Confessions of a Sociopath

Have you ever just sat and thought breezily, on an idle Friday afternoon, what it must be like to be a sociopath?

What is a sociopath in your view? Write down what comes to mind, describe a person you view as a sociopath, draw what you think a sociopath looks like. You have ten minutes! Go!

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In all honesty, I never really thought about this. If someone asked me in 2019, I would have said a relentless, psychopathic serial killer! I drew a crazy male with a knife in a dark forest when someone asked me to do this task. How wrong was I and now I realise how important is it for humanity to undo these perceptions.

What changed my view ?

While waiting patiently to board my plane, I walked over to WHS Smith, promising myself I would just 'window' shop. However, a bright blue book with a 'best seller' sign stood out to me. It was called 'Confessions of a Sociopath'. I looked over my shoulder worried! I felt a little weird that this book had my attention. Although, because it was declared a must read; I just swiftly lifted it and purchased it anyway. I wanted to know how sociopaths thought.

Why I think everyone should read this book?

M.E Thomas wrote this book and she has been diagnosed as having sociopathy. I learnt so much from this book in a knowledgable manner. One in every twenty-five people are reportedly Sociopaths. So the likelihood we have worked with some, dated some, been related to some or are friends with some is very likely. This is an alarming amount! However, as the author of this book reports, a sociopath is not what we all actually think it to be. She is actually a Law lecturer, she donates to charity and she actually worked at a Sunday school. Does this match the definition you originally had in your head or the image you would sketch?

The thoughts of a sociopath

Thomas admits in the book how "Ruining people is delicious. I indulge in inserting myself into a person's psyche and quietly wreaking as much havoc as I can." This is quite a shock to read. It makes sense though, if I think about the things I have witnessed so far in my life.

1) I always wondered how people can lack empathy in relationships and not take responsibility for their actions. It is often the most trusting individuals who suffer the most at the hands of sociopaths, and the healing process for these individuals continues long after the relationship has ended. I am sure many people have suffered at the hands of a sociopath and and were left wondering why they have been discarded.

2) I wondered how bosses could treat staff sometimes, so cruelly.

3) I used to think why some friends could happily steal from each other, yet wear masks in the public eye.

4) I wondered how some individuals in positions of authority could abuse their powers and feel no remorse.

Sociopaths in life

Sociopaths have a much higher threshold of experiencing fear, not to mention moral emotions, such as guilt, shame or condemnation. As, I currently watch the horrific actions of some US police officers I wonder if they in fact fall under this category of being a sociopath. Many of these officers seem to feel no remorse for the violent acts they commit against helpless victims. Videos have been doing the rounds on social media and it brings into question how important mental health screening could be in the future. Should officers be screened thoroughly for personality disorders and sociopathy? Although this raises ethical concerns it is a vital area that needs more attention. Thomas reports that the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, responsible for modulating emotional moral judgments, are less active in sociopathic brains. Although, sociopathy is not strictly a biological condition, as environmental influences can also play a key role. Stout (2005) explains that as much as 50 percent of the cause of sociopathy can be attributed to heritability, while the remaining percentage is a confusing and not-yet-understood mixture of environmental factors.

What we can learn

The author of this book reiterates how important her family life and education has been in shaping her future in a positive direction. It brings into question how important it is for society as a whole to recognise the different types of personalities in existence. It is in my view that we can read more to understand more about the world.

The future

It is inevitable that we will bump into more sociopaths further down the line. I believe this book can help individuals understand how others think, so, that we can make more conscious decisions about who we invite into our lives. "Are sociopaths bad people? The reality is that sociopaths don't necessarily have malicious feelings toward others. The problem is that they have very little true feeling at all for others. The effect of their behaviour is undoubtedly malicious, though the intention is not necessarily the same thing" (Psychology Today, 2020). I have little empathy still for sociopaths but I think the world can change if we educate ourselves and perhaps put interventions in place within education and the criminal justice system to prevent harm.

References

Thomas, M.E. (2013). Confessions of a Sociopath: A life spent hiding in plain sight. New York: Crown Publishers

Stout, M. (2005) The Sociopath Next Door. Crown.

Myers, S, (2013). Understanding the Sociopath: Cause, Motivation, Relationship. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-is-2020/201304/understanding-the-sociopath-cause-motivation-relationship