There is no difference between a verbally abusive husband and a verbally abusive boyfriend. By the time the abuse starts, the unmarried victim committed themselves to the abuser in some way (pregnancy, introduced to the family, etc.), and the married victim is legally (and presumably spiritually) bound to the abuser.¹ It doesn't matter if the abuser is heterosexual or homosexual, the abuse affects couples the same – it both pushes them apart and draws them closer together as the abusive cycle takes hold. (See: Verbally Abusive Men and Women: Why Do They Abuse?

Perceptions of Verbally Abusive Husband

The verbally abusive husband might act out of male privilege in heterosexual relationships; he may not understand why his wife does not want to conform to conventional roles.² But Patricia Evans, author of five books on verbal abuse, implies there is much more to verbal abuse than chauvinism. She says at some point, the verbally abusive boyfriend or husband feels safe enough to put his perceived "feminine side" into his partner's body. Alas, since he has never been a woman, his perfect woman is a "dream woman" as Ms. Evans says.

It is important to differentiate between abused gay men and abused heterosexual women. Patriarchy and chauvinism do not fit in the explanation of abusive male homosexual relationships; gay men are not women in any context. There is a void in the research explaining abuse in homosexual relationships, but some researchers believe the ideas of male dominance and the desire for power over another person partially explains it.²

Dealing with Verbal Abuse From Husband, Boyfriend

Victims find themselves between a rock and a hard spot when it comes to dealing with their verbally abusive husband or boyfriend. On one side, the abuser tells the victim he loves her. On the other, the abuser treats her horribly and doesn't care that she's hurt.¹ She realizes she's up against his entire history of abusive learned behaviors (and possibly psychological disorders or substance abuse) but feels that maybe she can love him out of it if she's patient and kind enough.

If change is possible, the victim must put aside romantic notions of love and focus on her own behaviors. She must harden her heart to his insults and rage, and consistently enforce personal boundaries that prevent the abuser from diminishing her psychologically with his verbal abuse.

When he abuses, she must be prepared to say things like:

• "I'm not going to listen to nonsense."
• "Stop it."
• "Hold it. I do not understand you. Would you please write that down?"¹

If he does not cooperate, she will have to follow through with her personal boundaries and remove herself promptly from the conversation. A relationship in which one person must always be the adult is very difficult to manage. (Read also: 5 Ways of Dealing with Verbally Abusive Relationships and How to Stop Verbal Abuse)

In between abusive episodes, the victim must tend to their emotional and social needs. The victim must commit to finding effective ways to relax and mentally escape from the relationship despite the abuser's efforts to convince her to drop her friends and to stop being so "selfish."

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It's difficult to find verifiable examples of famous people with schizoid personality disorder as people with the condition rarely have the desire to become famous. Experts speculate that Adam Lanza, the young man who killed so many people at Sandyhook Elementary School, suffered from schizoid personality disorder. But, since he's now dead, making it impossible to conduct a full psychological evaluation on him, we'll never know for sure.

At least one prolific and well-known blogger, Robert Chaen, speculates that the following famous people have (or had) schizoid personality disorder or least exhibited symptoms of schizoid personality disorder:

Albert Einstein

Peter Green

Mary Todd Lincoln

Vaclav Nijinsky

Charles Darwin

Sigmund Freud

Stephen Hawking

Bill Gates

Isaac Asimov

Bobby Fisher

Karl Marx

Celebrities With Schizoid Personality Disorder

While you won't read about celebrities with schizoid personality disorder here, at least two well-received movies depict characters with traits of the condition:

The Remains of the Day – The 1993 movie starring Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton and multiple Oscar Award winning Anthony Hopkins as James Stevens portrays the life of a head butler in and English manor who shows many traits of schizoid personality disorder. Anthony Hopkins plays the schizoid head butler, James Stevens.

