I'm reading over the net, but the sociopaths don't love anybody, doesen't care about anything, but mobsters they claim that they are family guys, they care about their kids, wives and so on, so what is the exact meaning of the word sociopath? And what's the difference between sociopath and psychopath?

Think of it this way. A Sociopath cares about himself and his own (like HIS family and HIS friends) but he doesnt care about you and YOUR family and YOUR friends.

The Western World, especially the United States is infested with this attitude.

Its also within the herd mentality that people run in their set groupings. Outsiders make them feel threatened.

Sociopath is just a more 'popular' name for psychopath. The way I understand it, it means exactly the same.

No difference. It means that you have no empathy for other people. What serves you best is what you'll do. The only difference between sociopathic politicians, businessmen, gangsters and serial killers is the methods they use. Underneath they all have the same view that other people are can be divided in two camps: those you can use and those you can't.

The majority of people in society care only about themselves - even you, yiur friends and neighhbours have insidious attitudes in hurting others.

*Cue the posters looking for the meaning of 'insidious'

You hit the nail on the head.

That sounds good. Sign me up for that one.

Some say there is a difference.

http://voices.yahoo.com/sociopath-vs-psychopath-there-difference-1906224.html


This article provides 3 clear distinctions between the two.

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-tell-psychopath-sociopath-1916058.html?cat=72

A sociapath isnt able to feel the emotions like others. He might look at a sad person and see he is sad, but he cant connect to it on an emotional leve.

He doesnt have to be a bad person. But he is unable to stay on the same path in life for a long time because the emotions that guide the rest of us isnt there.

A sociopath is most certainly a bad person as they are incapable of feeling empathy, guilt or remorse. Ripping off a senior of their life savings or killing someone would cause them as much stress as it causes me or you to turn on the TV.

Killing is a human function, it always has been.

The reason why you and people you know havn't killed is because of your abiding by the law.

Plus the possible fear of prison you may have.

HOWEVER - When society breaks down, killing for you will be a natural thing. Self protection.

Do you think that many of the politicans and high level businessmen are also sociopaths?

I think even if society broke down, empathy would stop me from killing opportunistically.

I doubt if I would feel too horrible if I killed in self-defense, but even in that case I'd feel regret that the conflict had to end that way.

Absolutely!

That guy on BBC News who worked as a stock trader for Goldman Sachs said that they didn't care about making the economy better for the normal man and woman, and that their only mission was to make big profits for themselves. The newscasters were shocked at the level of dishonesty that they probably shouldn't have heard!

If somebody came at you with a knife, and there was no law and order, believe me, you'd kill them. There would only be two options: kill or be killed.

I would have no problem killing, at any time. I have an empathy switch. I can turn it on or off at will.

Sure, you saw this under hurricane Katrina. The murder rates spiked.

But I dont agree that killing for the sake of killing is natural. It is usually done either protecting ones property, steal others property(including women) or to win dominance and create a new social order.

When the mafia kills it is to secure its dominance. Sometimes the mafia might have a trade monopoly in say the pizzaria business. There is suddenly a new pizza maker in town outcompeting the mafia. The mafia will then either get this guy to submit to their rules or they kill him.

If society broke down, new forms of social order will be recreated. Organised militia will be formed to protect the property of those who owns something. Sooner or later this militia will be formed into an army and we will suddenly have a new state with new laws and regulations.

The modern definition has differed the one thats planted within us since humans walked the earth. People listen and behave according to what the government deems lawful. People have been brainwashed for humdreds and hundreds of years as to how they should act and what others deem as normal behaviour.

Some people - Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz and others - have not only been brave enough to show the real side of human behaviour, but have also shown human instinct as it was always made to be shown.

This is not true. It might seem counterintuitive, but human warfare has only been around for about 10 000 years. The first evidence of warfare is from Egypt about 10 000 years ago.

Fighting for social and sexual dominance is different and has been around longer. But even in the animal kingdom, studs who fights for the right to have offspring doesnt kill each other. If to bears fights each other, the fight only lasts untill one of the bears has submitted and runs away.

Warfare first only emerged along with trade. The drug cartels in Mexico today kill for their trade interests in selling drugs. USA has a naval fleet in the Middle East protecting the trade with oil. England dominated the world for centuries due to their naval supremcay and capacaty to protect the trade across the worlds seas.

If society collapses, essential for survival will be the ability to protect trade somehow.

Psychopaths like Ted Bundy would in a simple society been killed long before he managed to do any great harm.

It doesn't matter if what I say is true or false, just know that it is my opinion.

As you can see, even if I agree or disagree with what you've stated, I havn't felt the need to tell you if your right or wrong about something.

That is what differs between some people - you feel killing is wrong, I feel it is an instinct within us all and no law can make me submit to what they want me to believe.

With my opinion, I am suprised I havn't been picked up as a threat to this so called civilisation we currently live in.

Someone said that mafia kill because it has to be done, but that sounds like - the mobsters are good people, and they are forced to do it, but in reality they are all sociopaths, who care ONLY about themselves and their family, and everybody - Gravano, Leonetti, Caramandi, Jimmy The Weasesl everyone of them claims that killing doesen't bother them.

But all of these people once were kids, some of them even had good parents, so they are not born sociopaths, they became sociopaths.

I personally pulled a gun at a guy one time, I just didn't care, it was self defence, I didn't shot him, but anyway it was nothing, not like in movies with music around, tension and so on. Nothing - you just pull the gun out and point it to the target.

I dont think killing is wrong. But killing without any purpose is wrong.
Killing for just the sake of killing is just sick imho.

Mobsters are I think in a constant state of warfare and always ready to fight or runaway. Part of their mindset is to hurt people before they are able to hurt them.

But those guys carrying out the killings are more like soldiers. They can be compared to any soldier. Their role is to protect the mafias interest. Wthout them, there are no mafia.

Just curious, but how can you characterize the behavior of a serial killer as brave?

Bundy has been extensively studied by criminal behaviorists and psychologists. It is widely accepted that he killed (then raped) women due to anger toward and feelings of rejection from his own mother. Bundy's mother got pregnant with him when she was young and unmarried. He was raised by his grandparents and was led to believe that his mother was his sister. When he found out the truth, he was enraged at the farce. Additionally, many of Bundy's victims bore a resemblance to his first "true love" girlfriend, who had rejected him.

From where I sit, Bundy was a coward.

Lastly, what do you mean by "but have also shown human instinct as it was always made to be shown"? That serial killers just followed their instincts, hence they are brave?

The serial killers are not like mobsters, the serial killers are cowards and outsiders.

I believe several mobsters have been characterized as serial killers - Roy DeMeo, Tommy Pitera, etc.

Yes but the serial killers actually enjoy the killings. Many of them have sexual feelings like orgasm when hurt someone, they are just crazy.

Anthony Casso I think is a psychopath - in interview he said that he wanted to beat Jimmy Hydell with the gun after it was empty, I hope soon we could watch the full interview with him, he is a true sociopath/psychopath, but maybe psychopath.

Where your sitting shows a different view from where I'm sitting.

You have your beliefs about one subject, I have mine about another. Its the way of the world.

I believe something that you may also too: That child perverts do what they do deliberately just because people hate it. Like they are social trolls.