Sociopath Vs. Psychopath Vs. Narcissist: What Is the Difference?

What Is a Sociopath?

Sociopaths refer to those diagnosed with a severe form of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Frequent signs of a sociopath include a lack of empathy, morals, and care or concern for the feelings and needs of other people. These traits make them more likely to harm or take advantage of other people, especially when there is a potential benefit involved for them. Their weak conscience makes it easier for them to justify antisocial behaviors and dodge some of the normal feelings of guilt and remorse most people would experience afterward.^{2, 6} ASPD occurs on a spectrum, with sociopathy and psychopathy being the most severe forms of the disorder.

Some of the most common signs of a sociopath include:^{1, 2, 7}

• Superficially charming but has few stable, long-term relationships
• Having a weak conscience or moral compass
• Easily provoked by others, becomes defensive often
• Emotionally unstable, moody, and prone to outbursts
• Prone to using others for personal benefit or gain
• Manipulative, deceptive, and dishonest
• Impulsive, reckless, or self-destructive behaviors
• Irresponsibility or failure to meet expectations
• Hot and cold in interactions with other people

What Is a Psychopath?

Psychopaths have the rarest and most severe form of antisocial personality disorder, making them potentially very dangerous.^{2, 7} Unlike sociopaths, psychopaths are often completely lacking in empathy and moral conscience, and some are even sadistic and enjoy causing pain and suffering. Many psychopaths don’t experience a normal range of human emotions, which makes it even more difficult for them to relate and connect with others. Personality traits and signs of a psychopath include a tendency to be cold, callous, and predatory and a high statistical probability of engaging in criminal and violent acts.^{2, 6}

Some of the most common signs of a psychopath include:^{1, 2, 6, 7}

• Disregard for the feelings, rights, and needs of other people
• Fearless, bold, and unconcerned with the consequences of their actions
• Ruthless in their pursuit of money, sex, power, or other goals
• An artificial charm that can be turned on or off to get what they want
• Impulsive, irresponsible, like to seek thrills, and gets bored easily
• History of violent, illegal, or predatory behaviors dating back to childhood/adolescence
• Sadistic pleasure in causing harm, suffering, or pain to other people

Both psychopaths and sociopaths have severe forms of antisocial personality disorder, which has the following symptoms:^{1, 2}

• A blatant disregard for rules, laws, and norms–resulting in criminal behavior
• Lying, deceitfulness, and manipulative tactics used for profit or personal gain
• Impulsive or reckless patterns of behavior without concern for consequences
• Irritability and aggression, causing frequent arguments, conflicts, or fights
• A complete disregard for the safety of oneself and others
• A pattern of irresponsible behavior and poor decision making
• Lack of remorse for actions that are wrong, immoral, or harmful to others

What Is a Narcissist?

Narcissists have narcissistic personality disorder (or NPD), which makes them highly sensitive to praise, criticism, and external feedback. Signs of narcissism include overly relying on external forms of validation like praise, recognition, status, or career achievements to feel good about themselves. While they can appear overly confident, many experts believe narcissism arises from a deep sense of shame and insecurity. Still, these insecurities are masked by many aggressive defense mechanisms that make the narcissist a difficult and potentially dangerous personality.^{3, 5}

While there are different types of narcissism, some of the overarching signs include:^{1, 3, 5}

• Inflated ego or excessive degree of self-absorption
• An excessive need for external validation, praise, recognition, or admiration
• Hypersensitivity and defensiveness when criticized or challenged
• A heightened need to be right, successful, wealthy, powerful, etc.
• Behaving in selfish or entitled ways to get what they want
• A pattern of using people, turning on them, or ‘discarding’ them
• A tendency to avoid taking responsibility and blame others when wrong

The symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder include:¹

1. A sense of grandiosity or excessive self-importance
2. Recurrent fantasies of being powerful, successful, beautiful, or important
3. Feeling as though they are special and exceptional and can only associate with those who are on the same level as them
4. Excessive need for validation, praise, and admiration from others
5. A sense of entitlement or feeling like one deserves special treatment
6. Exploiting others for personal gain or selfish reasons
7. Lacking empathy or being unwilling to identify with the needs of others
8. Being envious of others or believing others are envious of them
9. Arrogant or haughty behavior, acting better than others

What Are the Differences Between a Narcissist, Sociopath, & Psychopath?