The English Patient – The 1996 drama portrays the life of a critically burned World War II pilot who shows a number of schizoid characteristics when it comes to his relationship with his nurse caretaker. Ralph Fiennes plays Count Laszio de Almasy (the English patient). Juliette Binoche plays Hana (the nurse caretaker).

Watching these movies or reading about the personalities of the famous people suspected of having schizoid personality disorder may deepen your insight into this condition. There is no cure for the condition and treatment of schizoid personality disorder is next to impossible.

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Psychologist Marsha Linehan developed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) especially for the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Linehan based this innovative approach to therapy on the idea that borderline personality disorder arises from a combination of biological and social factors. She theorizes that emotionally vulnerable individuals who grow up in an invalidating environment (a term coined by Linehan) most frequently develop the condition.

Linehan defines an emotionally vulnerable person as one who has excessive reactions to relatively low levels of stress and who takes much longer than the typical person to return to normal once the stress is reduced. The term, invalidating environment, refers to a situation where parents or other significant people invalidate a child’s experiences and feelings throughout childhood or adolescence. This situation results in the child’s inability to trust her own responses to events in everyday life. Eventually, this environment results in the development of a persistent, negative behavior pattern and inappropriate coping mechanisms known as borderline personality disorder.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

Dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder uses a variety of psychosocial therapies during treatment. DBT therapy differs from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in that it emphasizes personal validation. This means the therapist and client work together to accept uncomfortable thoughts. Once the client identifies and validates a particular thought, changing the thought and its behavioral consequences is seen as a real possibility. The client begins to see the goal of transformation as a reality.

The individual learns to accept disturbing or stressful thoughts without entering the downward spiral of self-criticism, which is one of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. She or he also learns to acknowledge, yet resist, self-harming urges.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Methodology

Standard dialectical behavior therapy has four parts:

• Individual (one-on-one) therapy
• Group skills lessons
• Remote coaching (i.e. by phone or video conference) to address crises between sessions
• Consultation between various health care providers for continuity of care

As with CBT, the DBT therapist may assign "homework" for clients to do between sessions. The homework may include practicing new interpersonal and stress management skills. Some clinicians ask clients to keep a daily journal to track their emotions, urges, behaviors (i.e. lying, self-injury, risky behaviors), and positive outcomes. This unique therapy approach seeks to enhance life skills like:

• Emotional regulation
• Mindfulness
• Effective interpersonal interactions
• Stress tolerance

During the DBT therapy sessions, the therapist trains the client in the concept of mindfulness and self-awareness, so she can address situations and negative thoughts as they occur. For example, a client might start to think things like, "I'm the worst," "I always screw everything up," or similar all-or-nothing, unfounded thoughts. DBT therapy can teach the person to validate the thought, but to then work through a mental process that pulls her back into the moment.

Here's a good way to think about it: Imagine you're tidying up the family room in your home. While you're doing this, your mind takes a detour from the actual task. You begin to have thoughts like, "If the kids would just pick up after themselves, this would be so much easier," or "Why is my spouse such a slob? He's always so lazy," or similar thoughts that have nothing to do with the actual task.

The concept of mindfulness would have you validate the thoughts, but then get right back to focusing on the chore of picking up socks, shoes, vacuuming and noticing how nice everything looks. Validating the thoughts doesn't mean they're right or wrong. It simply allows you your feelings and responses, but mindfulness pulls you away from the negativity surrounding them and into the present.

The American Psychiatric Association endorses dialectical behavioral therapy as effective for treating borderline personality disorder. People who stick with treatment may see a number of improvements, including:

• Less hostility and anger
• More peaceful inner experience
• Improved social function
• Shorter hospitalizations
• Less frequent bouts of suicidal thoughts and behavior
• Higher level of commitment to treatment

Many people with BPD abuse drugs or alcohol. While DBT reduces the abuse of substances among this group, it hasn't proven effective in treating actual addictions.

