Analysis Of The Sociopath Next Door By Martha Stout
Approximately 840 students at Harvard University may be psychopathic; a shocking suggestion, but one that is tackled by psychologist and former Harvard professor Martha Stout in her book The Sociopath Next Door. Stout suggests that up to 4% of the population meets the diagnostic criteria of ‘sociopath.’ Colloquially, the term ‘psycho’ is often used, but its actual meaning includes several specific traits: a failure to conform to social norms, impulsivity and indifference to name a few. In the simplest of terms, psychopaths lack conscience. It is generally agreed that psychopathy and sociopathy are synonymous terms and are referred to in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD).
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If a man has power as Adolf Hitler did over Germany, he might inflict mass genocide with such a lack of remorse that even his harshest detractors disapprove. Hitler was diagnosed a ‘neurotic psychopath’ by the former Harvard history department chair and psychoanalyst Walter C. Langer. However, this diagnosis did not occur until 1972, almost thirty years after Hitler’s death. Part of what alerted Langer were quotes from Hitler’s speeches such as “I could have annihilated all Jews, but I left some to let you know why I was annihilating them.” This disconcerting logic indicated psychopathic tendency. In hindsight, it was easy to label Hitler’s behavior as pathologic and examples of ‘textbook psychopathy.’ Yet, it was not recognized as such at the time. Perhaps this is a side effect of analyzing individual behaviors independent from the totality of a ‘psychopath.’ In this effect, one action may be excused as just a less than desirable element of a leader. It has therefore become important for me to recognize and predict when psychopathic traits are indications of something more. I am able to distinguish between the positive and negative, thus having the ability to extract only the positive and reject the
If a man has power as Adolf Hitler did over Germany, he might inflict mass genocide with such a lack of remorse that even his harshest detractors disapprove. Hitler was diagnosed a ‘neurotic psychopath’ by the former Harvard history department chair and psychoanalyst Walter C. Langer. However, this diagnosis did not occur until 1972, almost thirty years after Hitler’s death. Part of what alerted Langer were quotes from Hitler’s speeches such as “I could have annihilated all Jews, but I left some to let you know why I was annihilating them.” This disconcerting logic indicated psychopathic tendency. In hindsight, it was easy to label Hitler’s behavior as pathologic and examples of ‘textbook psychopathy.’ Yet, it was not recognized as such at the time. Perhaps this is a side effect of analyzing individual behaviors independent from the totality of a ‘psychopath.’ In this effect, one action may be excused as just a less than desirable element of a leader. It has therefore become important for me to recognize and predict when psychopathic traits are indications of something more. I am able to distinguish between the positive and negative, thus having the ability to extract only the positive and reject the