Anyone who writes crime fiction, especially novels about a serial killer, is familiar with the sociopathic personality. But not all sociopaths are killers. Some psychologists estimate that there are thirty thousand psychopaths who are not serial killers for every one who is. So who are these non-killing psychopaths? Your neighbor, perhaps, or your mother-in-law. Maybe even the psychologists who came up with the sociopathic profile. Possibly even you.
Abused children who were not born with a sociopathic personality usually grow up to lead normal lives. Sociopaths who were not abused usually grow up to lead normal lives or lives that mimic normalcy. Sociopaths sometimes become killers because of childhood abuse, and sometimes they become killers simply because they want to. (The killer in the Dutch version of The Vanishing was a classic sociopath who killed to see what it would feel like.)
Even if you don't write crime fiction, familiarity with the sociopathic personality can help you create dynamic characters and even interesting dialogue. For example, sociopaths frequently use contradictory and illogical statements such as "I never touched her, and anyway, she wanted it."
A sociopath has difficulty connecting to others, though people often like them. They are charming, glib, witty, and use captivating body language. Because of their impulsiveness, need for excitement, poor behavior controls, and lack of responsibility, they can be fun companions, but because they lack empathy, conscience, and remorse, they can never truly connect with anyone.
Other characteristics of the sociopath are shallow emotions, egocentricity, lying for no reason, no need to conform to societal standards, the skill to detect and exploit the weaknesses of others. They are also well satisfied with themselves, never looking back with regret or forward with concern.
One characteristic that keeps a sociopath from being a good fiction hero is that in fiction heroes need to change during the course of the novel, and sociopaths have solid personalities that are extremely resistant to outside influences. But, being the manipulative creatures that they are, they can make us believe they have changed.
Sounds to me like an interesting character. With or without the killing.
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Comments: 48
Except Jimmy Carter.
And maybe Al Gore.
I personally know of two people who I'd classify as sociopaths. They haven't killed anyone but they certainly have those characteristics you cited.
As someone who wants to delve into the world of fiction writing, I find sociopaths fascinating as characters. The possibilities are endless.
Coincidently I just finished ENTERING HADES, by John Leak. If you are not familiar with it, the book is about Jack Unterweger who was convicted of killing eleven prostitutes in Austria. He was the classic sociopath.
The other one is a compulsive liar. He finds out what the woman is interested in and then he reads up on it and pretends he has the same interest. He is very chameleon like and everything is filtered through his wants, his scenarios. When I was around him he was very charming, laughed a lot, seemed so interested in the things I liked, but then he asked three women to marry him, on the same day. One said yes, NO it wasn't me.LOL
Lin: I do more research than writing at times, but very little of what I learn can actually be put into the novel. Hence these articles.
Nancy: You're right. Very chilling! And one of the women actually said yes? Sheesh.
She raised her kids to cater to her, and dislike each other. When my father died, she would not tell his family. She buried him in the cheapest aluminum box you could possibly find, and had me read him a passage from the Bible, and that was it. Down he went! She was deemed "incompetent" by the State, but she still makes most of the major decisions in her life-even though she is case-managed!
Where she resides, the "homes" don't want to be responsible for her. She was denied into two homes!
And you don't have to look up sociopath and psychopath -- they are the same thing, though often writers call the killers psychopaths and the non-killers sociopaths.
And every serial killer lives next door to somebody.
and I think you were talking about both of my ex-husbands and mother in laws!! Luckily I found mr. right (3rd time was a charm for me) so I'm over those family traumas & dramas. BUT it does make for great book and character info.
Thanks for another great article Pat. Looking forward to thursday evening discussion.
Hoipe I can find your work again on whimsical Gather.
I'm late to this party, but I just stumbled across this interesting article and I had to chime in. I second Angela's motion about THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR! A truly eye-opening book. I have been on a quest for the last couple of years in trying to understand this personality disorder, haven fallen victim to one. Angela is correct that Stout claims 4% of the population are sociopaths...in essence, if you know 25 people chances are one of them is one. In the book, Ms. Stout gives several examples and I defy anyone NOT to recognize the traits in one of their own acquaintences or family members. Another good book on the subject is Peck's PEOPLE OF THE LIE. I recommend both these books for everyone...forwarned is forarmed! And you're right that most of them are not killers, but they are still dangerous. There are worse things than death. Thanks Pat for talking about this very important subject!
You're not late to the party, Katrina -- I keep this article on my profile so that it's always party-time here. Well, if you can call informing people about sociopaths a party. The information I posted came from THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR. It spooked me to find out how different some people are. I learned more about human behavior from that book than any other; it helped explain why some people act the way they do. I'll be sure to check out PEOPLE OF THE LIE. Sounds interesting.