Why a sociopath still has empathy?

[skyfall]

Why a very evil person still has empathy?

 

[BloomingAzaleas]

Cause lack of empathy isn't what makes people malicious

 

[Jdieiejdjaow]

Because we feel the full range of emotions (unlike a psychopath) even if some are less intense to what a shame-based pro-social neurotypical person would feel.

 

[GhostInTheMachine]

Sociopathy is distinguished from Psychopathy by the major caveat that sociopaths typically lose their natural empathy due to trauma, while psychopaths never had empathy to begin with. Both of these terms are however dated and how they're defined is being reworked in recent years, but I generally use the distinction I mention.

 

[footballseason]

Humans are extremely complicated. Our behavior rarely follows clear-cut lines and we can be good and bad in many different ways all at the same time. If we were simple, this life would be much easier and none of us would be on this site.

Just try to remind yourself, as best as you can, that you're not responsible for the "way" that anyone is. It's not your fault that a person might behave in a very confusing and conflicted way.

 

[leloyon]

People with AsPD are not inherently evil people.
Also, pwAsPD can feel empathy, usually towards certain groups (children and animals being the most common, or certain loved ones) or just to a reduced degree than the general population.
In any case, a mental disorder or not, or empathy or no empathy, does not dictate a bad person, but their actions. I'm honestly sick of people trying to paint not having empathy as making someone evil, or even not human. Every homo sapien is a human, and the fact that people are willing to dehumanise others so easily and casually really says a lot about them rather than anything about people with a lack of empathy.
Then again, I have very low empathy, so I guess I'm automatically some evil villain, no?

 

[BloomingAzaleas]

Every homo sapien is a human, and the fact that people are willing to dehumanise others so easily and casually really says a lot about them rather than anything about people with a lack of empathy.

People who dehumanize others for lacking empathy are not only ironically not using empathy themselves, but also just being jerks!

 

[leloyon]

People who dehumanize others for lacking empathy are not only ironically not using empathy themselves, but also just being jerks!

I was gonna say that, actually. Dehumanising others for lacking empathy is, ironically, only demonstrating their own lack of empathy.
I'd argue that this is one way that people who lack empathy may be actually nicer people than those who experience empathy normally, at least in my experience. I feel like having complete empathy is impossible, the ideal of the "empath" honestly feels impossible. I feel like, in reality, people normally have selective empathy, and usually cannot empathise with those who they do not understand, usually due to some glaring difference between them and this "other". Hence why a lot of bigotry and tribalism exists in the world. They are used to going through life being able to empathise with others, so when they meet someone so different to them that they struggle to empathise, they do not know how to interpret it, and thus dehumanise these people and hate them.
In my experience with a lack of empathy, I basically had to learn that other people were humans like me. With complex thought processes, and complex emotions. The idea that people were not just mindless NPCs with pre-programmed actions was a big epiphany to me. As a result, I'd say that I'm less prone to dehumanisation, since I have the same amount of empathy for people, and had to manually learn that other people were human, rather than relying on some natural emotion or instinct. Granted, I'm not perfect, and it's more like a choice on whether to view other people as human or not (sometimes it really feels like I can just turn it off, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I can just choose to ignore that whole "other people are human" part with little to no worries if I want), however my point still stands.
People with low empathy have had to just navigate life in this state, learn to live and form relationships without feeling empathy for others, and thus I would argue that really, the whole "people with low empathy are violent" thing is just due to personal circumstance. A lack of empathy is usually caused by trauma, and trauma can lead people down dark paths, can make people more aggressive, easier to set off, meaner, impulsive etc. etc. as well as using substances to cope. On top of the fact that it usually means they are not in a good life situation, and so a lack of empathy coupled with these others aspects of being traumatised, and likely in a poor position in life, can lead to criminal behaviour or violence, particularly because if one's trauma has lead them to lose the ability to empathise it has likely also lead them to develop those other symptoms alongside that to begin with (aggression, impulsivity, substance use etc., likely due to the trauma causing them to develop one of the cluster B disorders). Because you usually don't see those with a lack of empathy in good positions in life (in reality, I highly doubt every politician/rich person actually has low empathy, I'd say they're just assholes) it is easy to see all this terribleness from those who lack empathy and say that they're all evil.
And I'm not alone in this line of thinking, James H. Fallon (a neuroscientist who happened to have psychopathy) said that he believed his relatively stable and good upbringing and life circumstances meant that he did not engage in the criminal or violent behaviour that one would expect from someone suffering from his condition.
Though for the record, the only cluster B disorder I have been diagnosed with is BPD, and I do not particularly believe I suffer from AsPD or NPD despite my low empathy, so while I am mostly commenting on pwAsPD and the symptoms associated with it, I do not have it as far as I know, I do not intend to speak as if I do, and I am also generally speaking about those who have low empathy in general too, although BPD and AsPD can overlap in a lot of ways.

