clerck de bonk said:
Laura said:
Here's an easy way to think about the combination of category and spectrum/scale:
...
The reason is because of that factor: the lack of the genetic potential for the "organ" of conscience. Plus, if you put characteropaths and psychopaths side by side, there ARE differences and sometimes it can take some time of observation and experience to be able to tell the two apart.
How does sociopathy relate to characteropathy?
The term "sociopath" was dreamed up to replace psychopath since a "sociopath" has socially visible anti-social behaviors. A psychopath may not have immediately visible anti-social behavior though generally, over time, you can get a broad picture that demonstrates definitely anti-social trends. But they can be very covert and difficult to detect. Like the "pitiful manipulator" type with absolutely no conscience who feels secret glee at getting people to do everything for them. Yes, over time, you can see how their behavior hurts others and hurts society, but they are so "pitiful" and never "mean any harm" that it is hard to call them anti-social. So, with the term "sociopath" or Anti-social personality disorder, these types escape the nomological net altogether even if they are totally Machiavellian inside.
Characteropaths can be charming, spell-binding, charismatic and might be very loyal and caring towards their "selected" following - as long as that following continues to admire them and behave sychophantically. The instant that disagreement comes in, they can turn as cold and cruel as a sharpened icicle. They can also be very intelligent. They can be ideologically inspired like a Catholic inquisitor who believes in what he is doing. Because they DO believe in what they are doing and this can remain consistent which is not the case with a psychopath who doesn't have the capacity to believe anything and one thing they adhere to today, can be gone tomorrow as needs and circumstances change.
Which is more dangerous: the psychopath or the characteropath? Hard to say. The psychopath will destroy you instrumentally - you are in the way of something they want immediately and forget you if they have a new want, need, or target. But the characteropath will destroy you if you threaten something longer term because they do have the capacity to abstractly consider future and "over there".
In short, sociopath can apply to any one of them, or other personality disorders if the individual is unable to control their anti-social actions, that is, they are visibly and noticeably anti-social, that is, acting against others in society in a harmful way.
But then, that term could apply to any normal person who is damaged, injured, confused, ponerized, or at war with society because of some hurt or perceived hurt. That's what makes it a dangerous term to use interchangeably with "psychopath". It catches a lot of people who are NOT psychopathic in the net.
