1 in 25 people is a sociopath?

[Darth Wong]

According to the book "The Sociopath Next Door", 1 in 25 people is a sociopath. I found this an interesting claim (and I would be interested in reading the book if I had time; has anyone seen it?).

At first, it seems absurd. But then you get to thinking about what it means to be a sociopath: a sociopath is not necessarily a violent raving monster; after all, sociopathy is simply the absence of a conscience. But even those who lack a conscience can still experience fear: fear of the law, fear of jail, fear of being gang-raped in jail, etc. So even the majority of sociopaths will tend to obey the law, at least as much as they feel they need to in order to avoid being caught and punished.

And then you think about how many people you see in daily life who think nothing of lying, who mistreat their pets, who abuse their children, who drive like assholes, who park in the handicapped spot or cut in line at the amusement park or lie in order to get a sale or stab a coworker in the back in order to get ahead.

Perhaps 1 in 25 is actually a serious underestimate.

[Lord Zentei]

It does seem incredible at first glance, but with the defenition you provided it may very well be plausible.

I wonder what causes a person to become a sociopath and how one would go about detecting one... and moreover how this statistic was generated.

[Robert Walper]

I certainly don't find those numbers implausible, and certainly wouldn't be surprised by your suggestion of even higher numbers given your examples.

[Xenophobe3691]

You might also find a lot of them in religious circles. After all, without a conscience telling you what's right or wrong, the idea of a man who knows everything you do, good or bad, and judges you when you're most vulnerable is a damn good failsafe.

Makes me look at all those born-again Christians in a different light...

[Alferd Packer]

I wonder what the threshold is for being a sociopath. I guess it must be a pathological compulsion to be a dick, since everyone here is capable of being a gigantic asshole once in a while, and probably has. I suspect that we catch people on bad days more often than we catch true sociopaths just doing their thing. I don't know about you guys, but I tend to remember the negative experiences of my day (getting cut off, someone bumping into me, etc.) more than the neutral ones. That might inflate our perception of the number of sociopaths in the world.

That said, 1 in 25 is probably a reasonable claim. I'm sure we all know one or two.

[Ravengrim]

The term 'absence of conscience' is kinda hard to pin down. Does that mean that they dont have a conscience at all, about anything? Those types would be fairly rare, I think. Does it mean that they were born taht way, or is it for some other reason. Plus, what contitutes a conscience? Does it mean morals, does it mean regret or something else entirely? I think that according to the writers definition of conscience (what ever they decided that was) their stats are right on, but another group could define differently. I think that it is too speculative to put a number on.

[Castor Troy]

And then you think about how many people you see in daily life who think nothing of lying, who mistreat their pets, who abuse their children, who drive like assholes, who park in the handicapped spot or cut in line at the amusement park or lie in order to get a sale or stab a coworker in the back in order to get ahead.

That's just the common, everyday asshole. Don't worry, they typically get what's coming for them, even in the most bizarre ways.

[Solauren]

Using 'absence of conscience' as a lose definiation, you could say that a man and woman that are married and model citizens, when it turns out they are into hardcore violent bondage with each other are Sociopath's.

That could put the number up to like 1 in 10 or higher.

[RedImperator]

Using 'absence of conscience' as a lose definiation, you could say that a man and woman that are married and model citizens, when it turns out they are into hardcore violent bondage with each other are Sociopath's.

That could put the number up to like 1 in 10 or higher.

Uh, how would that count? It's weird and disturbing, but if it's consensual, how is it sociopathic?

Socoiopathy is characterized by a complete lack of empathy for other human beings. There's a list of other characteristics that are needed for a clinical diagnosis, but lack of empathy is the main one, and it's what makes them so dangerous. A woman who whips her husband because it's sexually gratifying to both of them doesn't fit that definition at all.

[Pablo Sanchez]

At first, it seems absurd. But then you get to thinking about what it means to be a sociopath: a sociopath is not necessarily a violent raving monster; after all, sociopathy is simply the absence of a conscience.

