Thus, rather than being chronically likely to construe any high arousal state as anger, psychopaths appear more likely to experience anger primarily in response to frustrated attempts to achieve a reward.
Sociopaths experience anxiety and find rage far harder to control. They may act without thought and, as a result, they may have a harder time blending in.
Firstly, most psychopaths dislike children and babies – because, as one comment put it, “children just suck ass”. Along with children, the most listed other dislikes included religion, politics, political correctness and social justice.
Of course, they can also get angry, especially in response to provocation, or get frustrated when their goals are thwarted. So Villanelle is right, to some extent. You can hurt a psychopath's feelings, but probably different feelings and for different reasons.
The term narcissistic sociopath is used to describe someone who manipulates and harms others for their own personal gain. People who have aspects of both narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and antisocial personality disorder (APD) could be considered narcissistic sociopaths.
Some believe that it is fun to torture others, or that it makes the sociopath in some way "superior." Sociopaths are often highly-functioning people, yet many lie so pathologically that they do not even know when their deception took over.
Sociopaths have no real attachment to anyone and treat others as objects. Many sociopaths feel inner rage which they use to justify their negative behavior towards others. Very little is understood about what causes sociopathy, although one meta-analysis found 56% of it could be explained genetically.
A sociopath can sometimes be happy when others simply can't, because they don't have feelings of remorse or guilt. These particular emotions usually don't make us feel happy right away. So in theory, the complete lack of these emotions can result in more happiness.
It's not known why some people develop antisocial personality disorder, but both genetics and traumatic childhood experiences, such as child abuse or neglect, are thought to play a role. A person with antisocial personality disorder will have often grown up in difficult family circumstances.
Those with histrionic, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, schizotypal, passive-aggressive, self-defeating, antisocial, paranoid, borderline, avoidant, dependent, and sadistic personality traits also were attracted to psychopaths.
What's the Difference Between Sociopathy and Psychopathy? If you have ASPD, or sociopathy, you probably know you're doing something wrong when you do something wrong. But you may have little empathy for others. That means it can be hard for you to see things from someone else's perspective or understand how they feel.
Psychopathy often results in “unsuccessful outcomes” such as incarceration. However, those with psychopathic traits are usually able to control these tendencies and avoid such adversities.
According to Perpetua Neo, a psychologist and therapist who specializes in people with DTP traits, the answer is no. "Narcissists, psychopaths, and sociopaths do not have a sense of empathy," she told Business Insider. "They do not and will not develop a sense of empathy, so they can never really love anyone."
Referring to antisocial personality disorder as the present-day iteration of psychopathy, the APA states that antisocial personality disorder may be accompanied by a depressed mood. It further states that antisocial personality disorder can co-exist with depressive disorders, including major depression.
Psychopaths are usually deemed more dangerous than sociopaths because they show no remorse for their actions due to their lack of empathy. Both of these character types are portrayed in individuals who meet the criteria for antisocial personality disorder.
The organizational psychopath
Organizational psychopaths crave a god-like feeling of power and control over other people. They prefer to work at the very highest levels of their organizations, allowing them to control the greatest number of people.
A person who is manipulative, dishonest, narcissistic, unremorseful, non-empathetic, and exploitative may be a psychopath. Criminality, promiscuity, and lack of responsibility are also common traits associated with psychopathy.
“Our findings suggest that individuals with psychopathic traits enjoy fear as opposed to having deficits in fear but these theories are not incompatible,” Book and colleagues wrote in their study.