Sociopathy: Challenges of Living With an Antisocial Personality Disorder - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sociopaths are people with a mental disorder characterized by remorse, impaired empathy, and persistent antisocial behaviors. Sociopathy and psychopathy, among other mental illnesses, falls under a category of Antisocial Personality Disorders (ASPD). Sociopaths, however, encounter numerous challenges because of their inability to abide by societal rules and getting along with other people. In most instances, this pattern of behaviors is prevalent among young adolescents and may persist in their adulthood. Unlike mentally-health people, sociopaths pay little attention to the ultimate consequences of their actions. Besides having no conscience, sociopaths tend to move from one culture to another as predators. As a result of this pattern, mainstream society has stigmatized sociopaths unfairly. However, they deserve full social acceptance. The mainstream society should avoid stereotyping sociopaths since it lowers the quality of healthcare and employment opportunities besides impoverishing their social lives.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

While much about the causes of sociopathy is not known, the factors come from a person's external world and from within (Black, 2013). These aspects are both biological and environmental. Examples of biological factors are genetic makeup and damage of brain cells, which lowers brain maturity of sociopaths than their non-sociopaths counterparts. Environmental causes entail early life experiences such as rejection, abuse, poverty, and adverse conditions.

There is no cure for ASPD, but, talk therapy helps control its symptoms. There is a debate among psychiatrists on the extent to which sociopathy is characterized by criminal and antisocial behaviors (Durand, Plata, & Arbone, 2017). This discussion also revolves around whether adaptive features should be the basis of describing sociopathy. A few research in the literature has focused on examining the perception of the laypersons towards sociopaths (Durand et al., 2017). The laypersons have a moderately accurate understanding of sociopathy, although they have developed a few misconceptions on the people labeled as "sociopaths." Research shows that psychiatric traits portrayed by people diagnosed with sociopathy influence misconceptions and the attitudes towards the disorder (Durand et al., 2017).

Sociopaths have a sense of morality. Also, such people should have a well-developed conscience. This aspect, according to Pemment (2013), suggests that sociopaths have beliefs about the social world. The treatment of people with sociopathy is an essential topic in the study of the disorder. The discussion, however, should be based on accurate information to avoid misconceptions and stereotypes that adversely impact on the social life of the sociopaths. The potential for criminality and violence, in particular, is of interest to many people. Stigmatization, in most instances, results from the negative portrayals of these people as violent, aggressive, potential rapists and ruthless killers in the popular culture.

The layperson's misunderstanding of the sociopaths has led to their unfair treatment in society. In this case, people fear sociopaths because they view them as criminals and individuals with aggressive tendencies. Stigma negatively influences the life of people diagnosed with a personality disorder. The adverse impacts of stereotyping sociopaths are an impoverishment of their social life besides reduced employment and lower quality of healthcare. As such, there are needs for society to avoid disqualifying sociopaths from full social acceptance as a strategy to enhance their experiences. The mainstream society should also avoid labeling these people as criminals since it lowers their chances of securing employment, among other opportunities.

The stereotype of dangerousness, according to Sheehan, Nieweglowski, and Corrigan (2016), negatively impact on sociopath's recovery and the prospect of treatment. Also, there is a misconnection that these people are evil. This aspect has led to the stigmatization since sociopaths are viewed as violent. Besides, they encounter numerous challenges in the judicial system in that they are considered generally sane and thus responsible for their actions. Sheehan et al. (2016) noted that a significant proportion of court officials do not consider ASPD, psychopaths, and sociopaths as mental illnesses. Stigma is severe, especially where stereotypes are perpetuated by social institutions, including the health professionals (Sheehan et al., 2016)

People with a diagnosis of sociopathy often exhibit symptoms such as aggressiveness, empathy, and lack of remorse (Sheehan et al., 2016). Also, they show recklessness that begins in their childhood. Specific prejudices and stereotypes associated with sociopaths incite discriminatory treatment. Public stigma manifest in different ways ranging from complete ostracization and lack of eye contact. The common stereotypes, according to Sheehan et al., (2016), are incompetence, responsibility, and dangerousness. In essence, sociopaths face prejudice in the workplace since many people portray them as incompetent. Employers avoid hiring them in that they doubt their ability and performance (discrimination).

The stereotype of incompetence has far-reaching consequences on sociopaths considering that it can lead to coercive behaviors. Some of these acts are a restriction of independent living, guardianship, and forced hospitalization. The media reports shape stereotypes labeled against the sociopaths, especially when the link between mental disorder and aggressive behaviors is exaggerated (Sheehan et al., 2016). The association of sociopaths with a tendency to perpetrate violent acts shape stereotypes and portrayal of these people as dangerous.

Conclusion

Conclusively, sociopaths deserve a fair treatment to enhance their social well-being in society. Stereotypes adversely impact on their recovery besides social development. As such, the community should avoid labeling sociopaths unnecessarily. Such people require full social acceptance despite their aggressive behaviors. Thus, mental health practitioners should offer talk therapy to control symptoms of sociopathy.

References

Black, D. W. (2013). Bad boys, bad men: Confronting antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy). Oxford University Press.

Durand, G., Plata, E. M., & Arbone, I. (2017). Negative attitudes towards psychopaths: The role of one's own psychopathic traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 109, 72-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.12.047

Pemment, J. (2013). Psychopathy versus sociopathy: Why the distinction has become crucial. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(5), 458-461. DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2013.07.001

Sheehan, L., Nieweglowski, K., & Corrigan, P. (2016). The Stigma of Personality Disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports, 18(1). DOI: 10.1007/s11920-015-0654-1