Sociopath is a term that refers to antisocial behavior and attitudes. The exact cause of sociopaths is not known. However, this behavior is thought to be influenced by genetic factors and traumatic experiences in childhood.
Antisocial behavior and attitudes that exist in a sociopath are not "ansos" attitudes that are often used to refer to people who don't want to get along and like to be alone, yes.
Antisocial attitude here is an attitude of not wanting to obey the social rules that apply in the surrounding environment or anywhere else. However, offenses committed by sociopaths are still minor offenses that do not cause serious harm, unlike psychopaths.
Sociopaths or antisocial personality disorder are often confused with psychopaths. In fact, these two terms are different personality disorders. A psychopath is a person who is often physically violent and puts others in danger.
All psychopaths are antisocial, but not all antisocials are psychopaths. Psychopathy is a severe form of antisocial personality disorder. To determine whether someone can be said to be a sociopath, it is necessary to have a psychological examination from a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Recognizing the Characteristics and Signs of a Sociopath
A person can be presumed to be a sociopath if they are at least 18 years old and exhibit 3 of the following 7 signs:
- Does not respect social norms or laws, thus consistently breaking the law or exceeding social boundaries
- Lying, deceiving others, using false identities or nicknames, and using others for personal gain
- Difficulty making long-term life plans and often behave without thinking about consequences
- Showing aggressive behavior
- Not considering your own safety or the safety of others
- Lack of personal or professional responsibility, for example not paying bills on time or having trouble staying in a job
- Don't feel guilty or sorry for hurting other people
In addition, other signs or characteristics that indicate antisocial personality disorder in sociopaths are always ignoring what is right and wrong, showing little or no empathy, stealing, impulsiveness, and manipulative.
However, keep in mind that a sociopath diagnosis is only given when the symptoms or traits above have occurred in a person for a long time, repeatedly, and do not change. So, someone who exhibits any of the above behaviors cannot be directly labeled as a sociopath.
Causes and Risk Factors of Someone Becoming a Sociopath
The exact cause of antisocial personality disorder is not yet known, but it is most likely caused by the following:
Gene
Certain personality traits can be passed down by parents through genes. Therefore, if a person has a family member who suffers from a sociopath or other personality disorder, they are more likely to develop antisocial personality disorder.
Environment
Many experts reveal that the emergence of sociopathic behavior can also be caused by environmental factors, such as a history of poor parenting from a family or traumatic events during childhood, such as sexual, physical, emotional abuse, or neglect.
In addition, an unstable, violent, or chaotic family life during childhood can also increase a person's risk of becoming a sociopath.
Can Living Coexist with Sociopaths?
In general, sociopaths can still live with other people, although they often have difficulty forming healthy relationships. However, some sociopaths may be able to form relationships with other people who think similarly to theirs.
If there is a question which is more dangerous between a sociopath and a psychopath, most experts say that psychopaths are more dangerous. This is because psychopaths have no emotion or conscience at all when performing actions, even very bad or terrible actions.
In contrast to psychopaths, sociopaths who still have a little conscience. However, in essence, both of them still have the potential to harm themselves and others.
A sociopath needs to get examination and treatment from a psychiatrist or psychologist. This condition will be treated based on the severity of the symptoms or behavioral disorders that arise.
In mild cases, sociopathic personality disorder can be treated with psychotherapy alone. However, if the case is severe, the doctor will provide psychotherapy and medication to avoid impulsive behavior that can harm him and those around him.