Question by A Swiftly Tilting Planet: A Question about Sociopaths/Psychopaths?
Good evening,
My family I recently watched _Silence of the Lambs_, and soon after we had a discussion about the nature of sociopaths.
In the movie, Hannibal Lecter summarizes the life of Buffalo Bill: “Billy was not born a criminal, but made one by years of systematic abuse.”
Now, from I have been told, the term sociopath, or psychopath, is a modern construct and the correct psychological profile would be antisocial personality disorder. However, in the novels of Thomas Harris, the author of _Silence of the Lambs_, he seems to claim that the murderers that he writes about are schizoid. Then, in real life, there’s the MacDonald triad – signs that warn of an upcoming killer: frequently torturing -or killing- animals, wetting the bed, and fire-setting. So, then, which is it? What guides someone without conscience to kill? What makes serial killers tick?
Now, from the superficial waters of my own information, I ask the users of Yahoo Answers to lead me to the ocean – so to speak. What is the nature of individuals such as Ted Bundy, Edmund Kemper, Gary Heidnik, Ed Gein, and Jerry Brudos? (All real-life killers that Thomas Harris based Buffolo Bill off of.)
As naive as I sound, tell me. What is the make-up of a sociopath? Why do they kill? Are their sociopaths among us who do not kill? How would I know if, for example, I myself was not a cold, calculating sociopath waiting to go berserk?
Define sociopath. Contrast the differences between normalcy and the pathology of the insane. Do tell me, what are the motives for the crimes?
Best answer:
Answer by runefirenz
Well the first thing is that while all serial killers may be psychopaths/sociopaths, not all psychopaths/sociopaths are necessarily serial killers.
Why do they commit crime? Maybe some have a genetic predisposition. Others may have histories of abuse. Or both.
As for specific motives for crime, the reasons will be as varied as the individuals. One may kill to get rid of a witness, another for vengeance, another out of a sense of entitlement.
I think the possibility of having psychopaths/sociopaths out there that are not criminal is definitely probable. Certainly the personality traits these people have are valuable in certain careers, business CEO’s for example.
What do you think? Answer below!