2 ms·

Once again, I feel the need to point out that the term "psychopathy" is not used clinically (and neither is 'sociopathy'). Robert Hare et al. do have a rigorous

Once again, I feel the need to point out that the term "psychopathy" is not used clinically (and neither is 'sociopathy'). Robert Hare et al. do have a rigorous definition that distinguishes psychopathy from ASPD, but this definition does not appear in the latest DSM. Also, the line between ASPD and NPD is somewhat blurry in this article, possibly because in reality these disorders are often co-morbid. The main difference is that narcissists usually conform to social norms and laws, and do not generally pose a serious threat to society. A narcissist might verbally berate someone who stands in his way, but he is unlikely to resort to violence at the drop of a hat, for example. Confer "conduct disorder".

enmaku 14y ago
I believe I did mention this in the article, but I agree that it's vitally important to understand that the one or two times I used those terms I was knowingly using the popular definitions, not the clinical definitions. Good catch!
- dbbolton 14y ago
  It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, so maybe Ozymandius did show traits of Hare's definition of the psychopathy. However, the article seemed to imply that the only thing that separates a psychopath from a narcissist is empathy level: >What makes Ozymandius the villain of the story is that, while many NPD sufferers have decreased empathy, Ozy's lack of empathy borders on full-blown psychopathy In other words, a psychopath would just be a narcissist with even less empathy, which isn't really the case. In fact, aggressive narcissism is just one of two factors in Hare's checklist. On the second factor, socially deviant lifestyle (which includes traits like failure to plan ahead, poor self control, impulsiveness, etc.), he would probably score pretty low, and thus would be unlikely classified by Hare as a true psychopath. The description of The Comedian as having ASPD was well-justified though, other than the term "sufferer". Most sociopaths actually consider themselves to be "free" of many of the emotional and social burdens that the people they prey on seem to carry (which ties in to their narcissism).

enmaku 14y ago

I believe I did mention this in the article, but I agree that it's vitally important to understand that the one or two times I used those terms I was knowingly using the popular definitions, not the clinical definitions. Good catch!

dbbolton 14y ago
It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, so maybe Ozymandius did show traits of Hare's definition of the psychopathy. However, the article seemed to imply that the only thing that separates a psychopath from a narcissist is empathy level: >What makes Ozymandius the villain of the story is that, while many NPD sufferers have decreased empathy, Ozy's lack of empathy borders on full-blown psychopathy In other words, a psychopath would just be a narcissist with even less empathy, which isn't really the case. In fact, aggressive narcissism is just one of two factors in Hare's checklist. On the second factor, socially deviant lifestyle (which includes traits like failure to plan ahead, poor self control, impulsiveness, etc.), he would probably score pretty low, and thus would be unlikely classified by Hare as a true psychopath. The description of The Comedian as having ASPD was well-justified though, other than the term "sufferer". Most sociopaths actually consider themselves to be "free" of many of the emotional and social burdens that the people they prey on seem to carry (which ties in to their narcissism).