Psychopathy vs. Antisocial Personality Disorder (sociopath, sociopathic traits, & sociopathy)

This video answers the question: What's the difference between psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (sometimes referred to as sociopathy)? There is a lot of confusion and a number of different terms used around this topic, for example: psychopath, sociopath, psychopathic traits, sociopathic traits, antisocial traits). First, let's take a look at antisocial personality disorder. This is a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). It's a Cluster B personality disorder, so it's in the same cluster as narcissistic, borderline, and histrionic personality disorders. Antisocial personality disorder affects about 3% of the population, but depending on what literature you look at, it may affect up to 80% of the population in correctional settings. We see the definition of antisocial personality is broken to a few different criteria: a tendency to violate social norms (committing actions that could be grounds for arrest), deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability or aggression, a disregard for the safety of others, irresponsibility, and a lack of remorse. In order for somebody diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder they must be at least 18 years of age. Conduct disorder symptoms must have been present before the age of 15, so just as is the case with all personality disorders, there is no such thing as late onset antisocial personality disorder. The antisocial behavior cannot occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Moving on to the construct of psychopathy, we see here that psychopathy is an area that's studied, it's not a mental disorder. Someone can't really be diagnosed as having psychopathy or not, in a technical sense. Psychopathy affects about 1% of the population. In forensic settings about 16 percent of males are affected and about 7 percent of females are affected. Psychopathy can be divided into two factors and each of those factors can be divided into two facets. Factor one alone is sometimes referred to as psychopathy. Factor 2 is sometimes referred to as sociopathy. With psychopathy we have two factors and a total of four facets. Factor one is interpersonal/affective and factor two is referred to as social deviance. With the interpersonal facet we see certain characteristics like superficial charm, grandiosity, pathological lying, and a tendency to be manipulative. With the affective facet, we see a lack of remorse and shallow effect, callousness, lack of empathy. and a failure to accept responsibility. Moving to factor two (sociopathy) we see need for stimulation, parasitic lifestyle, lack of realistic long-term goals, impulsivity, irresponsibility, poor behavioral controls, early behavioral problems, juvenile delinquency, a revocation of conditional release, and criminal versatility.

[kayes.]

In my criminology class, I was taught that anti, psycho, and socio are all the same exact thing, but psycho tells you if their behavior is biological and socio tells you if their behavior was developed through environmental experience. Anti is what the person truly has either way. Maybe that's just the way criminologists classify it to make it easier on themselves but I figured it couldn't be that simple...

[solaria]

I was taught in Psych courses that they are essentially the same. Thank you for your video!

[rhino_struck]

As someone who studies psychology and behaviour, thank you! I can not tell you how often I hear/see people speaking about psychopaths and sociopaths even though they are very misinformed. It makes me happy to see sources that actually have the right information.

[zp]

In very simple terms, sociopaths behave like children, while psychopaths behave like adults.

A sociopath is "innocently" harmful or reckless. YOU, as the third party, have a clear understanding that their actions are either "right" or "wrong, " but the sociopath doesn't.

Psychopaths, on the other hand, are capable of emulating those around them, just like "healthy" adults do. They don't necessarily hold the same values of "right" and "wrong" as the third party observer does, however, the psychopath is aware of what the observer expects and will accept in a given situation.

The actions of a psychopath are based on the expected emotions of those around them, whereas a sociopath never considers the emotions of others.

Sociopathy is passionate, whereas psychopathy is logistical.

I don't see why the debate between the two continues.

Did they do something impulsively without forethought? Then they're a sociopath.

Did they conceive of and carefully execute a plan over days, months or years? Then they're a psychopath.

[dh-reptiles]

Thank you for posting this! With the misinformation going around in Shane Dawson’s vid. This is much needed! You should post this under his vid in the comments

[michaellewis]

Antisocial personality disorder very literally describes regularized method of social participation, whilst psychopathy includes means to ends, which is categorically different. There is a clear limited intersection.

