#sociopathy/psychopathy

[alexandraisyes]

What is the difference between sociopath and psychopath?

OH! OH OH OH I LOVE THIS QUESTION. Also this is a massive explanation that really goes in-depth about neurology so I'll do a read more.

The main difference is that a psychopath is born with ASPD. A sociopath develops it during early (we're talking starting off as young as 2) childhood due to severe long-term (several years) abuse and neglect (generally from main caretakers).

There are also some nuances in how a socio's brain works in comparison to a psycho's. But the major difference that really determines all of the minor differences is that a psychopath doesn't necessarily have trauma related to their ASPD, and tends to have a lot less comorbid disorders. A sociopath ALWAYS has trauma that directly caused their ASPD and a fucking CVS receipt of comorbid disorders the large majority of the time.

There are also more sociopaths than there are psychopaths. The physiology of ASPD is that the brain's structure is different from an empathetic person. Specifically in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, because there's not enough activity in those areas for someone with ASPD. The prefrontal cortex is involved in decision-making, impulse control, and regulation of social behavior, and the amygdala is involved in emotion processing and fear response. Abnormalities in the amygdala contribute to a lack of empathy and increased aggression (aggression does NOT equal violence in this case, but rather an increased and pervasive level of negative emotion that makes you more likely to act out). Genetics have been proven to play a factor in how likely someone who was born empathetic would develop ASPD.

The difference here is that a psychopath is born with reduced blood flow to those areas. No trauma needed, that's just how they work.

On the contrary, a sociopath develops reduced blood flow to those areas because if you live in an environment that fosters the growth of anti-social traits and behaviors you are not exercising those parts of your brain. I'll go into a deep dive about the neurological aspects of how formative trauma turns into ASPD.

Chronic stress from abuse can impair the development of the prefrontal cortex; reduced activity or structural abnormalities in this area can lead to increased impulsivity and difficulty regulating emotions. The amygdala becomes hyperactive due to repeated exposure to threatening situations. This results in heightened aggression and reduced ability to empathize with others. Abuse can lead to a smaller hippocampus, impairing the ability to process emotions and increasing vulnerability to stress.

Chronic abuse elevates cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can alter brain function and structure. Persistent high cortisol levels can damage the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, exacerbating emotional and behavioral regulation issues. Serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters regulate mood and behavior. Abuse can disrupt their levels, contributing to aggression, impulsivity, and difficulty experiencing pleasure or reward.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) becomes hyperactive, leading to a state of constant alertness and readiness for perceived threats. This can cause chronic anxiety, irritability, and aggressive responses. Conversely, some individuals may develop a blunted stress response, showing reduced physiological reactions to stress. This can lead to a lack of fear or concern for consequences. (These two may combine so that safe things trigger stress and unsafe things do not).

Abusive environments can impair the development of secure attachments, leading to difficulties in forming trusting relationships. This can foster detachment, manipulative behavior, and a lack of empathy. Inconsistent or abusive parenting can disrupt normal emotional development, making it difficult for individuals to manage their emotions and impulses. This can result in volatile behavior and poor emotional control. Abusive environments often model and reinforce antisocial behaviors. Children learn to cope with stress through aggression or manipulation, which can become ingrained patterns of behavior. Abusive environments can impede moral development, leading to difficulties in understanding and adhering to societal norms and rules. This can result in a disregard for others' rights and a propensity for criminal behavior.

Trauma and abuse can also alter gene expression through epigenetic changes, affecting the brain's development and function. These changes can increase the risk of developing ASPD by influencing genes involved in stress response, emotional regulation, and social behavior.

A lot of people who went through severe childhood abuse may experience anti-social symptoms without having full-blown ASPD. When I was younger I did a genetic test that led to some very fascinating results that now that I'm older and understand my disorder I understand how my ASPD ties directly into my genetic depression, or rather my genetic depression is caused by my ASPD.