Narcissistic personality traits are more common than the antisocial traits displayed by sociopaths and psychopaths and are often less dangerous, too. Part of the reason narcissistic people are less dangerous is that they’re usually driven by prosocial desires like wanting to be liked, accepted, and respected by others. Psychopaths and sociopaths, on the other hand, don’t have as many prosocial desires and instead use antisocial behaviors like violence, deceit, and exploitation to get what they want at the expense of other people.^{1, 2, 3, 6}

Below are some key differences between narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths.^{1, 2, 5, 6, 7}

Narcissist Vs. Sociopath & Psychopath

Narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder are both ‘cluster B’ personality disorders. Cluster B personality disorders are all characterized by dramatic, impulsive, and attention-seeking behaviors.¹ The main difference between narcissism and antisocial personalities is that narcissists are motivated by a desire for social recognition and acceptance, and psychopaths and sociopaths are not. This means that narcissists are more likely to care about the feelings and opinions of other people, which acts as a safeguard against more violent, criminal, or deviant behaviors.³

While narcissists still sometimes engage in these behaviors, they make more of an effort to appear normal and make positive impressions on other people. The most difficult and cruel tendencies of a narcissist are often only apparent to those who are closest to them or to those who have offended or upset them. When a narcissistic injury (i.e. ego wound) occurs, narcissists use immature defense mechanisms like projection, blame, and passive aggression. Sometimes, they even cut ties with people they’re mad at or end relationships with people no longer ‘useful’ to them (aka narcissistic discard).^{3, 8, 9}

Sociopath Vs. Psychopath

While both psychopaths and sociopaths have traits and symptoms of ASPD, psychopaths have the most rare and severe form of the disorder. It’s estimated that only 1-3% of people with ASPD are psychopaths, and about 30% are sociopaths.² Psychopaths are more likely to have stunted emotions, a lack of empathy, and no conscience than sociopaths, which also makes them more prone to violent and illegal acts. Psychopaths are often cool, calculating, and ruthless, but they can sometimes still win people over with their superficial charm or suave demeanor.^{2, 3, 6}

Sociopaths, on the other hand, tend to be more moody and impulsive. They’re more easily riled than psychopaths and often lash out when upset. What makes them slightly less dangerous than psychopaths is the fact that many sociopaths still possess weak empathy and conscience, which makes them slightly less antisocial. Sociopaths also tend to rely on less violent means to get what they want and are more likely to lie, extort, or manipulate people than to physically attack them. Because they experience a wider range of emotions, sociopaths are also more likely than psychopaths to feel afraid of potential consequences.^{2, 3, 6}

What Causes Psychopathy, Sociopathy, & Narcissism?

A combination of genetics and social and environmental factors is believed to cause most mental illnesses, including personality disorders. Most of the time, it’s believed that people who become sociopaths, psychopaths, and narcissists have a genetic or biological predisposition that’s activated by their environment and choices. In many cases, the “activating” environmental factors involve childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect.^{2, 4, 7}

In most cases, people who develop narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder first develop traits and symptoms in childhood or adolescence. People with more severe forms of antisocial personality disorder tend to display problem behaviors like fighting, stealing, and cruelty towards animals at a younger age. Both antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders are more common among males than females, but female sociopaths are much more common than female psychopaths.²

Some of the potential causes of antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder include:^{2, 6, 7, 10}

• Experiencing abuse or neglect in childhood
• Extremely permissive, strict, or inconsistent parenting styles
• Having a parent who has NPD or APSD
• Insecure attachment styles linked to childhood trauma
• Certain personality traits like extraversion, neuroticism, or impulsivity
• Early exposure to predatory, abusive, or illegal behaviors
• Early engagement in violent or aggressive behaviors
• Early involvement in criminal activities
• Being bullied or rejected by peers
• Chemical imbalances in the brain
• Abnormalities in parts of the brain governing emotions and fear
• Impaired executive functioning & abnormal frontal lobe development

Psychopathy, Narcissism, & Sociopathy Treatment

Treatment for psychopaths, sociopaths, and narcissists is complicated and has a lower success rate than treatments for other mental illnesses. Unfortunately, many people with these personality-disordered traits don’t seek treatment voluntarily. While there’s always hope for people who have a sincere desire and willingness to engage in treatment, psychologists have not been able to find a specific kind of treatment for NPD or ASPD.^{2, 7, 10, 11}

Most of the time, ASPD and NPD co-occur with other mental health or substance use disorders.⁷ People who are seeking treatment often benefit from a combination of therapy and psychiatric medication, which can help to target some of the symptoms of their personality disorder as well as other comorbid conditions. Involving family members or partners is recommended when treating people with antisocial and narcissistic personalities.^{7, 10, 11}

Therapy

There are a number of different types of therapy that may benefit people diagnosed with narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder, but none are evidence-based. Some of these therapeutic approaches target unhelpful ways of thinking, others focus on improving interpersonal relationships, and others try to teach behavioral skills like impulse control.

