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A Narcissist, a Psychopath and a Sociopath Walk Into a Bar…
The 3 terms above are heard a lot these days. It’s hard to say if there are a higher population of people with these disorders, or if we are just more aware of them.
I think it’s fair to say that we often use these terms quite casually, too. Certainly, I read a lot about Narcissism as it’s something I’m fairly sure about a couple of my ex’s having.
But do we have enough understanding of the criteria a person should meet in order to qualify for one of these titles?
I thought it would be good to break it down.
Psychopathy
This belongs in the category of antisocial personality disorders that you will find in the DSM-5, the official handbook for clinical psychiatry.
We all have an idea of the classic psychopath in our imagination. Many of us will base that on something like the movie American Psycho.
Certainly, that movie does depict a few classic traits, which you will also find described in the DSM-5.
For example:
- Low empathy
- Low remorse
- High risk-taking and impulsivity