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Almost every abused man struggles with admitting he has a verbally abusive wife, so they do not seek support as readily as women do. There is hardly any support available specifically for men, gay or straight, if they want to leave an abusive relationship. The simple explanation is that most research on domestic abuse historically focuses on verbally abused women.³ There is not much out there that explains the underlying conflicts in a marriage where verbally abusive women commit harm, so helping agencies do not know how to reach out to abused men effectively.

But wait, there is more bad news. Patricia Evans, verbal abuse expert and author on several books explaining verbal abuse, has this disappointing news:

"...although I've seen men change, I have never seen a woman transform from seriously verbally abusing her mate to treating him with empathy. The therapists I've talked with about this issue have not seen verbally abusive women change either...please know that the odds are against your partner changing."¹

This applies to women in lesbian relationships also.

Why is it so unusual for a verbally abusive wife to change? For a woman to lack empathy and completely disconnect from everything that our culture says constitutes femininity (i.e. intuition, receptiveness) she must be very severely psychologically damaged, practically beyond repair.¹

A Verbally Abusive Wife is Different

What's different between verbally abusive wives and husbands who abuse? One big difference is that women are not born with male privilege (they cannot base their power over their victim on societal views promoting patriarchy), so they must find another way to control and create fear through verbal abuse. In about 50% of cases, verbally abusive wives find that power in threats to "manipulate the system"² - accuse their husband of abuse and have him arrested.

Typically, abusive women go about verbally and emotionally abusing men just as men go about abusing women. They use coercion and threats, emotional abuse, intimidation, blaming, minimizing, denying, isolation, economic abuse, and the children, plus more.²

Dealing with Verbal Abuse From Wife

So what is a man to do about his verbally abusive wife? The techniques used to help a verbally abusive man change probably won't work.¹ Divorce is a scary option when children are involved because, despite stories to the contrary, mothers retain custody a majority of the time and family courts are not good at discerning abusive parents from non-abusive ones.⁴

• Setting personal boundaries and following through with them will protect the victim from exposure to verbal abuse and help them gain clarity about their relationship.
• Spending time with friends and attending a support group will help build strength and determination.
• Calling an abuse hotline will give victims an understanding ear and helpful resources.
• Attending counseling with a therapist familiar with the dynamics of abuse is very helpful.
• Research into trauma theory could be especially helpful in determining creative ways victims can deal with verbally abusive wives.

In the end, the verbally abused man asks the same question as any other victim of abuse: Is this relationship worth the effort and energy it requires? (See also: How to Stop Verbal Abuse and How to Deal with a Verbally Abusive Husband or Boyfriend)

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Here's some great advice on conflict resolution. Learn how to resolve conflict with your spouse or relationship partner.

Conflict Resolution

Even with the best intentions, you and others may have different opinions and ideas on matters. This may lead to a conflict situation where both of you feel angry, upset, misunderstood or helpless. The following suggestions may help you resolve differences so that you may continue with the relationship in an effective way.

A. Choose a time and place

Both parties need to be able to focus their full attention on the problem without being rushed or distracted. Neither party should need to feel that they are at a disadvantage because they are "in the other person's territory." By making an "appointment" for a future date, both parties would have time to prepare.

B. Agree on ground rules and the process to be followed

Suggested Groundrules:

• Use "I " statements, in other words start sentences with an "I...."
• Own the real issue - what this means for you rather than just blaming or reacting
• Be respectful = no abuse, ridicule, sarcasm, put downs or personal comments.
• Stick to the agreed conflict resolution process

Conflict Resolution Process:

• We agree on ground rules
• I talk - you listen
• You tell me what you heard
• We agree about what I said
• You talk - I listen
• I tell you what I heard
• We agree about what you said
• We've identified the problem
• We both suggest solutions
• We agree on a solution

C. Before the meeting:

Prepare your points of discussion

• Ask the opinions of others
• Present your opinions to them for clarification - don't just look for justification of your opinions.
• Rehearse what you want to say; try it out on a friend.

