[ExI] Implications of Sociopath Testing

[BillK]

On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 8:04 PM, Olga Bourlin  wrote:
> From: "Stefano Vaj"
> To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:05 AM
>
>> I have always considered the term "sociopaths" as referred to
>> individuals who are dysfunctional in their inability to conform to the
>> social norms of their community - sometimes perhaps with good cause,
>> but this is another story.
>>
>> Definitely not as referred to individuals that simply behave as ideal
>> utility maximisers in the sense of classic economic theory.
>
> I agree with you.  I thought "narcissist" was the going term for those
> individuals ...
>


The references that Lee gave in the original post say:
Psychopathy is frequently co-morbid with other psychological disorders
(particularly narcissistic personality disorder). The psychopath
differs slightly from the sociopath, and may differ even more so from
an individual with an antisocial personality disorder diagnosis.
Nevertheless, the three terms are frequently used interchangeably.
It is possible for psychopaths to become successful in many lines of
work. Psychopathy is frequently mistaken with other similar
personality disorders, such as dissocial personality disorder,
narcissistic personality disorder, and schizoid personality disorder
(as well as others).
----------

It doesn't appear that there is an exact definition. There are
differences but also a lot of overlap.


The term 'office psychopath' is now quite common (try Google).

The 2006 book:
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work (Hardcover)
by Paul Babiak (Author), Robert D. Hare (Author)
<http://www.amazon.com/Snakes-Suits-When-Psychopaths-Work/dp/0060837721>

links to many similar titles.


BillK