Psychopaths + sociopaths

[Yellow Fang]

I have been watching some YouTube vids about this. They say that about 1% of people are psychopaths and about 4% are sociopaths. Are the rates really as high as that?

 

[User6179]

I have been watching some YouTube vids about this. They say that about 1% of people are psychopaths and about 4% are sociopaths. Are the rates really as high as that?

I don't know, how many politicians and lawyers are they in the UK?

 

[Levo-Lon]

Im amazed its that low for sociopaths.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

3% of facts on YouTube are correct

 

[Milzy]

3% of facts on YouTube are correct

100% of facts on c.c are correct.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

50% of the facts are true 75% of the time.

 

[Cycleops]

Keep watching those YouTube videos and you'll soon be able to go on The Chase.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

If the membership of cyclechat was looked at in isolation those %ages would be much higher.

 

[Bazzer]

I have been watching some YouTube vids about this. They say that about 1% of people are psychopaths and about 4% are sociopaths. Are the rates really as high as that?

I thought clinically there was little difference between the two, but am happy to be corrected.
Personal opinion, but I suspect the rates are higher. Society in general seems to be becoming more dysfunctional, which may either create or bring to the fore the underlying causes. - Although I appreciate this raises the nurture/nature argument

 

[Proto]

85% of statistics are made up. Fact!

 

[winjim]

I thought clinically there was little difference between the two, but am happy to be corrected.
Personal opinion, but I suspect the rates are higher. Society in general seems to be becoming more dysfunctional, which may either create or bring to the fore the underlying causes. - Although I appreciate this raises the nurture/nature argument

I think psychopathy is considered to be inborn whereas sociopathy is 'acquired', as it were, and dependant on social and cultural norms.

I am not a psychologist though, and may be talking nonsense.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I thought clinically there was little difference between the two, but am happy to be corrected.
Personal opinion, but I suspect the rates are higher. Society in general seems to be becoming more dysfunctional, which may either create or bring to the fore the underlying causes. - Although I appreciate this raises the nurture/nature argument

Psychopaths are born, sociopaths are made, apparently. When you read about what some psychos do, it is difficult to imagine 1% of people would want to do those things. I can understand people being selfish and not having much sympathy with others. I don't suppose many people lose much sleep about what they hear in the news. I watched a YouTube vid of a mother who'd killed her children. She couldn't stop herself from grinning. Those sort of people are pretty rare. Perhaps to be a really nasty piece of work you need to be a psycho plus something else.

 

[PK99]

3% of facts on YouTube are correct

That might well be correct, but the 1% Psychopaths, 4% sociopaths numbers re pretty well established in the literature.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Cyclepaths are built by physcopsths

 

[PK99]

I think psychopathy is considered to be inborn whereas sociopathy is 'acquired', as it were, and dependant on social and cultural norms.

I am not a psychologist though, and may be talking nonsense.

Not nonsense at all.

A key difference is conscience - a psychopath feels no remorse for their actions, a sociopath has a weak conscience - she knows what she is doing is wrong, but does not let it stop her behaviour.

Also, it is wrong to fall for the cinematic stereotype: Psychopath/sociopath = violent murderer. Most simply move through life with no regard for people they damage as they (eg) climb the corporate ladder.