused on controlling thoughts leading to illegal actions reduces the number of cases of antisocial behavior.

The methods used to treat mental disorders in the case of sociopathy are ineffective, and sometimes even harmful. So, effective ways to deal with depression or eating disorder worsen the symptoms of sociopathy.

The best results are shown by psychotherapy, aimed at educating the sociopath on the rules of behavior in society, taking into account laws, existing restrictions and moral standards.

There are no medical drugs to treat the disease. Medications only stop the accompanying symptoms. If sociopathy is accompanied by a depressive state, doctors use antidepressants. Patients prone to aggression are credited with mood stabilizers.

Is sociopathy and sociophobia the same thing?

People often confuse sociopathy with sociophobia, believing that it is one and the same. In fact, these are different diseases. To verify this, it is enough to consider the concepts of sociopath and sociophobe.

A sociopath is an aggressive person who does not recognize moral standards accepted by society. The patient does not want and cannot adapt to society and often leads a dangerous life.
Sociophobe is a public fearing personality. For him, speaking to an audience is worse than death. He is afraid of people, afraid of building relationships, afraid of making contact. Excessive isolation and caution prevent the sociophobe from establishing verbal communications.

The difference is phenomenal. The first case is a disregard for society and its rules, the second is a fear of everything and everything. A sociopath, unlike a sociophobe, poses a potential threat to people.

Famous sociopaths

Let's talk about the famous sociopaths who left a noticeable mark in history. It turns out that there are a lot of them, we just don’t know that they are included in the category of people with dissocial personality disorder.

In real life

Adolf Hitler is a good example of a sociopath. At the heart of his political ideology was the principle of leaderism - the ideal basis for the development of sociopathy. Hitler did not have the usual system of values, but he neglected people's lives. Without feeling guilty, anxious and remorseful, he broke through to power.

Other famous sociopaths are also known in history - the tyrant Stalin, the serial killer Chikatilo, and the Roman emperor Caligula.

They also include in their category:

religious fanatics that infringe on the rights of representatives of other religious faiths,
persons who infect others with sexually transmitted diseases,
cruel womanizer, collecting adventures and throwing girls.

To the cinema

Modern cinema likes to hang the label "sociopath" on screen heroes. Thanks to the efforts of screenwriters, dissocial personality disorder has become a fashion trend. Dr. House, Sherlock Holmes, Dexter, Hannibal Lecter - an incomplete list of heroes whose psychic portrait is fully consistent with the description of a sociopath.