I don't process/produce Vitamin B6, B9 (Folate), and B12. These vitamins are crucial for brain function and the production of neurotransmitters. Deficiencies lead to mood disorders, cognitive impairments, and other neurological issues. B vitamins are involved in synthesizing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood and behavior. These are neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers and mood enhancers. B vitamins play a role in the metabolic pathways that produce endorphins. An inability to properly absorb, process, or produce B vitamins can disrupt these pathways, leading to lower endorphin levels, which can contribute to symptoms of depression and affect overall mental well-being.

Because of how specific my issue is I had to take a specialized blend of B Vitamins. Unfortunately once I turned 18 my parents stopped buying them for me and I haven't had the funds to purchase my own at all since I was cut off (which has led to my mental health tanking). I strongly suggest anyone who deals with anti-social traits in a way that is disruptive to their daily life to look into these. You can't generally find them at a drug store, but they're on Amazon for 25-ish USD for a month's worth bottle. Which is really good because when my parents were buying them two years ago or so they were 40$ a bottle.

I have been on all sorts of mood stabilizing medications, psychosis medications, anti-depressants, anxiety medication, etc. None of them worked because we didn't know what exactly was wrong with me. All it did was make it so I couldn't feel the negative emotions properly, so I was constantly numb. What the vitamins did for me is that they let me process passive endorphin exchange and metabolism for the first time in my life, which meant that there wasn't a drastic barrier between me and positive emotions.

I strongly suggest this for anyone who is also just dealing with mood instabilities/disorders because it helped immensely. I'm bipolar two and I wasn't dealing with any major manic episodes while I was on them for about two years, so it helped drastically in that aspect too.

I know this got a little off the rails, but sociopathy is such a hard disorder to deal with, and it's so demonized by the media. Just telling someone you're a clinical sociopath is enough for them to kick you out of their life, even though it has no reflection on your character and is just an outcome of a horrible, hell-like childhood. So I think it's important for ASPD voices to speak up about the disorder when they can and try to dispel some of the awful stigmatization.

[takeyourcyanide]

This is another personal rant, except I’ll be talking more on my “antisocial/psychopathic” traits and the annoying asshats I’ve dealt with.

I cannot fucking stand these neurotypical, hypocritical bastards who like to position themselves as morally superior to me simply because I never developed a sense of morality. I know this sounds weird, but let me explain. Their morality is conditional. My lack thereof is not. The moment they come across anyone who even slightly differs from their idea of what is “normal,” they throw all of their “kindness matters,” “empathy matters,” and “mental health matters” shit out of the window, and treat the individual as though they are subhuman, ultimately ostracizing them. I don’t fucking do that. Yeah, sure, I don’t really have a moral compass, but for one, I’ve tried to and my brain just can’t develop one, and two, my voidness of one never changes based off of a person’s personality, clothing, appearance, etc. And you’re only pretending to be sweet for the sake of seeming morally superior anyway. It’s all performative.

And to further go on, I remember being like three and witnessing how people like me were treated. They were treated like violent, disobedient mutts that needed to be beat and whipped into submission, and by the same people who went on and on about “faith,” “hope,” and fucking “love.” You have absolutely no goddamn right to judge me when you’re not even an equal opportunity offender. At least I admit that I’m not a kind person. You are even more of a fraud than I’ve ever had to be. I find it funny how these same people go on about mental health, but the moment you’ve never felt guilt, suddenly you’re the monster under their bed. The moment you’re anything but anxious (even then, they’re iffy), you’re scum.

They don’t understand what it’s like to never have the privilege of being yourself. They don’t even realize that being able to be yourself is, in fact, a privilege. They don’t understand what it’s like to desperately want to be free, to just do as you please, and be what you genuinely are. I saw one psychopath describe it once as their real self never being able to experience the world. Precisely. Because the world is essentially pinned against you, deeming you an unlovable pile of shit, your genuine self can never fully, never truly experience the world around you. All I’ve ever wanted is to be myself and do whatever I want to (you can only imagine why I post Stein so much lmao), but I’ll never be able to. I don’t say that for pity btw, it’s just frustrating.

