Table of contents:
- What is sociopathy?
- What are the characteristics of a sociopath?
- 1. Have a big ego
- 2. Charismatic, very intelligent, but manipulative
- 3. Don't care about other people
- 4. Constantly breaking the law
In recent years, the word "ansos" was popularly used by young Indonesians to refer to people who do not want to socialize or socialize. This term is short for "antisocial", because it is considered to represent a lonely, even introverted nature.
In fact, antisocial is another name for sociopathy, a type of real personality disorder that is actually a serious mental health condition. Personality disorders affect how a person thinks, feels, accepts ideas, or relates to other people. Then, are there any characteristics that can indicate that you are truly a sociopath, aka anti-social, and not just someone who just goes out of the house to waste time chatting in a coffee shop?
What is sociopathy?
Sociopathy is a personality disorder that refers to antisocial behavior and thought patterns. Medically, a sociopath (or antisocial) has a pattern of behavior that is exploitative, tricky, ignores the law, violates the rights of others, and is violent (tends to be criminal), without clear or logical motives. And more often than not, all of his actions and thoughts are unpredictable.
A sociopath has a flawed conscience. He can tell what's right and wrong, but chooses to ignore it. Joseph Newman argues that the sociopath has an attention barrier that allows him to focus on only one activity or thought, to the exclusion of others. Meanwhile, other researchers, including Howard Kamler, say that sociopaths do not lack a moral "compass" but rather have no personal identity at all. This may be the reason why so many sociopaths have aliases.
The exact cause of sociopathy is unknown. However, sociopathic predispositions are believed to result from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors (eg, child abuse, drunken parents). And for someone to be considered a sociopath, they must be at least 18 years of age, and have a history of behavioral problems in childhood - such as truancy, breaking the norm (for example, committing crime or drug abuse), and other destructive or aggressive behavior. There are more male sociopaths in this world than women.
What are the characteristics of a sociopath?
In films and TV shows, sociopaths are usually criminals who enjoy torturing and killing their victims. While these stereotypes are not very wrong, it is important to note that not all of these characteristics, or the ones below, will be present in all cases of sociopathy.
1. Have a big ego
A big ego is often shown by someone who is narcissistic, with great pride and selfishness, and needs to be constantly admired by others. The sociopath has a similar nature - he thinks of himself as the best, everything, the center of the world. They tend to blame others for their own mistakes, or are adept at getting others to believe in them and / or offer "alternative facts" which they assemble in such a way that they become visible as a way of washing their hands from conflict.
2. Charismatic, very intelligent, but manipulative
A sociopath is a liar, whether it's for the purpose of passing a mission or just to have fun playing with other people. A sociopath tends to display flat and calm emotions, rarely displaying nervousness or anxiety. Or on the contrary, he can display an emotional response that is not in accordance with the situation at hand because he has a low tolerance for stress and frustration triggers.
And because of this manipulative tendency, it will be difficult for ordinary people to be able to tell which one is honest or not from their every word. Or even, no one can ever find out that they have a personality disorder.
3. Don't care about other people
Sociopaths often ignore others, and this starts at an early age or early adolescence that continues into adulthood. A sociopath has no compassion. They are indifferent to the safety of others, ignore the needs or feelings of others, and tend to put them in danger for their own benefit. Above all, sociopathy is characterized by minimal shame and remorse.
This lack of empathy for others may be reflected in the aspect that sociopaths don't have many friends. Sociopaths lack the ability to maintain close relationships, even if they have no problems starting them. Likewise with their sex life, they are more likely to like a momentary romantic relationship or one-night love that is simple.
4. Constantly breaking the law
Sociopathy is characterized by impulsive behavior, which is followed by irritability and aggression. This is demonstrated by frequent clashes with legal cases such as physical fights or repeated attacks. This impulsive and irresponsible nature is also shown in other aspects of life, such as social obligations such as work and / or school, or financial matters.
Are you one of them?
