What is the difference between a psychopath and sociopath?
In your view, what is the difference? Has the difference been made up? I think a sociopath is a psychopath.
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pknein · 46-50, M
to be fair, some argue for differences between the two which you can read about in the literature - but they seem mainly to be definitional (and sometime etiological) rather than functional -- practically speaking, they are almost always used interchangeably. And even historically when you look at the formulation of 'sociopathy' in the 1940s, even then others called this 'psychopathy'.
As far as diagnosis, the DSM-IV basically recognized both 'psychopathy' and 'sociopathy' as historic terms for anti-social personality disorder. The DSM-V took a step further in recognizing psychopathy as a 'specifier' of ASPD (as opposed to just being an historic term) but doesnt view it as a specific disorder in its own right.
As far as diagnosis, the DSM-IV basically recognized both 'psychopathy' and 'sociopathy' as historic terms for anti-social personality disorder. The DSM-V took a step further in recognizing psychopathy as a 'specifier' of ASPD (as opposed to just being an historic term) but doesnt view it as a specific disorder in its own right.
pknein · 46-50, M
not sure what aspect of my response elicited this comment - but the DSM does not recognize 'psychopath' as a disorder- let alone four types of them. There may be other, non-clinical, classifications where there are 4 'types' are recognized and even defined but that isn't something I am familiar with.