Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer; John Wayne Gacy; Jack the Ripper — famous sociopaths that have dominated popular culture. A sociopath is a person who suffers from a severe form of antisocial personality disorder. Sociopaths are usually career criminals; however they do not necessarily have to have a criminal history. You can prove someone is a sociopath by comparing his history, traits and behaviors to those of typical sociopaths. Look for patterns over time, rather than one or two isolated incidents. If you encounter someone you think is a sociopath — stay away from him as he is very dangerous.
Childhood
Ask about her childhood. A sociopath’s acting-out typically begins in childhood and may be in the form of aggressive behaviors toward her friends, parents or animals. While the behaviors do not have to be criminal, they must violate normal social conventions — things like disrupting class, showing marked selfishness and bullying others. Jeffrey Dahmer had a history of being disruptive in class, and he was very interested in torturing animals. During adulthood he further violated societal norms by becoming a cannibal.
Extreme Impulsiveness
Look for patterns of impulsiveness. A sociopath acts first and thinks later. Their history will be replete with behaviors such as domestic abuse, bar fights, promiscuity, vandalism and fraud. When he was 18, Jeffrey Dahmer acted on an impulse and killed a hitchhiker — his first human victim.
Lack of Responsibility
Evaluate his ability to hold a responsible position in society. Sociopaths struggle to obtain and maintain employment; they will get fired frequently for being late, tardy or having substandard work. They may be described as aimless drifters and are not typically assimilated into their communities. They may have fathered several different children with different partners, but tend not to be financially or emotionally supporting any of them. Relationships are generally short-lived, and they may have been divorced multiple times.
Lack of Empathy
Watch for a conspicuous lack of empathy. Sociopaths do not consider anyone’s viewpoint besides their own — it simply does not exist for them. They may view other people’s suffering as funny, take delight in conning or outsmarting them, or believe that anyone kind deserves to be victimized. They are not typically very upset when someone close to them dies, when they get a divorce or when something bad happens to a family member. Anger, rather than sadness, predominates their emotions.
Pathological Liar
Count the number of lies she tells and note the ease with which she tells them. Sociopaths lie even when disadvantageous ‘” it appears that they cannot control themselves. She may take pride in her ability to con others and does not believe lying is unethical or immoral. They may contradict themselves when lying and be oblivious when questioned about the contradictions.
Sources:
Online Schools: What is the Difference Between a Psychopath and a Sociopath?
Psych Central: Antisocial Personality Disorder
MaCalester University: Jeffrey Dahmer
