I may or may not be a psychopath.

Dizzy · 08-11-2011, 12:36 AM

Psychopathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm something of a hypochondriac, so I can't be sure. But I do know that nearly every single thing I do is to raise my comfort level. Any outwardly appearances of being social and compassionate is merely just to get other people on my side, so they can do things for me like have a conversation, or maybe a favor. Being socially accepted is comfortable, hence the reason I strive for it. The ties to sexual deviancy are also present, as the list of things I find arousing are numerous and unusual. I also just do a lot of things for attention (i.e. this thread).

Well, anyway, I'd like to get your opinions on this. Again, can't be sure I really have it or if I've just led myself to believe I have it.

heh · 08-11-2011, 12:45 AM

your not a psychopath until you've been diagnosed one. trust me. theres a reason people make fun of people who suffer from self-diagnosed asperger syndrome. people in general are pretty crazy about thinking there is something wrong with them, either because they want something to blame their problems on or because they worry too much.

basically your fine.

Redshirt · 08-11-2011, 12:51 AM

So when you said "Corn bread is always good" you didn't actually mean it?

Seriously though I think at least the socially acceptable thing is normal. I know there are things I do/don't simply because of if they're socially acceptability.

Who doesn't want to be comfy?

***Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds*** · 08-11-2011, 12:57 AM

Those are all pretty much normal reasons to do anything. It's just the the majority of people lie to themselves about why they do anything. If we're just being honest, you're doing everything in life because it makes it easier for you, or makes you feel good. Even doing nice things for other people makes YOU feel good (alternatively, you feel guilty if you don't, so you're just fulfilling a sense of obligation so you don't feel poorly about your actions). That's not exactly psychopathic. Don't stress about it.

CuccoLady · 08-11-2011, 01:08 AM

I know that in the recent past, I had a constant desire to find something wrong with ME. So I began looking at things that might POSSIBLY apply to me and decided I had one [or even several] of them.

In the end, I don't have any of them. Nothing about me [including the fact that some characteristics I possess do fit with the THINGS THAT ARE WRONG I was looking at] has changed, however... just the fact that I stopped trying to find some label that told me exactly who I was.

I don't mean to sound presumptuous, so if you're reading this going "wtf u talkin about lady that has nothing to do with my situation" I apologize. It's just that, if you ARE like recent past me, this information might sound useful. Because if you ARE thinking along the lines that I used to, it's good to know that these illnesses/labels/what have you are just words, used to encompass a general idea of stuff that might apply to you and might not.

The only thing you need to know is that you act in a certain way, and that's just who you are-- some words might fit it, some words might not, but that doesn't matter as much as the fact that you recognize and accept them.

tl;dr: you're probably just searching for a label of things you've recognized in your behavior when you really don't need to. Just accept them, because most of them are, like SD said, very normal. :{D

Vgfian · 08-11-2011, 01:29 AM

I know plenty of crazy people; you're not that bad so far as I can tell.

***Cosmonautical*** · 08-11-2011, 02:01 AM

1. What you're describing is in line with Sociopathy. Psychopaths are even more along the lines of not seeing things through to the end, as are Sociopaths, only even moreso to the point where what their impulses demand, short term, are what they want and they don't see past that to the point of inflicting violence on others for the most immediate satisfaction.

2. Really, you just read a wikipedia entry. It's going to miss important qualities about the "illness" you're looking at, and it's not going to actually provide you a decent basis for comparison.

3. Pretty much every child is a fringe sociopath, by adult standards. You'll get older and feel differently about these things later on. Just do what you feel is fair and accomplishes a more universal good and don't worry about the "why" you're doing it - that part's all abstract and it doesn't affect what kind of person you are, because actions speak a **** load louder than ideas.

4. The only difference between you and all the other good people is you're not bull****ting yourself about why you do what you do.

5. As CL already pointed out, if something's not normal, that doesn't make it "bad" because "bad" is subjective. Normal means average. Whether or not you buy into communist or democratic bull****, agreeing with more people does not make you more correct. When you're dealing with something subjective like good, bad; right, wrong; etc, the only thing you're determining is what context you're using.

6. The "symptoms" you just described are all features of a rational, intelligent person. You'll be more comfortable with yourself as long as you allow yourself to be comfortable.

Bomby · 08-11-2011, 07:26 PM

Wikipedia is the best way to make you think you have a disorder you don't have.

Then sometimes, you do have that disorder.

But that was a special case.

Dizzy · 08-11-2011, 10:13 PM

Mostly came about because I was talking to my mom about it and she was disturbed that I didn't have an automatic sense of empathy.

