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There's sociopathy, but there isn't even a DSM definition for "psychopath". That is a slang term (like sociopathy). Not that the DSM is even meant to be taken entirely literally, but having models for diagnosis and treatment for common classes of mental disorders can be useful. People are themselves extremely varied, however, and a lot of the best methods for treatment and diagnosis take into account that. eg, Ericksonian therapy. (Which, sadly, most people will only hear of from some severely bastardized version, if at all.) I think, a lot of what they mean is "psychopathy", often covered for the other slang term "sociopathy" which has more value for analysis. There has been a lot of pop psychology on the later, and while I do definitely believe it is an useful term one has to note there are "enlightened sociopaths" and ... not. The vast majority are not as people think, and surely not criminals. A good list came out not long ago which pointed out that on an "empath" to "sociopath" scale, cops and surgeons score high on the sociopath side, while grade school teachers and social workers score high on the other side. The article is very right in pointing out how anti-social personal disorder is very different from the model of the sociopath. Night and day different. Behavior involved in severe criminal behavior is often very unique, unique in formation, and unique to the person, even if many commonalities or classes of definitions may be applied to some. The remaining question of any value is: do these labels actually help you help any of them to change? In terms of comp sec, putting on that kind of label on people won't help you control them nor predict their behavior. You might do so from noting their past behavior, if you know enough about it. But that is based on observation of that particular individual, and would only give deceptive evidence in regards to the actual usefulness of the label. Which is a label, which is a way to shortcut thinking; and a way to shortcut dealing with individuals as individuals in creative ways taking into account their complexity. A pain to do, perhaps, definitely does not fit into tidy lists and written down procedures. But it is what is required. |