An interview with a sociopath

Thank you for sharing this video, the channel responsible for it is an eye opener (for me), wow!
After watching I'm impressed that he went into the process of getting to know himself and how to relate to other people without doing harm to any and that he is consciously trying to avoid situations in which he may hurt people. I think he may be a good example for others. Maybe there is more examples of people with such disorders wishing to be more in tune with other people and wanting to do not harm others as they do because of they intrinsic nature? I would like to believe so, he quite convinced me, because he seems sincere - but maybe I still have to learn more about how things really look like.. I dunno, for me it looks like he is really treating this situation seriously and at least he is trying to change by doing therapy and so on. Maybe you would like to share your opinion about this video if you don't mind and have time to give it?
 
Thanks for posting Damian. To be honest I’m on the fence about this interview. The channel seems genuine and the other videos certainly show the reality of being and living with challenging conditions... but... there is something about this video that leaves me not wholly convinced. I could be wrong - he could be outing his nature as a result of his two years of therapy, he could be being 'honest'... but there's a nagging doubt in my mind that he is too lucid, too on the button with all the right text book things to say, all the watered down danger of his nature... and of course it really depends on the truth behind his diagnosis of 'Anti Social Personality Disorder' aka Sociopath as claimed... but to my mind on a single viewing he's either a very well versed improv actor or he's possibly the real deal but has discovered being the 'victim' i.e. a clinically cared for sociopath who opens up and shares, gets him something that he couldn’t get whilst maintaining the disguise i.e. he's still a dangerous con man!

The video touched on deception right at the start, and it's easy after 30 mins of hearing him unpeel his mind before us to forget that everything you're watching could still be a well versed performance. I also think his body actions and emotional reflexes appear to be too richly and acutely self aware for the nature he is claiming. To my understanding a natural predator like this only learns such reflexes to mimic and deceive… and part of that deception can be to will people into believing he is conscious of his nature in the language that real humans to readily want to hear, but only so as to gain their sympathy and then feed on that. But he just seems too good at it, which is why I come back to the method improv actor thought ... fully prepared to be wrong though.
 
karo said:
After watching I'm impressed that he went into the process of getting to know himself and how to relate to other people without doing harm to any and that he is consciously trying to avoid situations in which he may hurt people. I think he may be a good example for others.

This guy lied and manipulated (like a lot of other individuals). He's aware that he lied and manipulated, it's already more rare. He considers lying and manipulating as bad ("low frequency", "hurtful", "putting chaos in the world"), he took actions to stop lying and manipulating, or so he says.

He evokes his emotional numbness ("not crying at funerals") but he feels some emotions ("ridiculously angry") and part of his behavior seems based on empathy ("smiling because it makes them happy", "stop lying because it hurts others")

If what that guy says is true, that's a big "if", then I'm not sure is a sociopath as suggested by the title and his "anti-social personality" diagnosis.

I got to like him and then I remembered this book about psychopathy (mask of sanity?), where the secretary of the author (a psychiatrist) told him she could easily spot the psychopathic patients, "how do you do that?", he asked. "They're the only patients you accept to lend money to!", she replied.

He could be a non-sociopath who thinks he is a sociopath, he could be a sociopath that confirms is one. In the end all we have is a 30 minutes interview. So, I guess it comes down to what the Cs said years ago (I'm paraphrasing here): "it takes years of careful observations to spot a psychopath".
 
and of course it really depends on the truth behind his diagnosis of 'Anti Social Personality Disorder' aka Sociopath as claimed... but to my mind on a single viewing he's either a very well versed improv actor or he's possibly the real deal but has discovered being the 'victim' i.e. a clinically cared for sociopath who opens up and shares, gets him something that he couldn’t get whilst maintaining the disguise i.e. he's still a dangerous con man!

I also watched part of this, and one thing to consider is that antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy are not exactly the same thing, and sociopathy is in itself outdated term which causes confusion. He's more likely "normal" antisocial criminal type than full blown psychopath/sociopath (i.e probably not entirely without conscience).

Sociopath has been sometimes used to refer to factor 2 psychopathy (secondary psychopathy), which is characterized with more antisocial, criminal behavior (thus more overlap with ASPD). Factor 1 psychopathy (primary psychopathy) means those "successful" psychopaths, who more likely go unnoticed by the justice system.

