Word Of The Day

so·ci·o·path

/ˈsōsēōˌpaTH/

noun
noun: sociopath; plural noun: sociopaths
a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience





Psychologists vie to enumerate the facets of sociopathy. Joseph Newman argues that the sociopath has an attention bottleneck that allows him to focus only on one activity or train of thought, to the exclusion of others. Researchers, including Howard Kamler, say that the sociopath lacks not "moral" identity but self-identity altogether. Yet nowhere do I recognize myself more than in Hervey Cleckley's clinical profiles. In The Mask of Sanity, published in 1941, Cleckley distilled what he believed to be the 16 key behavioral characteristics that defined psychopathy. Most of these factors are still used today to diagnose sociopaths/psychopaths and others with antisocial disorders. (Psychopathy and sociopathy are terms with an intertwined clinical history, and they are now largely used interchangeably. The DSM excludes both, in favor of antisocial personality disorder.)



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•Superficial charm and good intelligence
•Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking
•Absence of nervousness or neurotic manifestations
•Unreliability
•Untruthfulness and insincerity
•Lack of remorse and shame
•Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior
•Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience
•Pathologic egocentricity and incapacity for love
•General poverty in major affective reactions
•Specific loss of insight
•Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations
•Fantastic and uninviting behavior with alcohol and sometimes without
•Suicide threats rarely carried out
•Sex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated
•Failure to follow any life plan


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Holy crap, that's me!

I do know a couple of these:

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a Cluster B personality disorder in which a person is excessively preoccupied with personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity, mentally unable to see the destructive damage they are causing to themselves and to others in the process. It is estimated that this condition affects one percent of the population, with rates greater for men. First formulated in 1968, NPD was historically called megalomania, and is a form of severe egocentrism.

People who are diagnosed with a narcissistic personality disorder are characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance. They have a sense of entitlement and demonstrate grandiosity in their beliefs and behavior. They have a strong need for admiration, but lack feelings of empathy.

sooo..


assholes??                        

That's the clinical term!

You'll very seldom run into one of those who's aware of it. Unfortunately, they're inclined to run for public office or start cults.

"Unfortunately, they're inclined to run for public office or start cults."

Wish they all were confined to those two areas instead of sprinkled throughout the population. Then when they get older and more tired, they move to expat enclaves in Mexico where the pickings are easier. Someone once explained that Lakeside is a calm lagoon populated by plumb, frolicking seals and that's why it attracts so many sharks.