Our partner

Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Antisocial Personality Disorder message board, open discussion, and online support group.
Forum rules
Attention Please. The AsPD FORUM IS CLOSED.

The AsPD forum is closed for an indefinite period of time pending discussion of member usage, and relevance of the forum, and for revision of the forum's policies. We ask that you NOT to take AsPD threads and discussions into other forums here. This will result in being permanently banned from the forums and will only result to a longer period of forum locking or a permanent shut down. Please respect the safe spaces that those forums represent for other members here.

The Team

Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby Audentia » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:36 pm

If the difference between psychopath and sociopath is that psychopath is a genetic psychological problem and sociopath is caused by environmental factors, is sociopath really a mental disorder? Or is it just a creation of society? Symptoms of ASPD can be explained by things like broken homes, poverty, living in a high crime neighborhood, and exposure to child abuse. Is that really a psychological disorder or just a way to adapt to poor life circumstances?

It's not hard to understand why people living in poverty need to lie, cheat, and steal to survive. Fighting can also be a reaction to living in a delinquent subculture where people have to become violent to protect themselves. And lack of remorse, well why would someone feel remorse for doing what they need to do to survive?
Audentia
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 1627
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:47 pm
Local time: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:59 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)


ADVERTISEMENT

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby crystal_richardson_ » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:07 pm

how would Aspd act if they were taken out of the environment?

if they don't change their behaviour despite no longer the 'need' for it i would say that is a psychological issue.

otherwise it's just adaptive, i agree.
crystal_richardson_
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 37173
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:55 pm
Local time: Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:59 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby Audentia » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:19 pm

So that's where the psychological issue comes in, being unable to adapt in reverse to improved life conditions?

I think that's because it's a challenge to just change someone's mindset if they learned it their whole life because of their circumstances. You can't expect to change a person right away just by making them wealthy and living in a good neighborhood.
Audentia
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 1627
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:47 pm
Local time: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:59 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby madjoe » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:29 pm

c'est a cause the lui les méchant
madjoe
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 9510
Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:03 am
Local time: Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:59 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby crystal_richardson_ » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:35 pm

Audentia wrote:You can't expect to change a person right away just by making them wealthy and living in a good neighborhood.


i agree.

but still would lead to problems...

i don't know if my understanding is exactly correct; i think a true pd would be problematic (not-adaptive) in any environment.

other than perhaps the original home environment in which it developed.

aspd is different though because it's loosely defined by criminal behaviour which could arise, as you say, due to gangs, need to steal to survive, etc, in particular environments.

it's the lack of psychological definition that makes it hard to pin down...
crystal_richardson_
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 37173
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:55 pm
Local time: Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:59 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby crystal_richardson_ » Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:02 pm

i mean it would still be problematic in the home environment but still most adaptive...
crystal_richardson_
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 37173
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:55 pm
Local time: Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:59 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby lolidk » Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:34 pm

Audentia wrote:So that's where the psychological issue comes in, being unable to adapt in reverse to improved life conditions?

I think that's because it's a challenge to just change someone's mindset if they learned it their whole life because of their circumstances. You can't expect to change a person right away just by making them wealthy and living in a good neighborhood.


I think that's very true. There would be thought patterns and ways of thinking that are pretty hard to just reset. They might not even be criminal in the same way they were if you were to put them in a better life position. They might become whit's collar criminals or bosses who abuse their power, ect.
DX: NPD
lolidk
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 2323
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:22 pm
Local time: Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:59 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby Audentia » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:20 pm

^ yeah that's when I think it would be a convincing mental disorder if they adapt in an antisocial way to new life circumstances that could have been positive for the person.
Audentia
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 1627
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:47 pm
Local time: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:59 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby Nasty_Boy » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:49 pm

If you read into war history you know that really average people can do extremely cruel things. That's to illustrate the fact that environment has a huge impact on a person's behavior.

However, personality is largely fixed after birth. That's a neurological fact (at least, this is what respectable neuroscientists say). Someone's core personality is fixed in the brain, even though slight changes can occur due to environmental factors/neuroplasticity.

Now this is where true sociopathy/psychopathy comes into play. A true antisocial individual is born without the capacity for remorse and guilt and empathy (or at least a greatly reduced capacity). Such a person can commit atrocious crimes in the right circumstances because they don't experience remorse and empathy in the first place. It's because their brains are incapable of feeling it.

So my answer would be that ASPD is both neurological and environmental. A person with a predisposition to being antisocial will act antisocial in the right circumstance, while a normal person will be held back due to remorse and empathy.
We secretly look for salvation, but when we realize there is no salvation, there, is our salvation
Life is a mystery to be experienced, not a riddle to be solved
Nasty_Boy
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 1426
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:55 pm
Local time: Fri Mar 29, 2024 1:59 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: Is sociopathy really psychological or just environmental?

Postby TheSinner » Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:36 am

ive always considered sociopathy a higher tier of ASPD. similar to psychopathy just created more by mind then brain, sociopaths supposedly can form connections to certain groups or individuals and some even going as far as feeling love.

psychopaths are just born without it, no way to change or reasoning to be the way they are. it might sound a bit elitist but i consider sociopaths lower then us purebreds, who cares if you have nearly no empathy for example, you still got it. its like they are cheap knockoffs.

maybe im just annoyed they had a choice and i didnt, i mean yeah i definitely wouldve gone the same route but i hate that they can be real people if they want but i cant. i had close to a perfect childhood, no trauma or difficulties yet here i am. purebred evil, but hey, guess i cant win them all.
TheSinner
Consumer 6
Consumer 6
 
Posts: 749
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:20 pm
Local time: Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:59 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Next

Return to Antisocial Personality Disorder Forum




  • Related articles
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests