What Does Sociopathic Tendencies Mean And How To Deal With It?

A sociopath is typically characterized by a complete disregard for others; he has a lot of superficial charm, above average intelligence, unbelievable persuasiveness and an inflated sense of self-importance that convinces him that whatever he does is his right. He is manipulative and has a complete lack of compassion. He tends to view the pain of his victims with disdain and takes advantage of their suffering.

Sociopaths show promiscuous behavior and in case they do seem committed, it would be artificial. They would always have ulterior motives.

Furthermore, there’s a lack of regret or embarrassment. They see everyone around them as objects and a prospect to attain their goals. There is also a streak of violence in them.

They show a complete thoughtless behavior. Their belief that they are always right and incapacity to yield to an authority makes them rash.

What Causes Sociopathic Tendencies?

Even though there is no precise cause or reason behind sociopathic tendencies, experts say that genetic and environmental factors have a significant role to play. Environmental factors play a pivotal part in sociopathic tendencies, particularly when small, i.

e. as children.

A strong association has been found between one having sociopathic tendencies and one who lacked maternal affection during the first 5 years of their lives. Nonetheless, this is just a link and is not an etiological factor. Child abuse and / or trauma in early childhood also play a major role in the development of such tendencies. The role of genetics is also substantial.

How To Help Someone With Sociopathic Tendencies?

A struggle to handle sociopaths has shown that these traits are impervious to any sort of change and may not be curable. Nonetheless, there are certain guidelines that you can follow that will help reduce the occurrence of antisocial behavior. The earlier you start the treatment, the better are the results.

  • First and foremost you need to confer with a specialist; i.e. a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Discuss the situation with him and then follow the guidelines and recommendations that he suggests.
  • Psychotherapy is known to yield a lot of beneficial results. Therapies such as CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy and psycho-education definitely help manage sociopath tendencies to a very great extent. However, you need to schedule regular sessions with your therapist for at least 6 months to a year for significant improvement. This treatment helps the person understand the consequence of his unprincipled conduct and how to ward against the devious behavior.
  • Some experts even recommend medications to manage certain traits in sociopaths. Even though medicines are not very effective in treating the symptoms, they definitely help tackle depression and mood swings often related to this personality disorder.
  • Incorporating de-stress routine such as Yoga and Pranayama has also been advocated by a lot of experts. Yoga soothes the nervous and frayed mind and helps improve focus on important things. Make sure Yoga is a part of the routine at least thrice a week.
  • Most important of all, is love, understanding and co-operation from family and friends.

While no cure is visible for this condition, knowing how effectively handle a sociopath is very vital to help him better and to decrease the detrimental effects of living in close immediacy of such a person.

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