Compare and Contrast Essay: Psychopath and Sociopaths

There is not a very big difference between psychopaths and sociopaths. Psychopaths and sociopaths have some intense mental problems. With a lot of people, there is confusion on the difference. Knowing the difference could be useful in case anyone ever comes face to face with one. I think Sociopaths are worse than psychopaths. Some reasons for this are that they have a conscience, they are unable to live even more of a normal life than psychopaths, and they are often caused by the same things but in different ways.

One reason they are worse is that they have a conscious mind. Sociopaths have a weak conscience, while psychopaths have little to no conscience. This means that they can feel what they are doing without any empathy. This also means that it is hard for them to form connections with people, and humans need others because we are not solo creatures. With all this said, sociopaths can form connections with people and love them in their ways while psychopaths can’t. According to verywellmind.com, “sociopaths recognize all the wrong that they are doing but just don’t care. Awareness about sociopaths is good to know if people ever encounter one.

Another reason is that they are unable to live a normal life. Sociopaths tend to not be able to live a normal life because they are usually more erratic and rage prone. “Sociopaths are usually very hot-headed and will break out into rage at random times,” (verywellmind.com). This quote proves my point. Both of these are names for anit-social personality disorder, meaning that they can’t be with others because they will want to hurt them. Sociopaths tend to do more physical damage to people and a lot of the time end up killing people, while psychopaths tend to be more manipulative towards others, meaning if psychopaths are ever in public they are less likely to attack people.

Lastly, these two mental illnesses can be caused by the same thing. Both of these are often caused by drug and alcohol abuse. As stated before these are both names for antisocial personality disorder, which also goes to show that it means it is hard for them to be normal. Psychopaths have it easier to do this but they only do it for their gain. While sociopaths can’t fit in at all because they are very rage prone. Verywellmind.com states, “ up to three percent of the population in the world has anti-social personality disorder.” This means two-hundred ten million people in the world are either psychopaths or sociopaths so to recognize them means people are safer. 

A counterargument for this is that psychopaths can hide easier than sociopaths can because they are seen as more charming and can minimize the chances of being caught. However, sociopaths are almost completely unable to care for others so it can make their sense of empathy worse.

In conclusion, sociopaths are worse than psychopaths. Some reasons for this are that they have a conscience, they are unable to live even more of a normal life than psychopaths, and they are often caused by the same things but in different ways. It is important to be able to recognize when a person is a psychopath or a sociopath to tell whether people are in danger.