So this is basically an extension of that other topic I made where my mom thought something was wrong with me.

***Cosmonautical*** · 08-11-2011, 10:29 PM

Admittedly, when I said Sociopathy, I goofed - I meant ASPD. Sociopathy and Psychopathy aren't even accepted diagnosis anymore, and I should have mentioned that.

No offense to anyone's parents, but they're usually a contributor to the cause of people's misconceptions about normality. Empathetic behavior is always a choice and often a habit, and there might be a skew towards a higher level of habitual empathy taught to women according to societal and genetic predispositions.

A lack of consideration to the amount of automation in your behavior only indicates a lack of consideration - such as in your mother's case - it's not an illness to actually consider the root mechanism for your learned behavior.

Of course, this is all keeping in mind that behavioral "disorders" are actually an abstract label invented through the communication of the medical and mental wellness communities. It is entirely reasonable to consider that it is a normal state of human society as a whole to give rise to subversive behaviors, even in extreme cases. That sort of extreme, or fringe behavior that borders on violence is simply another case of human behavior - the people who behave in "irregular" fashions might otherwise be society builders in the case where a societal pretext does not already exist. The target of the study of the standard mental health systems is typically to enable patients to become further compatible with existing societal standards, because success is subjective.

Kil'jaeden · 08-11-2011, 10:34 PM

You sound normal to me, whatever that means. It's just that your image of "people" is flawed. You'd be fooling yourself if you think other people don't act like you described yourself. And if you don't make an attempt of blending in because you don't care if you are accepted, I am pretty sure you would be labeled "anti-social" or "schizoid" anyway.

If you were a psychopath, you would blend in socially, but not really care about conforming except where it benefits you (by not alerting the others to your nature), according to all the descriptions of psychopathy I have seen. Of course, it begs the question about all the normal people too. People do conform because it benefits them. When you get a person or group above the others by wealth or force, they tend to run on their own standards because they don't benefit by pretending to be "normal", especially among their own kind. They might change their image for the common people, but that's what a psychopath would do anyway. In other words, we may have spent a great deal of our history as a species with our crazies leading the majority of us.

But, the majority of decent, normal people are not really innocent either. Anything the worst psychopath can do, you can get a normal person to do if you give them the right pressures and the go ahead from society. It happens again and again. And even in everyday activity, lies, impressions, and blending in are essential. The most important thing you learn as a child is how to lie to other people with a straight face. You can call it politeness, sociability, but it's still manipulating people for your benefit in the end. You see this at work, in romance, with friends, with parents, and we've all done it. So is that insanity?

Looking at the list, I'd imagine most people would fit some of those. For me it hinges on empathy. It's the only redeeming trait humans have, and without it all the other things on that list will have no restraint.

Robotazy · 08-11-2011, 11:09 PM

Is sanity not subjective?

To the howling man afraid of the FBI that are after his teeth, are we not all insane in his eyes, ignorant to his truth?

heh · 08-11-2011, 11:34 PM

an "automatic sense of empathy" is a myth. the only thing human being automatically know how to do is be selfish. everything else is learned through positive or negative reinforcement.

that doesn't mean that empathy is a bad thing or a false thing but anyone calling you psychotic because you realize the bottom line motivation of people is to make themselves feel better is being dumb.

***CaptHayfever*** · 08-12-2011, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZ

I may or may not be a psychopath.

Yes. That is 100% true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Mostly aroused because I was talking to my mom

Stop right there. Reread your first post. Now change one of these verbs to something that you didn't already establish under a different meaning.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Dux is not you · 08-12-2011, 03:38 AM

"arose"?

***CaptHayfever*** · 08-13-2011, 12:50 AM

^Much better.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Rainbow Dash · 08-13-2011, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfgang Tazy

To the howling man afraid of the FBI that are after his teeth, are we not all insane in his eyes, ignorant to his truth?

majority rules

***CaptHayfever*** · 08-13-2011, 09:01 PM

Well, if the FBI makes no effort whatsoever to obtain his teeth, then I think we know who's in the right on that one.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

08-11-2011, 12:36 AM	#1
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	I may or may not be a psychopath. Psychopathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I'm something of a hypochondriac, so I can't be sure. But I do know that nearly every single thing I do is to raise my comfort level. Any outwardly appearances of being social and compassionate is merely just to get other people on my side, so they can do things for me like have a conversation, or maybe a favor. Being socially accepted is comfortable, hence the reason I strive for it. The ties to sexual deviancy are also present, as the list of things I find arousing are numerous and unusual. I also just do a lot of things for attention (i.e. this thread). Well, anyway, I'd like to get your opinions on this. Again, can't be sure I really have it or if I've just led myself to believe I have it.

