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

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, emotional abuse, sexual violence, and animal cruelty and death.

Psychologist Martha Stout introduces her exploration of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD, colloquially known as “psychopathy” or “sociopathy”) with a mental exercise in imagining what it might be like to be someone who has this disorder. ASPD is defined primarily by a lack of conscience (guilt, remorse, shame, and empathy), rather than by the specific actions that a person with this disorder might exhibit. Stout urges the readers to imagine the limitless power and possibility that comes with a lack of conscience, as a person without a conscience can do the things necessary to fulfill their goals and desires without the same limits of remorse and guilt that others would have.

Approximately one in 25 Americans can be classified as a person with ASPD, and people with this disorder are varied and come from diverse backgrounds. What they share in common is their lack of conscience and their singular focus on fulfilling their own desires, which, more often than not, leads to the abuse, exploitation, and manipulation of others. Another important distinction is that unlike other psychiatric disorders, ASPD does not necessarily negatively affect the person who has it, and it is thus a question of ethics and philosophy as to whether it is even a disorder at all.