At the end of the day, it’s not the fact that they view me as subhuman that bothers me. I couldn’t give two shits how they view me. It’s the fact that they won’t admit to it that annoys me to no ends.

I just want to let loose. There’s a part of me that almost wants it all to consume me, to just give into it. Oh well

[polygamousfistingchaos]

Haltlose Personality Disorder awareness flag

Meant to mirror the ASPD awareness flag.

Haltlose Personality Disorder (HLPD)

Haltlose personality disorder is a mental illness that displays as selfishness, blaming others for the actions they have committed, lacking direction in life and a lack of insight and self-control. They are unable to learn from experience or mistakes in life since they lack any sense of past or future, and are not able to genuinely care about other people.

Copy-pasted from this Wikipedia page on HLPD.

[valenteal]

Ok so I just finished watching Angels of Death and omg I need to talk about it!

So usually when I get really into a story it’s full of awesome world building and it at least tries to explain everything and I usually don’t like it when a story completely disregards logic but this is different. It’s a story that focuses on character building and development and it twists reality to suit its desired narrative, which is definitely better than the stories that twist characters to do the same. And even though logic is cast aside in terms of the events and the setting it’s not cast aside in the characters.

Usually when a show or movie or book focuses on serial killers as the main character or the protagonist it doesn’t make the serial killer realistic. They are often romanticized. Angels of Death does a great job not romanticizing serial killers but instead humanizes them spectacularly. Besides that it’s actually pretty realistic in terms of psychology.

I’m not a psychologist by any means, but I have done ample research on my own into psychology so I can write and analyze characters properly. I would guess that Zack is a sociopath and Rachel is a psychopath. The difference between the two is that psychopathy is chemical, it’s an actual inability to feel empathy, and psychopaths are usually better at hiding it and fitting in and are less prone to lashing out in anger than a sociopath. Sociopaths can feel a connection with another person where a psychopath can’t though empathy is still impaired, I’m pretty sure that sociopathy is caused more by environment than psychopathy is, though both are still fairly mysterious. Also the whole evil mastermind thing isn’t used as the standard, which is accurate because sociopaths and psychopaths have the same range of intelligence as anyone else and most are not geniuses. Geniuses are not more likely to have antisocial personality disorder. Rachel seems to have above average intelligence, so do Danny and Reverend Gray but Eddie and Cathy seem average to me. I’m not sure about Zack, he’s definitely uneducated but that doesn’t mean he’s unintelligent, he’s got good instincts and he’s a fast learner so if he had a proper education who’s to say? Anyway Zack definitely reads as a sadistic sociopath to me, and Rachel is a psychopath with a whole host of other issues, probably something dissociative.

Angels of Death is written fantastically and as a writer I have to admire it for its wonderful characters that are all so human. It’s so interesting to see a story like this, entirely character driven but the characters are all so complex, they all, except maybe Zack, have very warped views of reality and get to design their domain to reflect that. The world is just the characters minds, the setting reflects their mental state, and logic operates according to their twisted perception. It’s so interesting to see!

Beyond the fascinating characters and unique story telling I’d like to add my two cents to the debate about the open ending. Personally I like open endings, and it fits a story like this that doesn’t necessarily adhere to logic and is fairly open to interpretation. But I also have to point out that the glass of the window was smashed inwards, from the outside and the cops showed up en masse before any other emergency services got there. Plenty of evidence to suggest that Zack really did escape and find Rachel. The knife had no blood on it. The blood on the window sill definitely makes it seem like someone got injured there and they didn’t just jump out the window, but it doesn’t seem like enough for someone to have died right there. However the actual scene where Zack shows up to take Rachel away definitely seems like a hallucination, Zack is in his familiar clothes and has his scythe back, not to mention the floating in mid air thing. With Rachel’s mental state and warped perception of reality I would say it’s entirely plausible that Zack did show up it just didn’t go down quite how she (and the audience) saw it. My theory, the details of which are invented by my own mind and not necessarily supported by evidence, is that Zack showed up with his knife intending to kill Rachel but a cop shot at him not realizing he was holding Rachel as he hadn’t entered the room yet and they couldn’t imagine she would go to him. They both get shot, Zack dropped the knife and they both fall backwards out window. It’s possible they survive but idk. Anyway that’s my take.