In Hare's checklist analysis Factor 1 focuses on personality characters and factor 2 on (antisocial) behavior characteristics (more overlap with ASPD).

ASPD is associated with more common criminal offenders, who aren't necessarily psychopaths. ASPD is defined in DSM, whereas psychopathy is not used as official diagnose for mental disorder.
The terms psychopathy, sociopathy, and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are commonly used interchangeably in clinical and research literature as well as the popular media. Further complicating matters, the diagnostic features section of ASPD in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) [1] indicates that ASPD “…has also been referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy, or dyssocial personality disorder” (p. 659). However, the consensus among most researchers is that ASPD, psychopathy, and sociopathy are related but distinct constructs [2-5].

[...]

Currently, the DSM-5 [1] defines ASPD as a “pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood” (p. 659). In order to meet the diagnosis, an individual must be at least 18 years of age, have a history of Conduct Disorder before age 15, and meet three of seven of the following criteria:

  1. Failure to conform to social norms;
  2. Deceitfulness;
  3. Impulsivity;
  4. Irritability and aggressiveness;
  5. Reckless disregard for safety;
  6. Consistent irresponsibility; and
  7. Lack of remorse.
Although some of these diagnostic criteria overlap with psychopathy (as measured by the PCL-R), they have been criticized as being too focused on antisocial behavior, whereas the PCL-R encompasses both personality traits and antisocial behaviors [16]. The ASPD criteria correlate strongly with the PCL-R behavioral characteristics (Factor 2) and weakly with PCL-R personality characteristics (Factor 1) [2]. The prevalence rates of the disorders also differ. Roughly 50% to 80% of offenders and forensic patients meet the diagnostic criteria for ASPD, whereas only 15% to 30% of offenders meet the PCL-R diagnostic criteria for psychopathy [2,3,17]. In addition, an asymmetric link exists between ASPD and psychopathy. Most offenders (about 90%) diagnosed as psychopaths by PCL-R criteria meet the criteria for ASPD, while a minority (about 30%) of those with ASPD meet the PCL-R criteria for psychopathy [2,18].

The present consensus suggests that psychopathy and ASPD are separate but related disorders. Sociopathy is an outdated term that infrequently appears in the scientific research literature and is more related to ASPD due to the emphasis on behavioral characteristics. Recent research has begun to examine psychopathic traits in non-forensic populations [19-21], further emphasizing that antisocial behavior is not equivalent to psychopathy.
 
Last edited:
I also watched part of this, and one thing to consider is that antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy are not exactly the same thing, and sociopathy is in itself outdated term which causes confusion. He's more likely "normal" antisocial criminal type than full blown psychopath/sociopath (i.e probably not entirely without conscience).

Sociopath has been sometimes used to refer to factor 2 psychopathy (secondary psychopathy), which is characterized with more antisocial, criminal behavior (thus more overlap with ASPD). Factor 1 psychopathy (primary psychopathy) means those "successful" psychopaths, who more likely go unnoticed by the justice system.

In Hare's checklist analysis Factor 1 focuses on personality characters and factor 2 on (antisocial) behavior characteristics (more overlap with ASPD).

ASPD is associated with more common criminal offenders, who aren't necessarily psychopaths. ASPD is defined in DSM, whereas psychopathy is not used as official diagnose for mental disorder.

This was also one of my concerns about the video Seppo Ilmarinen - the blurring of definitions, especially the constant confusion between ASPD, Sociopath and primary psychopathy. At a point in the video he accepted the label sociopath but if he's genuine he comes across more like a small town hustler, a minor case of ASPD. But by the interview giving him the more grandiose title of Sociopath (which again too many people blur with Psychopath), this interview is in danger of giving the innocent the wrong idea of what to look out for should they come in to contact with the more directly dangerous variant/s out there. Though I suppose for the uninitiated it would still be an eye opener into the mind set of a hustler and how they prosper by feeding on the psychological weaknesses of others.
 
