Neither a Psychopath Nor a Sociopath: I Show Mixed Traits

Reader’s Question

I am neither a psychopath nor a sociopath. I show mixed traits: the cunning of a psychopath and the destructiveness far worse than a sociopath. I don’t manipulate people, I eat away at their conscious leaving them comatose into me like a virus. I’ve been to ten specialists and none know my symptoms. I have an uncontrollable urge to turn people into sociopaths or psychopaths. Instead of sociopath and psychopath symptoms, I manipulate people and do it for all my own sociopathic and psychopathic urges. I know neurolingustics and sociolinguistics and I’m only 15. My traits showed up at 4. What am I?

Psychologist’s Reply

Psychopath and sociopath are terms we don’t use much in mental health work. At the age of 15, you are showing the signs of a Conduct Disorder. Teenagers with Conduct Disorder exhibit aggressiveness to humans and animals, criminal behavior, destruction of property, deceitfulness, theft, and frequent rule violations. As you describe, they are incredibly narcissistic — feeling they are smarter, more cunning, more socially skilled, and even more powerful than others in their environment. Oddly, this feeling persists despite the fact that the majority of these cunning and genius youth are eventually incarcerated.

Conduct Disorders typically become adults when we change the diagnosis to Antisocial Personality. These personalities continue to be narcissistic, deny personal responsibility for their behavior, blame others, feel they are the victims when they are eventually incarcerated, and feel entitled to bully, intimidate, and ruin the lives of others. While Antisocial Personalities take pride in their aggressiveness and what they feel is their genius and cunning — the sad truth is that they are the least competent members of the society at large. Antisocial personalities can’t live even at a low level in the society — they typically can’t hold a job, can’t keep a relationship, can’t stay out of trouble, and can’t own a house/checking account/car/etc. Because of their inability to follow the simple rules of society and allow others to live unmolested, Antisocial Personalities are typically incarcerated for years at a time. In prisons, the government provides the food, shelter, etc. that they are unable to provide on their own in the community. When released, the majority return to prison due to their inability to live on their own.

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From your description, your life is headed in a very bad direction. If I’ve described you accurately, then all your fantasies of wealth, manipulating others, being famous, etc. will not happen. If you move in a criminal direction, you’ll be manipulating other inmates for a bag of potato chips rather than making big money deals. You’ll consider yourself wealthy if you have postage stamps and a nice mattress. I’d recommend seriously considering therapy to try to change your direction. Otherwise, all your neurolinguistic skills will be needed to keep yourself from being stabbed in the prison cafeteria over a piece of stale apple pie.

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