[anarcho-masochist]

I am doing them in sets of two because each initial idea had a nice related topic. I would add links in each post to the other for further reading. I would give myself one week per post. Each would be well-researched with a preference for scholarly journal articles and would have in-text citations and a full bibliography.

List of options:

Option 1: There are many ways to be antisocial, and almost as many stereotypes (going over the common archetypes/preconceptions of pwASPD and how much of each is based in fact and fiction). Plus, the related post: Overemphasized and underemphasized aspects of ASPD.

Option 2: How much does the DSM-V criteria suck? What would be better? Plus, the related post: sample bias in ASPD diagnosis

Option 3: Okay but WHY are we like this and what does it mean (from a scientific perspective). Related post: Comorbidities and overlap with other disorders.

Option 4: Recent research and how it differs from older research/what we thought we knew (it really does). Related post: newer ideas about treatment and coping (there are specific things that work for pwASPD, and we might even be figuring out why some things work and others (most of the mainstream techniques) don't, finally.)

[mischiefmanifold]

It is endlessly frustrating to me that I can't follow the tags for my own fucking disorder without seeing people glorifying violence and blaming it on their "psychopathy". Babe, you are fourteen. You're not a psychopath. Get the fuck out of our tags.

[henrysglock]

Stranger Things fans trying to claim that all the “bad things” that are “wrong” with young Henry are a result of DID that he developed before the lab? As if most of his “wrong” behavior isn’t more indicative of autism in a time when autism wasn’t widely known?

Stranger Things fans doing The Most to villainize already stigmatized disorders while also ignoring all the criteria for development and presentation of said disorder?

Stranger Things fans assigning their villain DID instead of [checks notes] considering the overwhelming wealth of evidence that indicates time fuckery, when DID villains are not only overdone but also feed directly into the stigma against real people with said disorder?

Color me shocked 🙄 Say it ain’t so 😐🫡 🫥

[hugh-lauries-bald-spot]

PSA

you cant call yourself a ND ally if you dont support people with bpd, npd, aspd, schizophrenia

[peregrinethegryphon]

What people thing this venn diagram looks like

What it actually looks like

[alexandraisyes]

This is a flag I found for ASPD. There's an entire archive of support flags for people with different kinds of Cluster B Disorders. I just really like this version.

Antisocial Personality Disorder can be disabling and is considered a social disability. Depending on the psychologist it’s also considered an emotional disability like ADHD or Bipolar.

This may not make sense at a glance, but there’s psychologically found logic behind this.

People with ASPD have severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Chronic Depressive Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder GAD).

The disorder also tends to be comorbid with Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder (DDD), as well as some psychotic disorders like Brief Psychosis Disorder and Schizophrenia. although these last two aren't as common.

There's also a chance for people with ASPD to have overlapping traits from other Cluster-B Disorders (NPD, BPD, HPD). And many people with ASPD struggle with impulse disorders. Common impulse disorders related to ASPD are as follows:

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED): Characterized by recurrent outbursts of verbal or physical aggression that are disproportionate to the provocation.

Kleptomania: A recurrent urge to steal items that are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value.

Pyromania: An impulse control disorder characterized by recurrent and deliberate fire-setting behavior.

Pathological Gambling: Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior that leads to significant distress or impairment.

Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder): An irresistible urge to pull out one's own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss.