 

[BloomingAzaleas]

I was gonna say that, actually. Dehumanising others for lacking empathy is, ironically, only demonstrating their own lack of empathy.
I'd argue that this is one way that people who lack empathy may be actually nicer people than those who experience empathy normally, at least in my experience. I feel like having complete empathy is impossible, the ideal of the "empath" honestly feels impossible. I feel like, in reality, people normally have selective empathy, and usually cannot empathise with those who they do not understand, usually due to some glaring difference between them and this "other". Hence why a lot of bigotry and tribalism exists in the world. They are used to going through life being able to empathise with others, so when they meet someone so different to them that they struggle to empathise, they do not know how to interpret it, and thus dehumanise these people and hate them.
In my experience with a lack of empathy, I basically had to learn that other people were humans like me. With complex thought processes, and complex emotions. The idea that people were not just mindless NPCs with pre-programmed actions was a big epiphany to me. As a result, I'd say that I'm less prone to dehumanisation, since I have the same amount of empathy for people, and had to manually learn that other people were human, rather than relying on some natural emotion or instinct. Granted, I'm not perfect, and it's more like a choice on whether to view other people as human or not (sometimes it really feels like I can just turn it off, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I can just choose to ignore that whole "other people are human" part with little to no worries if I want), however my point still stands.
People with low empathy have had to just navigate life in this state, learn to live and form relationships without feeling empathy for others, and thus I would argue that really, the whole "people with low empathy are violent" thing is just due to personal circumstance. A lack of empathy is usually caused by trauma, and trauma can lead people down dark paths, can make people more aggressive, easier to set off, meaner, impulsive etc. etc. as well as using substances to cope. On top of the fact that it usually means they are not in a good life situation, and so a lack of empathy coupled with these others aspects of being traumatised, and likely in a poor position in life, can lead to criminal behaviour or violence, particularly because if one's trauma has lead them to lose the ability to empathise it has likely also lead them to develop those other symptoms alongside that to begin with (aggression, impulsivity, substance use etc., likely due to the trauma causing them to develop one of the cluster B disorders). Because you usually don't see those with a lack of empathy in good positions in life (in reality, I highly doubt every politician/rich person actually has low empathy, I'd say they're just assholes) it is easy to see all this terribleness from those who lack empathy and say that they're all evil.
And I'm not alone in this line of thinking, James H. Fallon (a neuroscientist who happened to have psychopathy) said that he believed his relatively stable and good upbringing and life circumstances meant that he did not engage in the criminal or violent behaviour that one would expect from someone suffering from his condition.
Though for the record, the only cluster B disorder I have been diagnosed with is BPD, and I do not particularly believe I suffer from AsPD or NPD despite my low empathy, so while I am mostly commenting on pwAsPD and the symptoms associated with it, I do not have it as far as I know, I do not intend to speak as if I do, and I am also generally speaking about those who have low empathy in general too, although BPD and AsPD can overlap in a lot of ways.

Fellow low empathy borderliner let's go

My relationship with low empathy is like, it's not like I'm unable to care for people even with low empathy, it's like I'm a nurse taking care of patients, you can't really empathize with sick people can you? (But apparently this line of thinking is not normal). It's just kind of what I do. I generally have a hard time trying to feel like anyone other than my myself matters, but I still try to do my best to help people, I want to a be a good person after all.

Sometimes it can lead to trouble though, like some people for some reason get really upset when you don't cry with them or feel sad or anything even though you comfort them
Or maybe like a very important political issue comes up and they think your unemotional apathy makes you a monster. Like I don't need empathy to know that killing is bad I just don't understand why I should feel sad about these people dying? I don't really like having to fake my emotions or cause conflict so I just feel awkward now when any one of these situations pop up.

And I have some people that accused me as only looking at people like tools and toys which is…… I don't want to say their right but it's always been a thought nagging at me

Anyways it's good to see another low empathy person, I'm tired of low empathy being demonized, you should also maybe read Against Empathy (I've never read it but I heard it's good)

 

[Namelesa]

Sociopaths and other people with ASPD are often able to have cognitive empathy even if they don't have emotional empathy. With this they can be good people and still be able to be considerate and caring to others. They shouldn't be treated as evil or bad by default cus of a disorder they didn't have a choice in getting.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I wonder about this also. Maybe more about psychopathy and narcissism. Other 'conditions' that are associated with a lack of empathy.

I'd argue that the most malicious out there appear to get a kick out of hurting others, making them feel uncomfortable or the reverse- engendering sympathy and adoration. They wouldn't experience those highs if they weren't able to sense those emotions in others.

So- I believe they may actually be the reverse. So- very attune to how others are feeling and responding to them. It's just that (some) of them seem to enjoy it when they get intensely fearful responses. (Narcissistic supply.) That's been my own (unfortunate) experience anyway. It's not saying all people with traits are like that.