This article on Wiki is a good definition of what constitutes a sociopath in psychological terms. I think plenty of people meet the criteria for this disease, but I wonder how the authors conducted their study.

[Pick]

I don't know how they'd collect this kind of data accurately, but the number 1/25 is not surprising to me. I've actually known to a small degree people of this type, though they are extremely frightening.

For those kinds of people, law (and for some, religion's laws) prove necessary I suppose. Spooky.

[Solauren]

Using 'absence of conscience' as a lose definiation, you could say that a man and woman that are married and model citizens, when it turns out they are into hardcore violent bondage with each other are Sociopath's.

That could put the number up to like 1 in 10 or higher.

Uh, how would that count? It's weird and disturbing, but if it's consensual, how is it sociopathic?

Socoiopathy is characterized by a complete lack of empathy for other human beings. There's a list of other characteristics that are needed for a clinical diagnosis, but lack of empathy is the main one, and it's what makes them so dangerous. A woman who whips her husband because it's sexually gratifying to both of them doesn't fit that definition at all.

Sorry, I should have clarified.

to someone that is looking in, it could look that way

[Galvatron]

I've often thought that I fit the definition of an Alienated Sociopath.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

I have often wondered whether I am a sociopath. I sometimes do things which violate conventional morality and the morality I was raised with, while only feeling a passing sense of guilt. I'll often not understand the emotions of many people, and find myself looking analytically at people and whatever is overwhelming them emotionally.

[Lord Zentei]

I have often wondered whether I am a sociopath. I sometimes do things which violate conventional morality and the morality I was raised with, while only feeling a passing sense of guilt. I'll often not understand the emotions of many people, and find myself looking analytically at people and whatever is overwhelming them emotionally.

Absence of conventional morality is hardly being a sociopath.

[Darth Wong]

If you can hurt someone and it doesn't bother you (you know, the "bothering" part is what your conscience is supposed to do), you're a sociopath. The problem is that there are far more of these people than the prison system would indicate, since this definition does not in any way suggest that these people need to be stupid enough to risk prison by doing something illegal.

[Galvatron]

Would an unabashed womanizer be considered sociopathic?

[Lord Zentei]

Did this book go into what causes a person to become a sociopath?

[Enforcer Talen]

"on killing" suggests there are people who dont have problems killing - 1 in 50 - but not all of them are serial killers. a lot join up, and kill legally, without guilt.

[Tzeentch]

I've often thought that I fit the definition of an Alienated Sociopath.

Be careful of the psych student's fallacy. As a general rule, you're too close to your own symptoms to make an accurate diagnosis.

[Darth Wong]

I've often thought that I fit the definition of an Alienated Sociopath.

Well of course you're a sociopath. You're the leader of the evil Decepticons.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Would an unabashed womanizer be considered sociopathic?

I'm betting any misogynist would be seen as such given they are really only the sexual version of a racist and those certainly aren't socially acceptable people.

[Robert Walper]

If you can hurt someone and it doesn't bother you (you know, the "bothering" part is what your conscience is supposed to do), you're a sociopath.

I presume there are exceptions to this statement of yours, Mike. For example, I find it hard to believe you'd feel bad about hurting some individual who was intent upon abusing your kids.

[Ghost Rider]

If you can hurt someone and it doesn't bother you (you know, the "bothering" part is what your conscience is supposed to do), you're a sociopath.

I presume there are exceptions to this statement of yours, Mike. For example, I find it hard to believe you'd feel bad about hurting some individual who was intent upon abusing your kids.

Uh, right...piss poor analogy.

The fact he would have rage and would be feeling something and thus that would override his general conscience is not occuring to you?

[Petrosjko]

A couple of old acquaintances of mine accused me of seeing sociopaths everywhere, said I was biased by the environment I grew up in and had a tendency to be overly paranoid.

But they missed out on that crucial distinction. Most sociopaths aren't violent, they're just inherently utterly self-centered.

I couldn't give any sort of numbers, but one in twenty-five wouldn't surprise me. One in ten might, just a little. There are a lot of sharks in this world.