This issue: Psychopathy versus sociopathy

Eclipsed for years by terms such as “sociopathy” or “Antisocial Personality Disorder” (ASPD), the concept of psychopathy has been making a comeback. The number of books written on the topic for the general reader attests to its intrinsic fascination, as does the profusion of fictional characters who demonstrate, to varying degrees, the qualities of the psychopath. And, we find that psychopaths, apparently, are all around us: they may be chief executive officers of large companies;1 media personalities, lawyers, surgeons, and salesmen;2 and maybe even our neighbors, friends, or lovers.3 If we are sufficiently curious, we can even take a variety of online quizzes to determine just how psychopathic we might be.