D. During the process use constructive problem-solving methods

• Do not blame but by identifying the problem as a joint issue rather than belonging to only one party - or worse - that party being the problem; this will help to keep the focus on solving the problem.
• It may be helpful to write the problem down - seeing it in black and white helps.
• Try and keep feelings and opinions separate from "fact."
• Make sure both parties are satisfied with the problem definition before moving on (otherwise you may exacerbate confusion).

Acknowledge your feelings

• It will keep the focus on the issue and minimise confusion if you are clear and honest about your feelings. Hopefully this will help the other person to be clear about their feelings too.

Acknowledge the other person's feelings

• You may not feel the same way or understand them, but they have a right to their feelings too.

Clearly present your points of discussion

Listen to the other person's point of view

• Don't interrupt. Let them finish (this will help them to listen to you)
• Check to make sure you've understood what they are saying. Sometimes conflict turns out to be a lack of clear communication rather than different opinions!

Clarify differences

• Identify clearly where the differences are and whether there is disagreement about facts or opinions.
• You may need to repeat your perspective and give the other person an opportunity to do the same before clarity is reached. Try not to get side-tracked into other issues. It is often helpful to refer back to the problem set by both parties. Decide on what outcomes you and the other party want.
• State clearly what you would like to happen from here.
• Listen to what the other person would like.
• Try and find a solution that would work for both of you.
• Sometimes by being prepared to accommodate the other person by adapting or compromising, it gives them the freedom to do something reciprocal.
• Remember there may be solutions which work as well, or better, than your original idea.

What to do when no solution can be found

• You can agree to disagree
• You can refer the problem to a third party mutually agreed upon (eg therapist, a facilitator)

Evaluating the situation

• What was the agreed outcome?
• What worked and what would you do differently next time?

Treatment for schizoid personality disorder is challenging because people with the disorder rarely seek or want treatment. Because of this, not much is known about which schizoid personality disorder treatments are effective. Talk therapy isn't likely to work because individuals with schizoid personality disorder may not be able to develop a working relationship with the therapist. Typically, any therapy approach accepted by a schizoid individual will be short-term for helping him or her resolve an immediate crisis (probably stemming from schizoid personality disorder symptoms). The schizoid patient often ends the therapy shortly after crisis resolution.

Schizoid Personality Disorder Treatment – Possible Approaches

One approach to schizoid personality disorder treatment involves reducing demands for emotional closeness on the individual. People with this condition function better in relationships where intimacy or emotional closeness is not a priority. They have greater success in coping with interpersonal interactions that focus on work or more intellectual pursuits.

In the event that the individual accepts treatment for schizoid personality disorder and is committed to the requirements, more traditional approaches may be effective. These approaches include psychotherapy, medications, and self-help. Whichever therapy approach is used, the goal is typically brief, solution-based, and not relationship-centric.

Schizoid Personality Disorder Therapy

Schizoid personality disorder therapy may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of psychotherapy that may help people with the condition cope with and adjust their distorted thought patterns. The CBT approach is usually short-term with a goal of helping the individual develop authentic friendships and interpersonal bonds. If the individual stays in therapy long enough for a client-therapist relationship to develop, the client may begin to reveal more about his inner experiences and distorted thought patterns that cause issues.

Although it shouldn't be used initially, group therapy represents another potentially effective approach to schizoid personality disorder treatment. Once the therapist has established a basic one-on-one working relationship with the client, the therapist can introduce group therapy. The schizoid may balk at first, but with the trusted therapist leading the group, he or she may gradually begin to participate and feel safe enough to socially interact in a safe and supportive setting.

There are no schizoid personality disorder medications available, specifically labeled for treatment of the condition. However, schizoids frequently suffer from depression, in which case the doctor may prescribe an antidepressant medication.

Schizoid Personality Disorder Prognosis

The condition is life-long as there is no cure, making schizoid personality disorder prognosis bleak. Since most sufferers do not seek or want help, due to their preference for social isolation, the disorder does not typically improve as they age.

