Sociopath - definition, causes & therapy practices
Sociopath is a term given to a person who displays antisocial attitude. A sociopath has absolute disregard for other people’s rights, which is their leading quality. A sociopath doesn’t fall within the definition of a person who has reasonable behavior patterns by the society. The symptoms mostly manifest themselves in an individual after the age of 15 and, if left untreated, these kinds of traits can keep on growing into adulthood.
Sociopaths are physically aggressive and unable to hold on to any standing in life. These are apparent symptoms. It’s extremely hard for sociopaths to hold relationships. They do not have any regrets for their actions. Even though they have these symptoms, they don’t always have to be obvious. Through research it’s been acknowledged that a sociopath is most often an individual with a lot of wit and charm. They may act tactful and friendly but these qualities are artificial and used by sociopaths to mislead others around them. Nearly all sociopaths do drugs and alcohol on regular basis. These are often used by them extensively and can magnify their personality of being antisocial. A sociopath also may want to beat his/her feelings of being low in self confidence through the use of drugs and alcohol.
The causes are often either environmental or acquired through genes. If parents are antisocial their children may too have the traits of being so. A sociopath’s behavioral pattern can also be shaped by the persons they think of as role models; this could be their peers or friends. Men are more likely to be antisocial than women. While 3% of men are affected by this condition, women with antisocial personality add up to just 1%.
Diagnosing Antisocial Personality Disorder is comparatively easy compared to other personality disorders. It is very unlikely that a sociopath would willingly go through the treatment. In most of the cases medical attention is sought only when directed by a court of law. There can be resistance by the sociopath for both diagnosis and treatment in many cases. To diagnose APD there ought to be proof that the individual was diagnosed having conduct disorder from childhood. The individual must also be having the minimum of 3 of the diagnostic criteria set for Antisocial Personality Disorder.
Treatment procedure for sociopaths differs from case to case. The specific diagnosis of the subject, medical history, age, circumstances, physical health, and various diverse factors should be considered by the doctor. In case the subject has other conditions such as depression, alcohol dependence, or schizophrenia etc., suitable treatment for such conditions will help the individual overcome his sociopathic traits.
The three primary instruments of treating sociopaths are via different therapy types, physical treatment and meds. There are 3 kinds of therapies that can be used to treat the patients, which are behavioral therapy, psychotherapy and cognitive therapy. Behavioral therapy is based on the belief that the patient has learned not suitable behavior from his or her close environment during childhood. Based on the antisocial responses learnt in the past the person having Antisocial Disorder reacts to the stimulus in the environment he or she is now in. Next after revealing the triggers caused by environment that originate the antisocial responses, new behaviors are taught for coping with the environment. By this method, it is assumed that positive behaviors will displace the undesirable behaviors. Cognitive therapy, on the other hand, is based on the thesis that our thoughts manage our behavior. So the behavior can be modified if the disoriented feelings and thoughts are replaced. Therapeutic modeling is also applied sometimes, where the patient observes how a normal person is able to cope with difficult situations well. Psychotherapy uses a more tolerant approach by analyzing the past incidents in the patient’s life and makes him become conscious of the underlying causes of his behavior.
Sociopath explained in detail.Read more about narcissistic sociopath
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