All the evidence points to them being born that way and there is no way to "cure" them. Their brains are wired differently. Sociopaths and psychopaths are the same thing, with different labels from what I know.
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It seems that sometimes the best people come from bad homes and some awful people come from great homes - so I would imagine it is possible to be born a sociopath. They make great surgeons apparently, so not all sociopaths are serial killers. I always wondered about dentists.After an episode of Star Trek Voyager about sociopaths, my husband and I were discussing whether sociopaths are made or born. I say they are made and John says they can be born that way as did the Voyager episode (The EMH was able to cure the sociopath with 7 of 9s nano probes).
Does anyone think that people can be born without a conscience? Are people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy born that way or does something happen to make them that way.
I don't know how well defined the term is. Clinical psychopathy is very much a real thing and its causes are not well understood, but seem to be to a degree inborn.After an episode of Star Trek Voyager about sociopaths, my husband and I were discussing whether sociopaths are made or born. I say they are made and John says they can be born that way as did the Voyager episode (The EMH was able to cure the sociopath with 7 of 9s nano probes).
Does anyone think that people can be born without a conscience? Are people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy born that way or does something happen to make them that way.
I say both. My reading on the subject finds that sociopaths have different physical brain features, but that these features are not deterministic of sociopathy. (One researcher found that he shared the traits of a sociopath, but didn't turn out to be one.....so he says.)After an episode of Star Trek Voyager about sociopaths, my husband and I were discussing whether sociopaths are made or born. I say they are made and John says they can be born that way as did the Voyager episode (The EMH was able to cure the sociopath with 7 of 9s nano probes).
Does anyone think that people can be born without a conscience? Are people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy born that way or does something happen to make them that way.
That's a reasonably good distinction. Though both are classed as ASPD(Anti-Social Personality Disorder).Do you mean psychopaths or sociopaths? Both are a little differnet. Though it seems to be widely believed that they are born that way. Psychopath's are usually categorized as individuals who don't feel any kind of sense of right and wrong. Any sense of morality they have would be learned by observing others but would never feel that something was "wrong". This comes from a lack of empathy and an inability to connect with others in any real meaningful way. Some even go so far as to state that most psychopaths don't have the ability to process emotions in general on the same level we do.
Sociopaths however do have some sense of right and wrong but usually do not care. Sociopaths tend to be more impulsive and do have the ability to have connections with a few people that they are close to in life.
Both conditions, again, seem to be inherent. You can even genetically inherit it from your parents. My wife's cousin has psychopathic disorder which he inherited from his father (who was a serial abuser and murder)
I agree with most everything in this post but my readings have come to a different conclusion about the origin of sociopaths. Anti-social disorders in general usually (if not always in true anti-social diagnosis) are inborn. The violent and sadistic acts usually stem from either a) sadism itself or b) an upbringing with their condition can nurture them into violence. The true could be said of psychopaths as well. And there can be an argument that b causes a.There seems to be confusion over the terms. Psychopaths and sociopaths are not the same, but they share many of the same traits because they share the same diagnosis: antisocial personality disorder. So far, studies have shown that psychopaths are born (nature) and sociopaths are made (nurture). The ventromedial and anterior cingulate sectors of the prefrontal and orbitol cortices are underdeveloped in psychopaths; this region is known for impulse control and emotional regulation. Now, as to some differences.
Sociopaths are generally described as primary or secondary sociopaths by researchers. Primaries show a genetic predisposition (which may be culled by their environment) and secondaries' APD tendencies stem entirely from their environment. I'd love to give you links, but I only have free access to the studies through the university. I can only try and summarize the information from my neuro and psych lectures. Psychopaths have a much stronger genetic and heritable link, in which their environment can only determine whether their energies will be career or violence driven.I agree with most everything in this post but my readings have come to a different conclusion about the origin of sociopaths. Anti-social disorders in general usually (if not always in true anti-social diagnosis) are inborn. The violent and sadistic acts usually stem from either a) sadism itself or b) an upbringing with their condition can nurture them into violence. The true could be said of psychopaths as well. And there can be an argument that b causes a.
There is one other documented way of becoming a sociopath without being born one and that is head injuries. Damage to the portion of the brain that processes empathy and other emotions can cause anti-social symptoms such as an obvious lack of empathy.
I will note that there seems to be a big difference between what is actually said in the research and what is commonly found on the internet when looking up the information. I remember back when I first started doing research for an general psych class several years ago there was an article from a somewhat well established online but non-scholarly source and it stated that there was no fundamental or functional difference between the two. Because of that article and misinformation (granted back in 09) I believed for several years that to be the truth. It was until I took my abnormal psych class in 2011 that they corrected me.Sociopaths are generally described as primary or secondary sociopaths by researchers. Primaries show a genetic predisposition (which may be culled by their environment) and secondaries' APD tendencies stem entirely from their environment. I'd love to give you links, but I only have free access to the studies through the university. I can only try and summarize the information from my neuro and psych lectures. Psychopaths have a much stronger genetic and heritable link, in which their environment can only determine whether their energies will be career or violence driven.
But yes, you are completely correct on the head injuries. I was trying to keep my post as short and to the point as I could.
I haven't done much research on it since it had nothing to do with my major and abnormal psych was the last class I was able to take just because I wanted to. As I understood it in 2011 there had to be some genetic disposition for there to be anti-social (or injury later in life) for the nurture to mold them into what we call the sociopaths. Has this understanding changed in the recent years?
They are most certainly born that way. Any psychiatrist will agree with this assessment, unless you are referring to sociopathy caused by trauma to the brain.After an episode of Star Trek Voyager about sociopaths, my husband and I were discussing whether sociopaths are made or born. I say they are made and John says they can be born that way as did the Voyager episode (The EMH was able to cure the sociopath with 7 of 9s nano probes).
Does anyone think that people can be born without a conscience? Are people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy born that way or does something happen to make them that way.