This was needed elsewhere, so a quick important distinction:
From Greek:
• psychosis: mind-condition
• in psychosis: temporarily disconnected from reality
• psychopathy: mind-suffering or - disease
• a psychopath: a person with a persistent antisocial personality disorder
they’re unrelated
Also, psychopath / sociopath are both effectively the same thing, antisocial personality disorder, right?
Or was that a misconception that I was told and wound up parroting?
It seems psychopaths are born and sociopaths are made. A sociopath has traits of impulsivity, risk-taking, and violence. A psychopath shows a lack of regard for the rights and feelings of others, controlled and manipulative behavior, absence of shame, and inability to form emotional relationships.
I've never heard of a sociopath being "made"...
Though it is also important to keep in mind that personality disorders do not always translate into bad people. There are perfectly nice, nonviolent people out there who would be diagnosed as psychopaths.
oh absolutely, in some disciplines and in some environments these personality disorders can in fact be very useful - and also appear in various degrees, they are not absolutes