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"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."
-Mahatma Gandhi

I had moved from California to Texas with my boyfriend in 1995. While we were living there, he decided he didn't like the commitment and we broke up. I had been working at a radio station and had a crush on Scott who also worked there. He and I had gone out as friends while I was with my boyfriend and I would tell him how things weren't going well. My boyfriend and I broke up at the end of June and I went out with Scott and his friends for 4th of July, 1995 (Scott had just quit the station). We got drunk as a group and partied all night.

He would kiss me and then say he felt funny about it since I was like a little sister to him. At the end of the night, we piled in his car and he began caressing me. We all returned to his house where he began to have an argument with another girl over money. I didn't want to deal with it, so I went into his bedroom. He came in and we began kissing. I liked him. I was thrilled we were together! He left the room for a bit and came back a different person.

He had been looking for a drug called ecstasy all night, but as far as I knew, he never found it. That's what he and the girl were fighting about. When he returned, in his underwear, he laid on top of me and we started fooling around. I wanted to have sex with him. But, after my clothes came off, he started acting strange. He would laugh in a sinister tone - that sounds almost silly, but it is true.

He rolled me on my stomach and anally raped me while I yelled and screamed. He slapped my backside and left huge red handprints. He rolled me back over. He began having sex with me and I stopped screaming. WHY? I don't know. I just laid there. He wanted me to yell his name and how great he was so his roommates would hear. I didn't. I tried to get up and he squeezed my arm (which left a nasty bruise) and then began pinching my nipples (when I got home, I found that my nipples had bled). We continued this way for I don't know how long...him yelling and laughing, me screaming and freezing.

When he was finally done, I just laid there. I either fell asleep or passed out. I woke to him touching my groin and telling me I was the best sex ever. I then got up and started dressing. He then called me a whore and slut and every other name he could think of. I went home. Showered. And did nothing. He called the next day as if nothing had happened and I just hung up.

Everyone would ask, "How was your 4th of July?" What do you say? I finally told a few friends that I was assaulted - not raped. One dragged me kicking and screaming to the police, where I cried and said I was to blame. I liked him. I wanted to be with him. I am to blame. Since there was no evidence and I blamed myself, the police had to let it go.

I went through so many emotions and phases - including a very nasty phase where I wanted revenge in the worst way. I left Texas shortly after that and returned to California. I had been sexual with others after the rape, but no one that I cared about. When I came back to California, I met David. He was the most caring person ever. After a bit of a whirlwind courtship, we got married in June of 1996.

Sex was never a problem until we were married and finding new depths in our love. I began to withdraw and not want him to touch me. I was having severe bouts of depression and didn't know why. When July 4th rolled around in 1998, I tracked Scott down and called him. He was happy to hear from me! I told him he was a rapist and that I hoped he rotted in hell. Then hung up. That gave me such a rush! But the depression got worse.

I finally went to a therapist in Sept. of 1998 and the healing began. Julie was wonderful! She specialized in rape counseling and let me know I wasn't alone. Although I didn't want to have the discussion we had, I knew I had to. She made me realize that, yes, I had been raped. Even if I wanted to have sex with Scott, I certainly didn't want anal sex. His slapping and twisting of my nipples was certainly not welcome.

I was the most hung up on not fighting him off. I had taken self defense! But, she pointed out that Scott is over 200 pounds and works out and while slapping and hurting me (125 pounds)...if I kept fighting, I may not have lived. That sobered me up. All the things I felt I was alone in, she could tell me many stories to match it. She made me face the demon to gain control.

I wrote a letter detailing what happened and mailed it to Scott. Now he can have a constant reminder of what he did. I feel much better and things with my husband have improved. Of course, there are some movies or news stories that I can' t watch. David and my mom are the two closest people to me, but I can't tell them the details. I want to protect them...But, I want to help other women.