Below are some therapy approaches that may be recommended:^{7, 10, 11}

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT): CBT is a structured therapeutic approach that aims to help people adjust or change unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns.
• Supportive therapies: Unstructured approaches like person-centered therapy focus on developing a strong rapport and trusting relationship between the therapist and client to facilitate the therapeutic process.
• Family or couples therapy: Family therapy involves two or more people attending therapy sessions to improve communication, reduce conflict, and provide support for couples and families affected by narcissism or antisocial personality disorder.
• Group therapy: Group therapy sessions provide information about a mental health condition and teach coping and impulse control skills to people dealing with a similar issue or diagnosis.
• Schema therapy: Schema therapy focuses on helping people identify and change unhelpful core beliefs about themselves, others, and the world that may be contributing to their symptoms and problem behaviors.
• FRAMES: An experimental therapeutic approach for personality disorders that focuses on providing feedback, taking responsibility for your actions, identifying effective coping skills and responses, improving empathy, and building self-efficacy.
• Trauma-focused therapy: Trauma-informed approaches like ART, somatic therapy, EFT tapping, CPT or EMDR may help people resolve old traumatic experiences contributing to their current symptoms and problem behaviors.

Medications

There are no FDA-approved medications for personality disorders like narcissism and sociopathy, or psychopathy. Sometimes, psychiatric medications are used to treat other underlying or co-occurring conditions and other times, they are sometimes prescribed “off-label” for personality disorders.

It’s important to note that there’s a significantly increased risk of addiction for people with both antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders, which makes it important to monitor for signs of medication misuse or abuse.⁷ Because of this, some prescribers will be hesitant to give controlled medication prescriptions to people with these two disorders.¹⁰

Here are some of the most commonly prescribed medications for people who are diagnosed with narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder:^{7, 10, 11}

• Carbamazepine and Lithium to help control impulses & urges
• SSRI antidepressants that target serotonin and other mood-related brain chemicals
• SNRI antidepressants that target serotonin, norepinephrine, and other mood-related brain chemicals
• Anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines, beta-blockers or Buspirone which help to reduce the fear and stress responses in the body and brain

7 Tips for Dealing With a Psychopath, Sociopath, or Narcissist

Dealing with someone who has narcissistic, psychopathic, or sociopathic traits is never easy. Because people with these disordered personalities can be predatory and even dangerous, many experts advise that people distance themselves from narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths. When this is not an option, the precautions and tips below may be helpful to people who have to interact with a narcissist, sociopath, or psychopath.^{8, 9, 12}

Seven tips for dealing with a psychopath, sociopath, or narcissist are:

1. Limit your interactions and keep your guard up around the person: Less frequent contact with someone who displays traits of a narcissist, sociopath, or psychopath is safer. Try to keep any conversations short, sweet, and to the point, and pause to think before responding to them, reminding yourself that they may have ulterior motives.
2. Be cordial and polite but standoffish: Being polite but somewhat distant or detached is one of the safest strategies around someone with a narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder. This keeps a boundary around your relationship that deters them from intruding on parts of your life that you want to keep them away from.
3.  Approach conversations as exchanges of information with them: Think of conversations with them as exchanges of information. Approach them only when you need certain information from them, and be courteous when they make appropriate requests for information you have. Focusing on exchanging information will help remind you to keep your interactions as direct and impersonal as possible at a safe distance.
4. Limit personal or potentially damaging personal information: Try to limit their access to personal, sensitive, and potentially consequential information. Narcissistic and antisocial people have a tendency to weaponize this kind of info, using it as intel against enemy targets (who are always growing in numbers).
5. Diffuse any competitive vibes early on: Competitive vibes from someone with an antisocial or narcissistic personality aren’t the kind of attention you want from them and can graduate into full-blown revenge if they “lose.” When possible, avoid direct competition with a narcissist, sociopath, or psychopath. Even when you notice them getting jealous or insecure because of you, try evening the keel or even letting them have their way if you sense a lot of animosities.
6. Interact more publicly than privately with them: Public interactions have at least one casual witness or bystander and can be a great protection strategy for a narcissist or sociopath at work. This can sometimes keep them in check by threatening their reputation or image for saying or doing toxic things.
7. Keep a written log of issues or interactions if needed: Because (narcissistic or psychopathic) gaslighting is so common, it can sometimes help to keep a written log of interactions or facts if you have frequent interactions with one of these personalities. Keeping a written log can also help you build an informal case against them, even if you only use it in the event that they come after you.

Final Thoughts

People with narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder share some traits, qualities, and tendencies, as well as some differences. Sociopaths and psychopaths have antisocial traits and tendencies in common, but psychopathy is less common and more severe, with a high correlation to crime and violence. The narcissistic need for attention and external validation is very prosocial and primarily distinguishes them from antisocial personalities.  When narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths seek help in a sincere way, I believe recovery is possible.