[definitiveentertainment]

Thank you so much!
I drew APD for a report in Abnormal Psych, and my Professor is brilliant but he’s an old timer, and thinks sociopaths and psychopaths are synonymous, so I wanted to bring some new info (with sources of course) into the class discussion. Very concise.
I appreciate it! ✌️

[adnelsantana]

I work with a psychopath fits perfectly into Factor 1 I actually find him really interesting we manage to piss each other off a lot he would be someone really interesting for you to meet

[mangyolmutt]

I know someone will probably correct me on this, but psychopathy simply sounds like a mixture of some of the traits from anti-social and narcissistic personality disorders together...

[KawaiiPandaPen]

hello Dr. Grande!!! i’ve been hyper fixated on your videos for months! i have quiet bpd and i just broke up with my ex who told me that he had factor 2 psychopathy(sociopathy), ADHD, substance abuse, and narcissism. thank you SO MUCH for giving me insight in my relationship and within myself. your information probably is more helpful than you could ever know. thank you. THANK

[deekayvixen]

Great explanation. I am quite fascinated with psychopathy, so I hope you’ll do more videos on this topic.

[vampbie]

Finally someone who does research from reliable sources theres so many people just saying they are narcissistic and just mixing the names up like please people do research before you make a vid and people paint them to be the villian they shouldnt because you dont know what they go through.

[FeatherJo]

Thank you very much sir for the material. The psychopathy doesn't always manifest into factor 2 traits. This depends on upbringing. This would be a pro social psychopath but yes, a primary can have factor 2 traits.

[solaria]

Can you do a video on Depression & the somatic symptoms? I know it's similar to videos you've made in the past, but mainly regarding how do people with Depression talk. Word count in conversation decreases, lack of eye contact, etc. In a clinical setting what are the most telling physical responses that a Depressed person may give that is very telling.

[blreyes]

I read - psychiatric notation - that psychopathy was just and old term used, then later sociopathy and now/today we use ASPD as the official terminology when describing dyssocial personality disorders.
Also I noticed certain traits you described in factor 1 and 2 with their facets. Some of these traits also overlap each other across both factors and facets, and can therefore not exclusively be limited facets to factors, hence why some professionals doesn’t use psychopathy and sociopathy in their terminology today but rather use the diagnose ASPD with multiple crossover facets to distinguish the specific individual analysed.

[jamesdufresne]

Doctor how dangerous is antisocial personality do you really want to be around people?

[Victoria-vypq]

It took me the weekend to absorb and digest this video!! I like the style in which you delivered it Dr Grande as it was in neatly wrapped bitesized chunks of info!! My neurons have processed and understood it.. but only just!! ☺ Thank goodness that Psychopathy has a higher percentage of Antisocial behaviour than the other way round!! I'd be waking up in cold sweat at 3am making plans to build a panic room!! Not a good look to walk past your neighbour's window with a shovel slung over your shoulder at that time in the morning eh Dr Grande.. 😮 Thanks for a brilliant video.. You packed and provided a variety of relevant and important information into a 10 minute time slot that made sense at the end!! Next week Nuclear Physics!! Thanks Again!! ☺

[Againstthestatusquo]

@Dr. Todd Grande

Sociopathy is an old term that was introduced to describe behaviors that deviate from social norms or are harmful in nature.

The term psychopathy was introduced in 1923 by Kurt Schneider, who described abnormal personalities that were harmful either to themselves and/or to others. This means that psychopathy is just an older term for what is now known in the ICD-10 as a specific personality disorder.

Classification of psychopathy according to the ICD-10:

F07.0
Organic personality disorder
(Exogenic causes)

F21
Borderline Schizophrenia
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.0
Querulatory personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.1
Schizoid personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.2
Amoral personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.30
Emotionally unstable personality disorder of the impulsive type
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.31
Emotionally unstable personality disorder of the borderline type
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.4
Histrionic personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.5
Anankastic personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.6
Avoidant personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.7
Asthenic personality disorder
(Psychogenic causes)

F60.8
Other specific personality disorders
(Psychogenic causes)

F61
Combined and other personality disorders
(Psychogenic causes)

[steph]

This is helpful since my high school research topic is psychopathy and when I research more I got more confused with information

[nancymedlin]

They should really break them into two disorders in the dsm