No one should blame themselves for their rape. It is not their fault! Yes, I may have liked Scott, but once things turned strange and I said NO, then it became rape. My one wish to achieve closure would be to confront Scott face-to-face. I know most survivors don't get the chance to send a letter like I did, but I still want more.

-Traci

"Nobody is stronger, nobody is weaker than someone who came back."
-Elie Wiesel

My name is Melanie and I'm starting to deal with the fact that it happened to me too. I had just moved from Puerto Rico to Miami to start my freshman year at college. I was 17 and it was two weeks into the semester when some friends invited me to a dorm party. I went and soon my friends disappeared. I started drinking as soon as I got there and I met this guy that was a junior there. We talked throughout the night and he kept bringing me drinks.

After awhile, I invited him to my dorm room which was a couple of doors away. All I wanted to do was kiss him. I thought he was really cute. He told me we should go to his place. I still have no idea why I went. When we got there we started kissing and he started taking off my clothes and I let him. It wasn't until he was inside me that I told him "no". I told him to stop over-and-over, but he wouldn't. I tried to push him away but he grabbed my hands and pushed them against the bed. The next day I had bruises.

When he stopped, I told him to take me home. I didn't know where I was and I was very scared. He told me he'd take me home the next day. After he took me home, I was going to get out of the car and he told me so that's how it's going to be, and he asked for my number. I still have no idea why I gave it to him. He called me and I always felt uncomfortable talking to him. He asked me out a couple of times, but I was so scared and I'd always make up excuses. After awhile he stopped calling me and when he saw me on campus he would ignore me.

I was a virgin and I am now 20 years old and you are the second person I've told. I told my best friend of many years a couple of days ago. It took me awhile to face the situation. I shouldn't have left with him and I shouldn't have drunk so much, but I can't change what happened. I haven't had sex with anyone else and I'm afraid to. I might go to the school counselor soon. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. I'm glad I could share this with you. Thanx for letting me tell you my story.

-Melanie

Obvious verbal abuse at work includes threatening, yelling, cursing, insulting and mocking a victim or victims either in front of people or in private. Verbal abuse in the workplace may be elusive and what bothers one person may not bother another (i.e. spreading rumors or making insinuations, telling objectionable jokes, and teasing).

Unlike sexual harassment and racial discrimination, verbal abuse at work is not illegal, so it rarely makes its way into company policy manuals. This leaves everyone affected by verbal abuse at work to solve the problem on their own, as if it were a personality conflict.

Personality conflicts come from individual traits that have no bearing on professionalism.¹ For example, a co-worker's laugh or communication style that is not abusive but nevertheless irritating. Personality conflicts cause friction, but they do not cause emotional pain.

Effects of Verbal Abuse at Work

Verbal abuse causes people to feel insulted, diminished, anxious, or afraid. Dr. Gary Namie, PhD is a workplace bullying expert. He gives several clues that you're experiencing bullying and verbal abuse in the workplace. Dr. Namie's examples of the effects of workplace bullying include:²

• Obsessing about work on days off
• Physical changes like high blood pressure that began after the verbal abuse started
• Feeling shame for being pushed around
• Loss of desire to pursue once enjoyable activities
• Feel guilty for causing the bad vibes at work (Hint: if the victim were the bully, s/he wouldn't feel guilty.)

Likely Targets of Verbal Abuse At Work

Similarly to domestic violence perpetrators, verbal abuse at work starts after it is triggered. Workplace abusers tend to focus on people who the bully feels are weakened in some way.² In their book, The Bully-Free Workplace, Dr. Namie and his wife Ruth write,

"... bullies choose to attack the first day heart attack victims return to work, the day that maternity leave ends, the first day back after chemotherapy begins..."

What To Do About Verbal Abuse In The Workplace

First, name the problem. The problem is not the abuser; it is the abuser's effect on you. Call it bullying, emotional abuse, psychological torture, verbal abuse in the workplace...give it a name so you stop pretending it doesn't hurt you or your work performance.

