Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Like I said, the two terms get used interchangeably quite a bit. They share a lot of characteristics, but the best way to contrast them is through their impulse control. Sociopaths are impulsive. Psychopaths are very calculating.
This graphic may be helpful.
|
I watched a Ted Talk before about a guy who was looking at going to prison for about 5-10 years, so he decided the best way to avoid prison was to convince the court that he was so psychopathic that he needed to be in a medical institution instead.
He ended up spending 15 years (IIRC) in the institution. He talks about how it is harder to convince people you are not a psychopath because of how sane they can actually be. It was determined by doctors that only a true psychopath could be so meticulous and calculating to actually convince all the medical professionals that he was a psychopath. It's a pretty funny idea actually.