According to The Sociopath Next Door by Dr. Stout, the U.S. hosts 11.7 million psychopaths, and New York City is home to 320,000 of them. She knows this because people with clipboards have determined that four percent of the American population are psychopaths. Such a staggering fact obviously raises a host of questions: Who are these psychopaths? Where do they shop? Do they all vote Republican?…
Article comments
76 - Marcia Neil
Diet is a definite factor in sociopathy -- people who constantly ingest milk, cheese, and butter products do not behave normally. They must be 'managed', but any directional behavior with and towards them might cause ear-searing verbal attack.
77 - Marcia Neil
Also, there should be a list of potential 'trigger' foods that can provide guidance to prevent sociopathic harm.
78 - Horrible Article!
This article is full of so much wrong and made up information it should be removed! Whatever uninformed fool decided to post up a bunch of made up crap should be ashamed! Or maybe they are not, because they could be a evil sociopath!
79 - Earl
As a divorced father of two it was stunning to discover this book and the reason for all the difficulties I experienced while married. I thought I was nuts! The difficulties I now have obtaining visitation is now understood but will never be acceptable. The realization I was married to a sociopath has been a true epiphany for me. This book should be required reading before marrying someone.
80 - Cory
I can't wait to read this book. In hindsight, I ignored all the OBVIOUS "red flags" because I was in love with this guy.
He was someone that hid his sociopathy well, until he was drinking which sort of triggered a "truth serum" effect. I thought he was "just" an alcoholic, but realize he took great pleasure and pride in inflicting cruelty and havoc onto people's lives.
If you're in a relationship with someone and are constantly made to feel crazy/inadequate/ignored/exhausted.... you may be dating a sociopath.
81 - Douglas Mays
Horrible Article #78. You have been caught. Obviously written by a sociopath. Zero accountability in your statement.
82 - Marcia Neil
If a person has EVER signs-up to 'join' a troop, especially just to ask questions, other troop members become sociopathic if "reports" are not forthcoming with demand. Some children are permanently intimidated if they attend only one or a few meetings, thenq quit.
83 - VeganMommy
To Stereo_Rose:
Have you been tested for Asperger's Syndrome??? It sounds more like what you're describing than Sociopathy.
Asperger's Syndrome is a mild form of Autism. Usually people with Asperger's are brainy (love to read & learn, etc.), can hold a stable job, and they keep to themselves. They have a problem making friends because it's very hard for them to socialize normally - they "rules" of social behavior don't make sense to them and they have a problem being able to "learn" how to socialize.
Even though they feel emotions just the same as everyone else, their "mirror" neurons don't work (these are the neurons that help you mimic your parents to learn things when you are a baby).
The best way to tell someone with Asperger's from a Sociopath is their social life - people with Asperger's usually don't have a social life because they get tired of stepping on everyone's toes (they WANT friends but every time they try to make friends they end up "queering the deal".)They would rather leave others alone than force people into unsatisfying friendships with them.
A sociopath REQUIRES a social life or they at least require people to feel obligated to them in order to get something out of them. They KNOW perfectly well how to socialize and they do it and use it to get what they want out of people (to avoid having to do work themselves.)
In other words, people with Autism/Asperger's are troubled by their condition because they WANT GENUINE emotional connections with other people but can't produce them because of a neurological dysfunction. The way they cope with this disappointment is to find other things to spend their time on (reading, hobbies, etc.) and have the peace of mind that at least they're not "bothering" anybody.
Sociopaths, on the other hand, are not troubled by their condition at all. They don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with them at all and they are perfectly happy with themselves. They DON'T WANT GENUINE emotional attachments with other people - they don't even know what that is because they don't have any GENUINE compassion, or GENUINE love. They only know how to MIMIC genuine emotions, and they use fake emoting like a tool to manipulate others. They know they are manipulating people and it doesn't bother them. There is not "coping" mechanism or "escapism" because there is nothing to cope or escape from. NOTHING about the way they think and act makes them feel bad about themselves. Usually they do not have "hobbies" because their all consuming passion is to mettle in other people's lives to see what they can get out of them or to screw with them.
My sister in law is a covetous sociopath and she uses the pity-play religiously to get what she wants out of people. She is a party-girl bartender, and made the smooth transition to trophy-wife/mommy social-butterfly. She keeps the same group of high school thralls around her to protect her from people with a fresh outside perspective (and can spot her sociopathy) She used the pity-play to sucker her Mr.Got-Rocks-boyfriend into a relationship, then got knocked up and he married her.
For the longest time I bought her B.S. that it was her mom that was making up lies and putting words into her mouth, etc. etc. (their mom is crazy - she was an alcoholic, and abusive to my fiancee and his sister growing up) But my fiancee has a conscience, he never uses his mother as an excuse for his problems, whereas his sister will never NOT blame her abuse of people around her on her mother.
84 - hannibal bates
Actually, more damage has been done in my life by people piling guilt on me. I sometimes envy the folks who lack the ability to feel guilt! How many of us have been guilted into doing things we don't want to do? Even things we know we shouldn't do? Guilt is quite a weapon! The sociopath is immune to it's effects...
85 - seethebright
Interesting book. Not that it will do any of you any good, though. Most of you have no friggin clue just how far behind you are. I can do anything I want. I've encountered maybe 2 people in my life who "had me pegged." And you think a book is really going to help you? Can you turn on the tears at will? Can you kick a rabbit in the head with calm, mild curiosity? Can you simply stare down a loud little child to make it shut up? Can you lie about anything to the point of beating a detector? Didn't think so. Love & kisses.