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The Demagogue and His True Believers
They hide among us, sometimes as the most successful people because they’re ruthless and superficially charming, with no regard for others. Sound like someone you know? Well, you do know at least one
The Demagogue and His True Believers
They hide among us, sometimes as the most successful people because they’re ruthless and superficially charming, with no regard for others. Sound like someone you know? Well, you do know at least one
Xanthe
Mallett Thursday 30 July 2015
Psychopath
and sociopath are popular psychology terms to describe violent monsters born of
our worst nightmares. Think Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (1991), Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) and Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990). In making these characters famous, popular culture
has also burned the words used to describe them into our collective
consciousness.
Most
of us, fortunately, will never meet a Hannibal Lecter, but psychopaths and
sociopaths certainly do exist. And they hide among us. Sometimes as the most
successful people in society because they’re often ruthless, callous and
superficially charming, while having little or no regard for the feelings or
needs of others.
These
are known as successful psychopaths,
as they have a tendency to perform premeditated crimes with calculated risk. Or
they may manipulate someone else into breaking the law, while keeping
themselves safely at a distance. They’re master manipulators of other peoples’
feelings, but are unable to experience emotions themselves.
Sound
like someone you know? Well, heads up. You do know one; at least one.
Prevalence rates come in somewhere between 0.2% and 3.3% of the population.
If you’re worried about yourself, you can take
a quiz to find out, but let me save you some time: you’re not a psychopath or
sociopath. If you were, you probably wouldn’t be interested in taking that
personality test.
You
just wouldn’t be that self-aware or concerned about your character flaws.
That’s why both psychopathy and sociopathy are known as anti-social personality
disorders, which are long-term mental health conditions.
What’s
the difference?
Psychopaths
and sociopaths share a number of characteristics, including a lack of remorse
or empathy for others, a lack of guilt or ability to take responsibility for
their actions, a disregard for laws or social conventions, and an inclination
to violence. A core feature of both is a deceitful and manipulative nature. But
how can we tell them apart?
Sociopaths are
normally less emotionally stable and highly impulsive – their behavior tends to
be more erratic than psychopaths. When committing crimes – either violent or
non-violent – sociopaths will act more on compulsion. And they will lack
patience, giving in much more easily to impulsiveness and lacking detailed
planning.
Psychopaths, on the other hand, will plan
their crimes down to the smallest detail, taking calculated risks to avoid detection.
The smart ones will leave few clues that may lead to being caught. Psychopaths
don’t get carried away in the moment and make fewer mistakes as a result.
Both
act on a continuum of behaviors, and many psychologists still debate whether
the two should be differentiated at all. But for those who do differentiate
between the two, one thing is largely agreed upon:
Psychiatrists use the
term psychopathy to illustrate that the cause of the anti-social personality
disorder is hereditary. Sociopathy describes behaviors that are the result of a
brain injury, or abuse and/or neglect in childhood.
Psychopaths are born
and sociopaths are made. In essence, their difference reflects the nature
versus nurture debate.
There’s
a particularly interesting link between serial killers and psychopaths or
sociopaths – although, of course, not all psychopaths and sociopaths become
serial killers. And not all serial killers are psychopaths or sociopaths.
But
America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has noted certain traits shared
between known serial killers and these anti-social personality disorders. These
include predatory behavior, sensation-seeking, lack of remorse; impulsivity;
and the need for control or power over others.
In
the end, does the distinction between a psychopath and sociopath matter? They
can both be dangerous and even deadly, the worst wreaking havoc with people’s
lives. Or they can spend their life among people who are none the wiser for it.
Xanthe
Mallett is Senior Lecturer in Forensic Criminology at University of New
England.