The next time the abuser distracts you, stop the person and tell them that what they're doing and saying is troubling. Tell them that if they continue that behavior, you'll be forced to address the problem with a supervisor.

The bully will probably have something to say about it. (See Verbally Abusive Men and Women: Why Do They Abuse?) Right then, pull out the employee handbook and search for a policy against harassment or concerning respect and professionalism. This is partially to distract you from whatever the abuser says and partially to aid preparations for when the conversation with the supervisor takes place.²

Next, start looking for a different job because odds are your supervisor won't be able to help you get rid of the abuser.² Your health and sanity is worth more than your company pays you, and verbal abuse in the workplace can destroy both.

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Sociopaths are often called psychopaths and vice versa but there are differences between a psychopath and a sociopath. Psychopaths, for example, are far more likely to get in trouble with the law while sociopaths are much more likely to blend in with society. And while sociopaths and psychopaths do share some traits, sociopathy (antisocial personality disorder) is generally considered less severe than psychopathy.

What is a Sociopath?

A sociopath is actually a person with antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the book which contains the diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses) as a cluster B personality disorder (those that are dramatic or emotional).

While sociopathy can only be diagnosed at the age of 18 or above, the following must be present before the age of 15 for the diagnosis:

• Repeated violations of the law
• Pervasive lying and deception
• Physical aggressiveness
• Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others
• Consistent irresponsibility in work and family environments
• Lack of remorse

Psychopath vs. Sociopath

Psychopathy can be thought of as a more severe form of sociopathy with more symptoms. Therefore, all psychopaths are sociopaths but sociopaths are not necessarily psychopaths.

According to the Society for the Study of Psychopathy, psychopath traits include:

• Lack of guilt/remorse
• Lack of empathy
• Lack of deep emotional attachments
• Narcissism
• Superficial charm
• Dishonesty
• Manipulativeness
• Reckless risk-taking

Moreover, approximately 93% of psychopaths are in the criminal justice system.

Additional psychopath traits have been identified and more on these can be found in the article, Does a Psychopath Test Exist? Diagnosing the Psychopath.

The Difference Between a Psychopath and Sociopath

While the traits of each may seem similar, it is thought that sociopaths have a less severe form of lack of empathy and lack of guilt. It is thought that sociopaths may be able to form some deep bonds (such as, possibly, with family) while a psychopath cannot (Can Psychopaths Love, Cry and Experience Joy?). Moreover, while a sociopath would feel no guilt about hurting a stranger, they may feel guilt and remorse over hurting someone with which they share a bond. Additionally, it appears that some of the very antisocial behavior in sociopaths lessens over time while this cannot be said of psychopaths (How To Recognize and Identify Psychopathic Behavior). Psychopaths appear to have no concern whatsoever of the consequences, while a sociopath may learn to avoid consequences over time by reducing antisocial behavior.

Finally, the presentation of one with psychopathy or sociopathy differs. According to Kelly McAleer, Psy.D,

"The psychopath is callous, yet charming. He or she will con and manipulate others with charisma and intimidation and can effectively mimic feelings to present as "normal" to society. The psychopath is organized in their criminal thinking and behavior, and can maintain good emotional and physical control, displaying little to no emotional or autonomic arousal, even under situations that most would find threatening or horrifying. The psychopath is keenly aware that what he or she is doing is wrong, but does not care.

"Conversely, the sociopath is less organized in his or her demeanor; he or she might be nervous, easily agitated, and quick to display anger. A sociopath is more likely to spontaneously act out in inappropriate ways without thinking through the consequences. Compared to the psychopath, the sociopath will not be able to move through society committing callous crimes as easily, as they can form attachments and often have 'normal temperaments.' . . ."

Both psychopaths and sociopaths are capable of committing horrific crimes, but a sociopath is less likely to commit them against those with whom there is a bond.

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