08-11-2011, 10:13 PM	#9
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	Mostly came about because I was talking to my mom about it and she was disturbed that I didn't have an automatic sense of empathy. So this is basically an extension of that other topic I made where my mom thought something was wrong with me. Last edited by Dizzy; 08-12-2011 at 11:58 AM.

08-11-2011, 10:29 PM	#10
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Admittedly, when I said Sociopathy, I goofed - I meant ASPD. Sociopathy and Psychopathy aren't even accepted diagnosis anymore, and I should have mentioned that. No offense to anyone's parents, but they're usually a contributor to the cause of people's misconceptions about normality. Empathetic behavior is always a choice and often a habit, and there might be a skew towards a higher level of habitual empathy taught to women according to societal and genetic predispositions. A lack of consideration to the amount of automation in your behavior only indicates a lack of consideration - such as in your mother's case - it's not an illness to actually consider the root mechanism for your learned behavior. Of course, this is all keeping in mind that behavioral "disorders" are actually an abstract label invented through the communication of the medical and mental wellness communities. It is entirely reasonable to consider that it is a normal state of human society as a whole to give rise to subversive behaviors, even in extreme cases. That sort of extreme, or fringe behavior that borders on violence is simply another case of human behavior - the people who behave in "irregular" fashions might otherwise be society builders in the case where a societal pretext does not already exist. The target of the study of the standard mental health systems is typically to enable patients to become further compatible with existing societal standards, because success is subjective. Last edited by Cosmonautical; 08-11-2011 at 10:38 PM.

08-11-2011, 12:45 AM	#2
heh Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: lo-ca-tion; Noun- 1. a place or situation occupied: That house is in a fine location Gender: Posts: 9,849 Thanks: 710 Thanked 955 Times in 628 Posts	your not a psychopath until you've been diagnosed one. trust me. theres a reason people make fun of people who suffer from self-diagnosed asperger syndrome. people in general are pretty crazy about thinking there is something wrong with them, either because they want something to blame their problems on or because they worry too much. basically your fine.

08-11-2011, 12:51 AM	#3
Redshirt Wiggidy Wack Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: A place with things Gender: Posts: 16,699 Thanks: 704 Thanked 1,006 Times in 695 Posts Blog Entries: 50	So when you said "Corn bread is always good" you didn't actually mean it? Seriously though I think at least the socially acceptable thing is normal. I know there are things I do/don't simply because of if they're socially acceptability. Who doesn't want to be comfy?

08-11-2011, 12:57 AM	#4
*Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds* Admin "mine.. not yours. NO. MINE." Epic Ladynerd Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Forteresse de Valois Gender: Posts: 28,504 Thanks: 1,658 Thanked 1,820 Times in 1,042 Posts	Those are all pretty much normal reasons to do anything. It's just the the majority of people lie to themselves about why they do anything. If we're just being honest, you're doing everything in life because it makes it easier for you, or makes you feel good. Even doing nice things for other people makes YOU feel good (alternatively, you feel guilty if you don't, so you're just fulfilling a sense of obligation so you don't feel poorly about your actions). That's not exactly psychopathic. Don't stress about it.

08-11-2011, 01:08 AM	#5
CuccoLady Anime and Cartoons Mod Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: THIS LOCATION REMINDS ME OF A PUZZLE, LUKE Gender: Posts: 9,077 Thanks: 2,825 Thanked 1,222 Times in 822 Posts	I know that in the recent past, I had a constant desire to find something wrong with ME. So I began looking at things that might POSSIBLY apply to me and decided I had one [or even several] of them. In the end, I don't have any of them. Nothing about me [including the fact that some characteristics I possess do fit with the THINGS THAT ARE WRONG I was looking at] has changed, however... just the fact that I stopped trying to find some label that told me exactly who I was. I don't mean to sound presumptuous, so if you're reading this going "wtf u talkin about lady that has nothing to do with my situation" I apologize. It's just that, if you ARE like recent past me, this information might sound useful. Because if you ARE thinking along the lines that I used to, it's good to know that these illnesses/labels/what have you are just words, used to encompass a general idea of stuff that might apply to you and might not. The only thing you need to know is that you act in a certain way, and that's just who you are-- some words might fit it, some words might not, but that doesn't matter as much as the fact that you recognize and accept them. tl;dr: you're probably just searching for a label of things you've recognized in your behavior when you really don't need to. Just accept them, because most of them are, like SD said, very normal. :{D

08-11-2011, 01:29 AM	#6
Vgfian Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Listening to Seeking 7 Seven and giving out free hugs. :) Gender: Posts: 6,862 Thanks: 2,433 Thanked 398 Times in 311 Posts	I know plenty of crazy people; you're not that bad so far as I can tell.

