The formation of a sociopath

There is a disturbing trend of an increase in the prevalence of sociopathy in our society, as revealed by many media sources. Our current culture has become the breeding ground for sociopaths. We don’t even know if a sociopath could be living next door.

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of respect for the moral or legal norms of the local culture. There is a marked inability to get along with others or abide by the rules of society. People with this disorder are sometimes called psychopaths or sociopaths. They are mostly used interchangeably.

A simple definition of a sociopath is someone who has no conscience and is tremendously antisocial.

Sociopathic behavior is characterized by the inability to care about right or wrong behavior and how it affects other people.

Sociopaths can generally be recognized as possessing most of the characteristics including lack of empathy, difficult relationships, manipulation, deception, callousness, hostility, irresponsibility, impulsiveness, and risky behavior.

Statistically, sociopaths make up between 3 and 5 percent of the general population. According to the American Psychiatric Association, about three in 100 men and one in 100 women are sociopaths. Approximately 70 percent of sociopaths come from fatherless homes and 30 percent are born out of wedlock. Between 15 and 25 percent of inmates show signs of being sociopaths.

Causes of sociopathy:

Neurological causes –

The brain of a sociopath shows different neurological abnormalities of the frontal lobe of the brain. It is a section of the brain that is the center of judgment and self-control. Genetic factors can be at the root of a sociopathic personality. In general, sociologists believe that children are more likely to inherit sociopathic traits if a parent has the disease.

Environmental causes –

In fact, sociopaths come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition to the distinctive neurological abnormalities of the brain, there are certain environmental factors that play a role. With the proper biological conditions in place, a person’s environmental conditions can further aggravate the severity of sociopathy.

According to the diagnostic criteria for sociopathy, the person in question must have shown some antisocial tendencies before the age of 15 years. Therefore, it can be concluded that a person’s early childhood life has a great impact on the later development of sociopathy.

Studies have shown that home, school, or community-centered circumstances can also contribute to sociopathic behavior. It has also been shown that if the parents do not express a normal amount of affection, it could generate a dysfunction for the child that would manifest itself in sociopathic tendencies.

• Family influence – Children born to sociopathic parents are subjected to emotional and physical abuse by them in the sense that they also develop sociopathic traits. The exact nature and impact of the ramifications of abuse vary from child to child and depend on the severity of the sociopathy and the level of functioning of the parents. It also depends on the nature of the child and their level of resilience, and the presence of other support systems.

Sociopathic parents instill fear, shame, and a sense of worthlessness and guilt in their children. A sociopathic parent is what a child fears the most – the monster under his bed and everywhere – and he cannot turn to this parent for comfort.

• Social influence – Sociopaths are also influenced by various social factors before the age of 15. Some of them may include deprivation, sexual or physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and association with people who are antisocial.

• Brain damage – Researchers have linked head injuries involving the prefrontal cortex, the orbital-frontal cortex, and the amygdala with sociopathy and violence.

The conclusion –

In fact, sociopaths are social predators. They are antisocial without conscience and ignore reality to make their life indifferent and selfish.

There are possible genetic and non-genetic contributors to sociopathy. Experts believe that sociopathy results from the interaction of genetic predispositions and an adverse environment. The adverse may differ depending on the underlying predisposition. However, it is difficult to determine the extent of environmental influence on the development of sociopathy due to the evidence of its strong heritability.