According to Harvard psychologist Dr. Martha Stout, approximately 1 in 25 Americans is a sociopath. With 7.6 billion people on the planet, that's approximately 304 million people who could be a sociopath. Not all of these people are dangerous criminals, but they can make life difficult for the rest of us.
How do we know if someone is a sociopath? The defining characteristic is an antisocial behavior. Other behaviors include a disregard for the structure of his/her surrounding society. Sociopaths do as they please without any concern for how their actions may affect the people around them.
Tanya J. Peterson of Health Place uses the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to define sociopathy as "[a] pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:
- Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.
- Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure.
- Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.
- Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.
- Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.
- Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations.
- Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another."
Let's take some time and think about how often we see people acting selfishly with no regard for the wellbeing of others.
How often are you driving down the road and see people scrolling through Facebook or Facetiming with a friend while driving 70 mph down the highway? That's a sociopathic action. That person does not care how they could hurt other people if they were to cause a car accident. That person does not care that there are laws against cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle. That person does not care that they are being irresponsible. (Do they have kids in the car with them?) That person may become irritable and aggressive if another driver beeps their horn or yells out the window for that person to put their phone down.
Similarly, drivers who weave in and out of traffic on a busy highway with no patience and no turn signals also could be sociopaths. One swift move could end the lives of multiple people. Yet they continue to make selfish actions. Again, if another driver were to confront this person's actions, s/he would become verbally or physically aggressive. In the case of a vehicle accident, the person may attempt to blame the other driver(s) for causing the accident.
Are we starting to recognize some of these behaviors?
Now let's look at cheaters. Whether it's cheating on a significant other or cheating on a tax return, these people are making major sociopathic decisions. For example, if a husband and father decide life is too tied down to his family, he may begin an affair with another woman. This man will repeatedly lie to his wife and his kids. He may become aggressive to his wife because she is no longer making him happy and he is miserable in her presence. He may have a reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of his family members. And of course, he will have lack of remorse for his family and the other woman.
As another example, if a woman lies on her tax return in order to get more money, she is showing characteristics of sociopathy. Let's say she lies about how many kids live with her by saying 4 kids were in her care when only 1 kid was in her care. Obviously, she is failing to follow the law which could lead to her getting arrested. She is being deceitful and lying for her own profit. When confronted, she may become aggressive and lash out. She may lie further to gain more personal profit. She is disregarding the safety of her family because, if caught, her family will suffer from her actions. This includes the lack of remorse for the well-being of her family.
Do we see how common these characteristics are? The sociopathic statistics are obviously staggering. But what do you do if a loved-one is a sociopath? Hopefully, they are not a dangerous criminal. You probably don't want to be around them because they make life difficult and cause major issues. The best way to deal with it may be to separate yourself as much as possible. If finances suffer because of them, you may want to become financially independent of them. If they are constantly lying, you may want to break all communications with them.
Realizing a close friend or family is a sociopath is a hard pill to swallow. And with 304 million potential sociopaths on the planet, there are high chances you are connected to one or more of them. My best advice is to be cautious around a person if you suspect they fall into this category and trust your instinct on what the right action is to take.