08-11-2011, 02:01 AM	#7
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	1. What you're describing is in line with Sociopathy. Psychopaths are even more along the lines of not seeing things through to the end, as are Sociopaths, only even moreso to the point where what their impulses demand, short term, are what they want and they don't see past that to the point of inflicting violence on others for the most immediate satisfaction. 2. Really, you just read a wikipedia entry. It's going to miss important qualities about the "illness" you're looking at, and it's not going to actually provide you a decent basis for comparison. 3. Pretty much every child is a fringe sociopath, by adult standards. You'll get older and feel differently about these things later on. Just do what you feel is fair and accomplishes a more universal good and don't worry about the "why" you're doing it - that part's all abstract and it doesn't affect what kind of person you are, because actions speak a ** load louder than ideas. 4. The only difference between you and all the other good people is you're not bullting yourself about why you do what you do. 5. As CL already pointed out, if something's not normal, that doesn't make it "bad" because "bad" is subjective. Normal means average. Whether or not you buy into communist or democratic bull**, agreeing with more people does not make you more correct. When you're dealing with something subjective like good, bad; right, wrong; etc, the only thing you're determining is what context you're using. 6. The "symptoms" you just described are all features of a rational, intelligent person. You'll be more comfortable with yourself as long as you allow yourself to be comfortable.

08-11-2011, 07:26 PM	#8
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Wikipedia is the best way to make you think you have a disorder you don't have. Then sometimes, you do have that disorder. But that was a special case.

08-11-2011, 10:34 PM	#11
Kil'jaeden Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: in your mind Gender: Posts: 2,134 Thanks: 21 Thanked 146 Times in 99 Posts	You sound normal to me, whatever that means. It's just that your image of "people" is flawed. You'd be fooling yourself if you think other people don't act like you described yourself. And if you don't make an attempt of blending in because you don't care if you are accepted, I am pretty sure you would be labeled "anti-social" or "schizoid" anyway. If you were a psychopath, you would blend in socially, but not really care about conforming except where it benefits you (by not alerting the others to your nature), according to all the descriptions of psychopathy I have seen. Of course, it begs the question about all the normal people too. People do conform because it benefits them. When you get a person or group above the others by wealth or force, they tend to run on their own standards because they don't benefit by pretending to be "normal", especially among their own kind. They might change their image for the common people, but that's what a psychopath would do anyway. In other words, we may have spent a great deal of our history as a species with our crazies leading the majority of us. But, the majority of decent, normal people are not really innocent either. Anything the worst psychopath can do, you can get a normal person to do if you give them the right pressures and the go ahead from society. It happens again and again. And even in everyday activity, lies, impressions, and blending in are essential. The most important thing you learn as a child is how to lie to other people with a straight face. You can call it politeness, sociability, but it's still manipulating people for your benefit in the end. You see this at work, in romance, with friends, with parents, and we've all done it. So is that insanity? Looking at the list, I'd imagine most people would fit some of those. For me it hinges on empathy. It's the only redeeming trait humans have, and without it all the other things on that list will have no restraint.

08-11-2011, 11:09 PM	#12
Robotazy PRESS ANY KEY TO PANIC! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: A Tiny Shed Gender: Posts: 16,483 Thanks: 529 Thanked 1,254 Times in 897 Posts Blog Entries: 46	Is sanity not subjective? To the howling man afraid of the FBI that are after his teeth, are we not all insane in his eyes, ignorant to his truth?

08-11-2011, 11:34 PM	#13
heh Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: lo-ca-tion; Noun- 1. a place or situation occupied: That house is in a fine location Gender: Posts: 9,849 Thanks: 710 Thanked 955 Times in 628 Posts	an "automatic sense of empathy" is a myth. the only thing human being automatically know how to do is be selfish. everything else is learned through positive or negative reinforcement. that doesn't mean that empathy is a bad thing or a false thing but anyone calling you psychotic because you realize the bottom line motivation of people is to make themselves feel better is being dumb.

08-12-2011, 03:38 AM	#15
Dux is not you Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Not Columbia Gender: Posts: 1,976 Thanks: 92 Thanked 113 Times in 74 Posts Blog Entries: 1	"arose"?

08-13-2011, 12:50 AM	#16
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	^Much better. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

08-13-2011, 09:01 PM	#18
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	Well, if the FBI makes no effort whatsoever to obtain his teeth, then I think we know who's in the right on that one. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"