# Umm... do I exhibit sociopathic tendencies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 4, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828 "2003-08-04T03:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/21 "2003-08-04T20:08:28Z")
Here’s a psychopathy checklist. It’s not **Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist** , which is a bit more definitive, but it shows you some common traits of psychopaths. **DON’T** use it for self-diagnosis! Impervious to fear, anxiety, depression, or remorse (unremorseful) Superficially charming, a real cool cat (manipulative and conning) Inability to love or express emotions deeply, can’t respond to kindness (cold) Pathological lying (for no reason at all, can’t help self) No self-insight (doesn’t reflect much upon own personality makeup) No self-humor (can’t stand to be the butt of jokes or can’t laugh at self) A fairly high IQ (good grades in school or disparity in achievement) Uses neologisms (makes up strange new words, abbreviations, or sayings) Fascination with fire (or death, or purified ways to destroy something) Cruelty to animals (or doesn’t like animals) Lack of probity, courtesy, or doesn’t tolerate society’s “niceties” or obligations Moody, obsessive-compulsive, suffers from one or more phobias Does not tend to learn from mistakes unless immediate punishment given Lack of formal-operational thinking (tends to think in concrete, black-or-white terms) Identity conflict (often with delayed adolescence, hasn’t grown up in certain ways) Preconventional morality (thinks things are wrong only because it might lead to punishment or it’s not in his/her best interests right now, failure to understand disparities between own behavior and socially acceptable behavior, often in trouble with law) From: [http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/301/psycpath.htm](http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/301/psycpath.htm) And here’s a nice link which summarizes psychopathy: [http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/428/428lect16.htm](http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/428/428lect16.htm) ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/22 "2003-08-05T01:44:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*A woman is at her mother’s funeral. At the funeral, she meets a young man, and they get to chatting during the reception, and hit it off. Despite the circumstance, they have a wonderful time, and they agree to meet up. Unfortunately, she forgets to ask for his phone number. > > A week later, she kills her sister. > > Why? \*\* depends entirely on what obsessive outlook you want to diagnose. if you want a sociopath, you could say either “so she can try to see the young man again at the funeral” or “because she felt like it.” or “because the mother’s presence was the only thing that had stopped her from doing it sooner.” for a greedy person, you could say “because she suspected her sister of cheating in dividing up the mother’s estate.” for someone with really bad luck, “it was an accident.” for an incredibly dysfunctional family, “because her sister was trying to kill her **first**.” damn, the possibilities are nearly endless… why is everyone backing away from me? ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/23 "2003-08-05T04:13:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vlad Dracul \* > \*\*Here’s one: > If you are truly sociopathic, you’ll use it whenever you think it will benefit you… the more trivial the benefit, the more sociopathic you are. For example, if you use it to silence those kids two rows back who talk through the whole film, you’re pretty sociopathic. \*\* What if you just strangle them after telling them to shut up 50 times in 10 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/24 "2003-08-05T04:59:58Z")
**QtM** , I’m curious. In those series of questions you gave, is it “the more you answer yes to the more psychopathic you are” or an all-or-nothing proposition? Thanks for the links and updates on terminology also. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/25 "2003-08-05T06:29:02Z")
Sqube, do you ever blush? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/26 "2003-08-05T07:27:56Z")
You’re in a desert, walking along when you look down and you see a tortoise. It’s crawling toward you. So you reach down and flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can’t. Not without your help. What do you do? ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/27 "2003-08-05T09:44:38Z")
Sqube, you’re failing the test! You’re not thinking crazy enough! Fortunately for you I have the correct answers, but they’ll cost you, you adorable fool! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/28 "2003-08-05T13:44:07Z")
What’s a tortoise? ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/29 "2003-08-05T14:44:08Z")
