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Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.


Posts: 172

I find this entire site to be quite ironic. Considering the state of modern psychology along with the probability of being aware that you're a sociopath... It's hard enough  to analyze another person's psyche(not that its isn't possible), its even more difficult to have an undoubtedly biased mind watching and making judgments on itself.

Anyways, does anyone have an opinion on how likely it is for Sociopathy to be passed down from parent to child; or the chances that someone who has an extreme personality disorder will give birth to and unintentionally develop their child into a sociopath through a combination of the genes that were passed along and the environment they were raised in?

 

Posts: 5426
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

I think there are big chances of disordered people being found in the same family. The kids "benefit" from both the hereditary and the environmental components to develop the disorders of the parents. In addition to having a genetic predisposition, kids mimic what they see around, don't they?

Posts: 172
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

The place itself, this was my first post upon logging into the site for my second time haha. I hadn't even talked to anyone in chat before I made this. I felt a need to make that statement before asking the question in the next paragraph.

 

I mean that the ability of a single mind to watch itself and come to an unbiased conclusion is impossible. You may be able to make assumptions but every conclusion you come to is going to be influenced by the very mind you're trying to observe. I added on the "sociopath" because its the subject at hand, not because I think sociopaths lack the ability to be introspective. If my assumptions are correct I very well may be an introverted sociopath. I'd like to believe I only have some tendencies though.

 

When analyzing another person psyche you're taking stabs in the dark at best. You're comparing the information with the assumptions your mind(and others) have already made when encountering other minds and your own. So it is possible but EVERYTHING you base your conclusions off of is based on the experiences your brain and others have had. Needless to say, the human brain isn't perfect. It's like hipsters slapping filters on every photo they take, they can't do without the filter.

 

I agree with this point but even still the human bias has significant sway in psychology. It's like an eye trying to watch itself. Without a perfect mirror it will either have a distorted view of itself or simply not be able to see itself at all.

 

I'm not sure. I was trying to read into this but most of the articles I came across said that sociopathic behaviour has never been confirmed definitively as a genetic trait and psychopathy seems like it could be propagated through bad genes; much like many other personality disorders. So would that mean that one needs to be psychopathic to be a sociopath or that the same genes that play a part in developing a psychopath play a part in developing a sociopath? That because of that the genes are attributed to being a psychopath instead of both. Is it simply a matter of intelligence; Being able to be aware what moral boundaries are and how to fit into a system to extend your own existence?

I realize no one is probably qualified to answer these question but they plague me nonetheless.

 

I've probably made a few incorrect assumptions myself. Due to analyzing the information I've gathered through the filter that are my experiences.

Posts: 1386
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

To be a sociopath all you must do is believe your are one. 

Posts: 10218
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

Romule: "I find this entire site to be quite ironic."
The site as in it's users or the place itself? If you mean the latter, did it really take you this long to notice?

Romule: "Considering the state of modern psychology along with the probability of being aware that you're a sociopath..."
I get the first half, but the "probability of being aware" portion, what do you mean? Do you think a Sociopath would lack even a semblance of introspection or even retention of other people's responses, along with a reduced capability of learning about psychology?

Romule: "It's hard enough  to analyze another person's psyche(not that its isn't possible)"
Is it?

Romule: "its even more difficult to have an undoubtedly biased mind watching and making judgments on itself."
This is where it's helpful to have more than just one opinion, and measure why each opinion was made as a bouncing point.

Romule: "Anyways, does anyone have an opinion on how likely it is for Sociopathy to be passed down from parent to child;
Isn't the general consensus that the only real split between psychopathy and sociopathy is if it roots from nature or nurture?

Posts: 3246
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

"I added on the "sociopath" because its the subject at hand, not because I think sociopaths lack the ability to be introspective. If my assumptions are correct I very well may be an introverted sociopath. I'd like to believe I only have some tendencies though."

"Sociopath" is a label. Don't simplify who you are by slapping some label onto yourself which helps explain "who you are." It's a roadblock to understanding your mind.

"When analyzing another person psyche you're taking stabs in the dark at best. You're comparing the information with the assumptions your mind(and others) have already made when encountering other minds and your own. So it is possible but EVERYTHING you base your conclusions off of is based on the experiences your brain and others have had."

Within the last two days I predicted how some persons would react to certain situations, and told another person to watch them do exactly as I said they would. I was very specific in my description of what these people would do. Four out of four times, I was correct to a T. I'm not trying to say I'm an expert at reading people—I'm not. But I have learned it is useful to question your own thoughts and behaviors, as well as how others conduct themselves—I mean thinking about why they do the things they do—from every slight body movement, to the things they choose to say. If you follow that practice often (and have a decent ability to reason), analyzing another person is not really a "stab in the dark" at all, unless you simply know very little about the person.

"So it is possible but EVERYTHING you base your conclusions off of is based on the experiences your brain and others have had."

You are correct. But the mind is not such a chaotic thing. Complex perhaps, but also very orderly. Hence why we have the terms "predictable" and "unpredictable" to describe people. Mind you that the characteristic of "unpredictability" can also be broken down and analyzed...but that is a whole other discussion of its own.

"I agree with this point but even still the human bias has significant sway in psychology. It's like an eye trying to watch itself. Without a perfect mirror it will either have a distorted view of itself or simply not be able to see itself at all."

Again, you are correct. But one should not write off the capacity humans have for better understanding themselves. Some are better than others at it, sure, and no one will ever "perfectly" understand themselves (whatever that would mean), but there is plenty you can learn if have a rational mind and make the attempt.

"So would that mean that one needs to be psychopathic to be a sociopath or that the same genes that play a part in developing a psychopath play a part in developing a sociopath?"

In research, a "sociopath" is someone with an "antisocial personality disorder." A psychopath is a person who through a set of genetic factors has a rather different pattern of brain development and experience of human life, which is why some people like to say that psychopaths are "a different species." That seems a bit extreme to me, but nonetheless, it illustrates how different these people feel compared to ordinary persons.

What I have just said should explain that one does not need to be a "psychopath" in order to be a "sociopath."

To answer your last question, some genes like (like the monoamine oxidase inhibitor genes) probably play some role in both conditions, as they are related to mood and aggression. I think there are probably some genes associated with psychopathy that aren't associated with sociopathy, but I haven't read any research about that.

"That because of that the genes are attributed to being a psychopath instead of both. Is it simply a matter of intelligence; Being able to be aware what moral boundaries are and how to fit into a system to extend your own existence?"

I think it's more a matter of temperament than IQ. Both Cleckley and Hare have case studies in their books of psychopaths with exceptional intelligence. You can be very bright, and simultaneously not capable of giving a fuck.

 

Posts: 172
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

Thanks for the reply tryp, its given me alot to think about ^^

Posts: 3246
Sociopathy being a hereditary trait.

No problem; I'm glad to see I wasn't wasting my time typing all that out.

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