Response to the Article

When I was 17 I had the joy of being classified as a 'perfect' sociopath.  Meant nothing to me.  I already understood that I was greatly different than everyone else.  My parents already understood that I was not 'normal' and no punishment would bend me to their will.  My ability to score a perfect zero on any relationship test is meaningless.

I am now almost 60 and have lived a very 'normal' life and yes last year's testing still proved I was still very much a 'perfect' sociopath.

Why 'perfect'?

Because apparently I have absolutely no ability to relate in normal terms with another human being.  I have friends, have five children (all adopted) and have worked with teenagers for 38 years.  Yeah, I learned how to appear to be completely normal by observing others and copying their behaviors in all situations.  In fact, so well, that only one of my girls did figure it out.  Everyone else writes me off as slightly quirky.

So, as I read this article I was a little surprised that some was very much true about me, some not at all.

I guess if you philosophically clump all anti-social behavior together and classify it as being sociopathic in nature, then the points make sense.  But, I am not so sure that much of what this was based on was not on those whom are deluded.  Delusion does not necessarily equal sociopath.  The ability to actually be a sociopath is a genetically inherited trait.


If you want to be a sociopath, then you will have to fore go the pleasure of feeling anything.  You are literally dead on the inside.  You do not feel love, or guilt, or remorse, or fear.  There is no fight or flight response, there is only the question of "How bad am I going to get hurt....."  I have probably read the same literature as everyone else for the examples given, but these people were deluded.  The testimonies showed that they had moments of conscience, they felt terror at points in their lives.  Yes, they were anti-social as demonstrated by what they did.  But, they certainly were not sociopaths as I understand of my own nature.  Ted Bundy might come as close as any serial killer to actually being a sociopath, however his girlfriend admitted that at times he felt remorse and terror that she could not understand.

#1 I appreciate being called 'charming' but since you do not seek companionship as a sociopath, to whom are you charming?  The statement makes the point that we are basically sexual predators.  How are you a sexual anything when there are NO emotions?  I think this is based on anti-social behavior, not the genetic problem which creates sociopaths.  I do not include hormonal responses here, even a sociopath is human - to a point.
#2 Guilty as charged.
#3 Entirely possible, if the person does not realize what they are and attempt to live a normal life.
#4 Father was a sociopath, as well as, a world class liar, so yeah.  But, not wishing to be my father, I forced myself to only tell the truth, no matter how painful the consequences to me personally.  Yes, I have knowing lied if it protected someone I loved, I would do it again as well for the same reason.
#5 Certainly true of my father, but hating to be lied to - I went the other way and did not have to live this way.
#6 Probably true.  I know I use a great deal of brain power trying to stay on top of how do I interact, in the moment, to appear normal.
#7 Painfully true.  We also can not relate to intense moments in movies or respond or understand a love song.  There is no reaction, because there is no emotion to be felt.  That does not mean we might not want to know what the point was or try to understand.....
#8 English is my third language and I am certainly not a master of any.  I am not so certain that Manson is actually a sociopath, his is definitely anti-social, he is certainly a whack job.  Find a drug addict and you will not have found a sociopath, because drugs will not mask being a sociopath and will not make you 'FEEL' better about yourself.
#9 Partially true.  We can not feel guilt, our conscience is non-existent, but we can apologize when we realize that we have damaged others.  We are completely oblivious and actually the apology is only words because there is no remorse.  We may not understand the pain we cause others but we can observe we have.  And it is also possible to be completely correct and still wrong for the situation.....  Just ask my daughter about that one!
#10 I know that narcissism is considered to be an attribute of a sociopath as well and that is what is being portrayed here.  Narcissism is a sick form of anti-social behavior, does lead to strong delusion but this is not someone incapable of knowing what they have done.  It is someone whom is hiding behind a mask and a lie.

So getting an idea here that there are two kinds of sociopaths?  Those whom choose behavior which leads to anti-social situations; and those whom are genetically flawed and can not make that choice.  The former are generally the ones to fear, the latter - should they live to adulthood - hide.