Mmm… Qadgop’s probably more qualified to answer than I am… but I suspect I have more experience with psychopaths. While being “fearless” is sometimes a flag for psychopathy, it is not necessarily a reliable one. Psychopaths can feel fear, and can be afraid of things. MOST psychopaths generally understand the difference between right and wrong, and wish to avoid punishment for doing wrong. It’s just that the distinction between “right” and “wrong”, to a psychopath, is much like the distinction to you or I between “purple” and “mauve.” Sure, there may be a difference… but who cares? A psychopath – like you or I – wants what he wants, and is prepared to do certain things to get it. It’s just that, lacking empathy towards human beings, his methodology may well be different. A psychopath will see people (and anything else, for that matter) as things, to be manipulated, outmaneuvered, avoided… or dealt with. Your classic psychopath would likely not swerve in the road to avoid running over a kitten. Why bother? Well, you or I might feel empathy for the kitten, or its owner. You or I might twitch when we heard the crunch, or get upset to think of some poor little girl discovering her squished kitty in the morning. The psychopath will simply think, “What bad consequences are likely to befall me due to this act?” …and if he can’t see any happening… he may well go for it. Remorse, empathy, feeling sorry for anyone but oneself… this is not something a psychopath does. Psychopathy is not considered insanity by most doctors, or ANY courts of which I am aware. Like I said, a psychopath knows damn good and well the difference between right and wrong… assuming that psychopathy is the only thing wrong with him, that is. A psychopath who learns where that fine line is… and makes a point of not stepping over it… can find a fine life in politics, the military, sales, marketing … basically, ANY field where it is necessary/profitable to manipulate other people. Many psychopaths are very smart folks, and in certain fields, a conscience can be a liability. Most psychopaths aren’t murderers. As Qadgop said, if there is no reason to kill, they won’t. However, he also mentioned that insane psychopaths are pretty scary. He’s right there, too. More than one psychopath has learned to ENJOY killing. Apparently, there’s quite a rush there, very much the sensation of power. This is where you find guys like John Wayne Gacy… a guy who got his sexual jollies in a way that was socially and legally unacceptable, and simply avoided the consequences of his actions by bumping off his sex partners (young boys). Gacy went on record as saying he LIKED killing, for just that reason. Power tripping. …and it’s worth noting that every court that had Gacy found him legally sane. ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/30 "2003-08-06T06:01:17Z")
Blush, eh…? I’m endowed with a skin tone that makes it impossible to tell. 😉 **sturmhauke** : I wouldn’t have flipped the tortoise over in the first place. More interesting to see what it does than to watch it die. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/31 "2003-08-06T13:52:12Z")
**Ludovic** - a tortoise is a turtle, basically. **Sqube** - this may sound cliched, but to some extent I think the act of your asking the question indicates that you’re probably not a psychopath. You might be concerned about a lack of ability to relate properly to people, lack of empathy, and so forth, but I don’t think a psychopath would **care** whether or if they were such a person. It wouldn’t come up as an issue to them - after all, why should they care? (Caveat: I got a degree in psych and went on to grad school for psych for a couple years, but am not a licensed or practicing psychologist/therapist. I am not qualified to make diagnoses.) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/32 "2003-08-06T13:53:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ludovic \* > What’s a tortoise? \*\* It’s like a turtle. Do you make up these questions, Mr. sturmhauke, or do they write them down for you? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/33 "2003-08-07T21:52:45Z")
Please stop moving your head around, you’ll throw the results on the Voight-Kampf. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/34 "2003-08-07T22:00:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mala \* > \*\*She kills the sister to see if the guy shows up at the funeral. \*\* Forget killing the sister for a moment. She was scoping guys out **at her mom’s funeral**. That in itself might be an indicator of sociopathy. Which is why this test is flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/35 "2003-08-07T23:39:11Z")
_grin_ What if she kills her sister because the sister was sleeping with the guy/knew who the guy was and wouldn’t tell? (Just wondering, stop looking at me like that) ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/36 "2003-08-08T00:05:01Z")
What behavior are you talking about that makes you think you’re a sociopath? Do you have any examples of situations in your life that made you want to post this? Is there any kind of pattern to this behavior? In other words, it there a trigger that sets this behavior off in all of the situations that’s seems to be related and common? You did not really give a situation or example so it’s hard to say yes or no with out first analyzing the situations. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/37 "2003-08-08T00:08:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sturmhauke \* > \*\*You’re in a desert, walking along when you look down and you see a tortoise. It’s crawling toward you. So you reach down and flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can’t. Not without your help. > > What do you do? \*\* lol, You’re about to get shot… ---
**Author:** ![Apoptosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Apoptosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apoptosis)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/38 "2003-08-08T00:35:11Z")
To expand on **Thaidog** ’s most recent post, both **Ferret Herder** and **msmith537** have been whooshed. Watch _Blade Runner_ and you’ll understand. -Apoptosis ---
**Author:** ![j\_kat\_251](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/39 "2003-08-08T02:17:02Z")
**msmith537** is in on the joke, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828/40 "2003-08-08T02:25:19Z")
Sorry, the wording was off. Been a while. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umm-do-i-exhibit-sociopathic-tendencies/192828.md?page=3)