In this paper there are three questions that I will be answering; those questions are: 1. What do people misunderstand about the differences and similarities between a psychopath and a sociopath? 2. Which is more dangerous and why, psychopaths or sociopaths? 3. Have any notorious murders been a psychopath or a sociopath? If so, who were they and what traits did they display?
Psychopaths hide among us, sometimes as the most successful human beings because they are cold-blooded and seemingly charismatic (Mallet, 2015). Between 0.2% and 3.3% of our world’s population are diagnosed psychopaths and 1% of our population are diagnosed sociopaths (Peterson, 2000; Mallet, 2015). Today’s society believes that psychopathic and sociopathic dispositions
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There are also some traits that can be difficult to distinguish between the two. In the past, there have been cases relating to serial killers that showed either psychopathic or sociopathic traits. HH Holmes, for instance, was a notorious psychopath who showed psychopathic traits in his crimes and behavior such as: he seemed like a regular hotel owner, acted hospitable and caring towards his customers and he was a charming man. The reality of his actions were that he acted like a nice person to get people closer to him so he could commit his crimes (Editors, 2016). Diane Downs, on the other hand, was a notorious sociopath who displayed sociopathic behaviors such as: she was socially awkward and would do anything she had to get what she wants no matter what it would cost her (Peterson, 2000).
Psychopaths
The psychopathic population have antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). ASPD is a disorder that cannot be cured, but treatment is recommended to help maintain and control their disorder (Grohol, 1995). Some or most signs of ASPD are usually seen in early childhood, however, the cannot be properly diagnosed until the late teenage or early adult years (Grohol, 1995).