Many people with ASPD also struggle with addiction and may be fighting addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, binge eating, and social media because these are quick endorphin fixes that help us feel something due to the inherent nature of ASPD to be numb almost 24/7.

It's extremely rare for someone with ASPD to get disability aid. Which probably sounds ridiculous, when you look at this massive list of issues. A large part of it is our society. People tend to see someone who has a label that is synonymous with Sociopath and Psychopath (there's a difference between the two) and immediately want them in jail. And it doesn't matter how long they've known that person, or what their relationship is. (I got dumped last year when my ex found out I have ASPD and almost disowned during Christmas when I told my dad. The only reason I haven't been being that he thinks it's a demonic issue that can be "cured with prayer".)

On top of that, our psychology system isn't built to handle someone with a personality disorder like ASPD (or even NPD). I get told a lot "You're really self-aware." Which is basically them saying they aren't going to help you. Of course I'm self-aware if I'm going into the therapist's office for advice (at the least) and actual help (would be great), but I get turned away because if I'm "self-aware", so I should be able to figure it out. This isn't an issue that pertains directly to ASPD, it's also one that affects every disorder that's hard for a neurotypical to understand.

This is more personal. Feel free to read this in a mildly irritated, but not very much, tone of voice. Preferably a tired scholar from Skyrim, that'll make my day.

I cannot function in today's society. I can't hold down a job, and I've tried time and time again. I get a few months in and I hit a wall and my mental health goes to shit. I had to quit my last job for my physical safety because I got bored with just life in general, to the point I was seriously considering sticking my arm in a fry vat.

I haven't even managed to get a proper diagnosis because I don't have health insurance, and I have so many false disorders on my medical diagnosis sheet from my narcissistic father bullying my long-term therapist into giving me damn near every disorder except for ADHD and Conduct Disorder (I was below the age of 18, but it would have helped me in the here and now with securing the diagnosis I need for medical reasons.) Growing up several doctors I worked with wanted to get me set up for an ASPD diagnosis and my father told them no. And because of where I lived I had no say in it, and even if I did my father was abusive, so goodbye to ever speaking up for myself.

On top of that, I'm a woman. There's a severe gender bias in ASPD, as well as the fact that women with ASPD are reportedly less likely to be physically aggressive and more likely to be mentally aggressive, so our symptoms show up slightly differently than the stereotype. And don't even get me started on the stereotypes. Plus women are more likely to be studied for comorbid disorders than psychologists even considering ASPD. This is the same shit autistic women struggled with.

There's a massive underreporting in the female ASPD populace because of this, and a lot more masking going on because everything gets chalked up to "she's just a bitch" or "hormones". There's also just not enough research done on females with ASPD to understand how it may be different from a male with ASPD.

I'm tired. I've been fighting for a year to get people to recognize me as an individual who deals with ASPD. Every time I run into threats of being abandoned (which is horrible, considering I was abused and then abandoned by my biological mom, then put in foster care for the next 4 years), or the road block of "You're a woman. Are you sure you don't have BPD? That's the female disorder." Or just getting tired of the uphill slope. I only have so much stamina, and sure I have a lot of spite for the world, but eventually that's going to run out too. And then I'll probably kill myself.

The suicide rate in general is less than 2%.

The suicide rate for people with ASPD is 23%.

[the-little-fox-in-the-box]

I hate Tumblr posts that are like "Psychopaths, sociopaths and people without empathy deserve your respect and empathy 🥺 You should care about people who don't and won't care for you!"

You want empathy even though you're not willing to give any? Get out of here with that kind of entitlement. You're selfish by nature. I hope no one cries at your funeral.

[atticollateral]

figuring out you're screwed up not in the lol qwirky way and in the oh god i'm a psychopath way

[fakecoolkid]

I’m such a fuck up sometimes. I’m trying to not spiral. I’m trying to give myself grace. This is a learning opportunity. I feel so much shame and guilt. I’m not used to feeling these emotions. Maybe I’m not a psychopath. Maybe I don’t have full blown ASPD. Maybe it really was trauma mixed with autism and I just gotta learn how to unlearn all the fucked up shit from my abusers. God I feel fucking awful. I want to talk about this in the support group. I want to actually share this week. I never share. I need to share.

