The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus The Rest Of Us

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness.

When Stout asks people what they would do if they were not impeded by their conscience, she finds that most do not have an answer because their conscience prevents them from wanting to do such things. She argues that humans are “selected by nature to be social, sharing creatures” and that this evolutionary trait is what defines humanity (182).

Though ASPD can sometimes seem like an advantage, Stout points out its inherent disadvantages, noting that many, if not most, people with ASPD end up precipitating their own ruin. This can be said of many dictators throughout history, but also of many ordinary people like Doreen, who took one too many risks and inevitably caused her own downfall. People with ASPD have a constant need for stimulation that, for most other people, is left behind in childhood, and this need is never fulfilled. As a result, many people with ASPD turn to drugs, alcohol, or risky sexual activity. Stout also points out that many people with ASPD have hypochondria (a constant fear of illness/dying) because of their self-obsession. While other people can assuage these fears by remembering that others will live on, people with ASPD do not have this connection to wider humanity.