This guy lied and manipulated (like a lot of other individuals). He's aware that he lied and manipulated, it's already more rare. He considers lying and manipulating as bad ("low frequency", "hurtful", "putting chaos in the world"), he took actions to stop lying and manipulating, or so he says.

He evokes his emotional numbness ("not crying at funerals") but he feels some emotions ("ridiculously angry") and part of his behavior seems based on empathy ("smiling because it makes them happy", "stop lying because it hurts others")

If what that guy says is true, that's a big "if", then I'm not sure is a sociopath as suggested by the title and his "anti-social personality" diagnosis.

I got to like him and then I remembered this book about psychopathy (mask of sanity?), where the secretary of the author (a psychiatrist) told him she could easily spot the psychopathic patients, "how do you do that?", he asked. "They're the only patients you accept to lend money to!", she replied.

He could be a non-sociopath who thinks he is a sociopath, he could be a sociopath that confirms is one. In the end all we have is a 30 minutes interview. So, I guess it comes down to what the Cs said years ago (I'm paraphrasing here): "it takes years of careful observations to spot a psychopath".
My thoughts too Pierre I agree with everything you said. Yes I had too many niggling questions about this guy's authenticity and maybe you are right he is a wanna-be sociopath. On the other hand maybe he is one and is just playing a game with the interviewer. But I am just speculating here. And as you correctly point out to what the C's have said that it takes years to spot these guys.
 
I also watched part of this, and one thing to consider is that antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy are not exactly the same thing, and sociopathy is in itself outdated term which causes confusion. He's more likely "normal" antisocial criminal type than full blown psychopath/sociopath (i.e probably not entirely without conscience).

Sociopath has been sometimes used to refer to factor 2 psychopathy (secondary psychopathy), which is characterized with more antisocial, criminal behavior (thus more overlap with ASPD). Factor 1 psychopathy (primary psychopathy) means those "successful" psychopaths, who more likely go unnoticed by the justice system.

In Hare's checklist analysis Factor 1 focuses on personality characters and factor 2 on (antisocial) behavior characteristics (more overlap with ASPD).

ASPD is associated with more common criminal offenders, who aren't necessarily psychopaths. ASPD is defined in DSM, whereas psychopathy is not used as official diagnose for mental disorder.
Thank you, Seppo Ilmarinen for explaining the differences.
 
This guy lied and manipulated (like a lot of other individuals). He's aware that he lied and manipulated, it's already more rare. He considers lying and manipulating as bad ("low frequency", "hurtful", "putting chaos in the world"), he took actions to stop lying and manipulating, or so he says.

He evokes his emotional numbness ("not crying at funerals") but he feels some emotions ("ridiculously angry") and part of his behavior seems based on empathy ("smiling because it makes them happy", "stop lying because it hurts others")

If what that guy says is true, that's a big "if", then I'm not sure is a sociopath as suggested by the title and his "anti-social personality" diagnosis.

I got to like him and then I remembered this book about psychopathy (mask of sanity?), where the secretary of the author (a psychiatrist) told him she could easily spot the psychopathic patients, "how do you do that?", he asked. "They're the only patients you accept to lend money to!", she replied.

He could be a non-sociopath who thinks he is a sociopath, he could be a sociopath that confirms is one. In the end all we have is a 30 minutes interview. So, I guess it comes down to what the Cs said years ago (I'm paraphrasing here): "it takes years of careful observations to spot a psychopath".

You bring up a good point in discernment.

He may be a "souled being in struggle" as quoted by the Cs in this session:

Session 13 July 2002 said:
Q: (L) This certainly gives a whole new meaning to all the experiences we have had with people like "Frank" and Vincent Bridges and Terri Burns, Olga and the rest of the gang! What this means is that the work of discerning these organic portals from souled human beings is CRUCIAL to the so-called ascension process. Without the basic understanding of transformation of, and conservation of energies, there is no possibility of fusing a magnetic center. No wonder the Bridges gang and the COINTELPRO types went bananas while I was publishing the Adventures Series! And sheesh! They will go bonkers with this organic portal stuff! (V) In thinking back over my life, it seems to me that my father is certainly one of these organic portals.

A: Now, do not start labeling without due consideration. Remember that very often the individual who displays contradictory behavior may be a souled being in struggle.
 
Back
Top Bottom