[cluster-b-culture-is]

cluster b culture is seething because you're trying to find articles againdt the term narv abuse but all you can find is articles for the term narv abuse because this world is full of ableist pieces of shit hhhhhhhhhh

.

[mischiefmanifold]

An Explanation of the Diagnostic Criteria of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

In order to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), one must meet three or more of the seven criteria listed in the DSM-V. Symptoms must be pervasive (present in a variety of contexts) and clinically distressing. Additionally, ASPD is the only personality disorder that cannot be diagnosed under 18 (minors would be diagnosed with conduct disorder or a similar behavioral disorder), and there must be evidence of conduct disorder with onset before 15 years.

The term "sociopath" is an outdated way to refer to ASPD and is used to increase the already ever-present stigma against the disorder (psychopathy is a separate distinction but is considered to be a subtype of ASPD).

1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.

Examples include destroying property, harassing others, stealing, stalking, or pursuing illegal occupations such as prostitution or drug dealing.

Committing acts that are grounds for arrest counts whether they have been arrested or not.

2. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure.

May be a pathological or compulsive liar.

May be frequently manipulative and deceitful in order to gain personal profit or pleasure (e.g. to obtain money, sex, or power - although in reality, quite a few people with ASPD that I know do this because they're bored).

May be (mis)diagnosed with factitious disorder.

3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.

Decisions are made on the spur of the moment, without forethought and without consideration for the consequences to self and others - often leading to sudden changes of jobs, residences, or relationships.

May binge drink or engage in risky sexual behavior.

4. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.

May often seem irritable or lash out in verbal or physical ways.

In order for this criterion to be counted, irritability and aggressiveness must be physical.

Aggressive acts that are required to defend oneself or someone else do not fall under this criterion.

5. Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.

Participating in things that could get them or another person seriously hurt or even killed (e.g., extreme food challenges, tide pod challenges, speeding/swerving a car, drunk driving, extreme sports [especially with little to no protection]).

May be evidenced in their driving behavior (e.g., recurrent speeding, drunk driving, multiple accidents).

May engage in sexual behavior or substance abuse that has a high risk for harmful consequences.

May neglect or fail to care for a child in a way that puts the child in danger.

6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations.

May have significant periods of unemployment despite available job opportunities.

May abandon a job without a realistic plan for getting another job.

May be a pattern of repeated absences from work that are not explained by illness either in themself or their family.

Financial irresponsibility, as indicated by acts such as defaulting on debts, failing to provide child support, and failing to support other dependents on a regular basis.

7. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.

Rationalizations may include "Life's unfair" or "Losers deserve to lose."

May blame the victim for being foolish, helpless, or deserving of their fate (e.g., "They had it coming anyway.")

May minimize the harmful consequences of their actions or indicate complete indifference.

May fail to compensate or make amends for their behaviors.

May believe that everyone is out to help themselves and should stop at nothing to avoid being pushed around.

SOURCES:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/personality-disorders/antisocial-personality-disorder-aspd.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/aspd/comments/qen3yx/what_are_some_of_your_examples_of_reckless_or/

[a-heart-of-kyber]

Not to question the lore, but I'm gonna question the lore. What do they do with Hydes generally within this Wednesday universe?

I'm not quite sure how we're meant to take the concept of an outcast among the outcasts, particularly when Hydes do not have control. Their actions are not their own.

So, does the outcast community take them out back and, you know, shoot them?

Again, what are they going for here by creating lore around a person/monster that inherently victimizes them (as it is required to unlock them), removes their agency and then blames them for it?

For this not to look optically terrible, Tyler Galpin actually needs a "redemption arc" or they've created a really shit narrative here.