While the terms are interchangeable, they have their own distinctions. Recognizing the differences between sociopathy and psychopathy can and should affect the way you interact with this person, your expectations of them, and how to treat them. This is why we are here to end the discussion of sociopath vs psychopath. Along the way, we’ll also be discussing the difference between psychopath and sociopath in the words below, as mentioned before.
Know This Before the Debate of Sociopath vs Psychopath
To clearly define the difference between sociopath and psychopath, we should focus on antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). When you are diagnosed with ASPD, you tend to act in ways that go against socially acceptable standards. You will be relentless in breaking the law, and there will be no remorse about it. ASPD usually arrives in childhood, starting with the diagnosis of a conduct disorder during that time until you are 18 years old, which is when you are actually diagnosed with ASPD. The symptoms are as follows and will help you understand the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath:
- Habitual lies and tricking for personal gains
- Tendency to commit crimes
- Utter disregard for rules or the safety of others
- Acting impulsively or aggressively
- Acting cold toward others
- Lying about both big and little things
- People with ASPD tend to have few, if any, close relationships
- They also tend to have trouble keeping a job or doing schoolwork
- They also tend to take unneeded risks
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Defining Sociopathy
As we have said before, the terms are used interchangeably, but both have different connotations and important distinctions that differentiate them in the context of defining people’s personality traits. When it comes to its definition, it aligns more with symptoms of ASPD, even though psychopathy can cross over to these characteristics as well. It is essentially not a term that people should just use, often arbitrarily, to describe someone who is apparently without conscience and is hateful or hate-worthy. It is important to note that sociopathy (which is the closest to it) is the unofficial term for antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) even though both psychopathy and sociopathy can be considered variations of it.
Defining Psychopathy
Psychopathy is not an official diagnosis and is not considered an ASPD because there is a reason for that. It is just a set of traits that is recognizable in around 25%-30% of people with ASPD. You can say that the term psychopath is used to convey a sociopath who is simply more dangerous, like a serial killer or a mass murderer. Now, this sheds a lot of light on the debate of sociopath vs psychopath already. One can say psychopaths are classified as people with little or no conscience who can mimic social conventions when it suits their needs.
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Sociopath vs Psychopath
To clearly differentiate these two, here is a difference between sociopath and psychopath chart (from Very Well Mind) for you to find out the literal differences between them!
| Sociopath | Psychopath |
| Make it clear they do not care how others feel | They pretend to care |
| The response is almost always in hot-headed and impulsive ways | Have a knack for displaying cold-hearted behavior |
| Excessively prone to fits of anger and rage | Often fail to recognize other people’s distress |
| Recognize what they are doing but rationalize their behavior | Have relationships, but these tend to be shallow and fake |
| Cannot maintain a regular work and family life | Know how to maintain the facade of normal life as a cover for criminal activity |
| Can form emotional attachments, but it is difficult | Often fail to formulate genuine emotional attachments |
| Childhood onset | They can love people but in their own way |
Additionally, experts believe that their approaches to violence (as seen in the table above) and their origins and development (about which you will read below) are not the same. Psychopaths usually don’t feel anxiety or depression because of their disregard for remorse or consequences (which frequently cause the aforementioned ailments) as there will be a lot fewer causes due to that, and there is little literature to suggest otherwise. On the other hand, antisocial personality disorder, aka sociopathy, may be accompanied by a depressed mood. There also are similarities, but these are few. For example, psychopathy and sociopathy are not clinical diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as something like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is yet they are both considered to be variations of ASPD. All of these similarities and differences in a sociopath and psychopath are elaborative of the discussion that sparks the debate of sociopath vs psychopath, but we hope there is no confusion behind the meaning of both these terms for you.
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Origins and Development
When they say that sociopaths are made and psychopaths are born, there is a lot of truth to it. While the truth is there, this type of generalization is too broad. Getting deeper into the debate of sociopath vs psychopath in the context of their origins and development can provide better answers. While the statement is right that psychopathy has a genetic component, such as the underdevelopment of the parts of the brain that regulate emotion and impulsiveness in psychopaths. Experts believe that there are clearly other factors at play that contribute to this as a behavioral disorder. They believe psychopaths often have a history of an unstable family life and/or were raised in poorer neighborhoods prone to violence. They tend to have parents who were substance abusers and who failed to provide parental guidance or attention (Martens, 2000). This often results in failed relationships and a false sense of “robbed” opportunities.
While sociopathy also tends to be associated with harmful childhood experiences, including sexual abuse, physical violence, or parental instability, the differentiation that nature plays more of a role in the creation of a psychopath than a sociopath may suggest that sociopaths have a conscience, albeit a weak one. They are often seen to justify something they know to be wrong. Sociopaths have a conscience is supported by a 2014 study where a good number of participants essentially “gave up” on their antisocial behavior in later life and developed well-adjusted relationships (Black, 2015).
Now, let’s talk about whether we can treat either of them.
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Treating Sociopathy and Psychopathy
ASPD or psychopathy, there is no cure for either of them. Therapeutic treatment is available, though. Treatments such as psychotherapy that focus on these disorders tend to focus on reforming problematic behavior and providing coping skills for these ailments and their comorbidities such as substance use disorders. Typical treatment methods include talk therapy, aka psychotherapy (individual and group) or its another type, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medications (antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) through a monitored version called psychiatric medication management and impulsive lifestyle counseling (Thylstrup & Hesse 2016).
Wrapping Up
With the end of the debate on sociopath vs psychopath, you probably have understood what is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. If you are looking for treatment methods such as the ones described above or alternative ones like telepsychiatry, then don’t look any further than Solid Foundation Psychiatry. Book an appointment today.