Comment by toolz | Hacker News Reader

Comment by toolz | Hacker News Reader

Do we pretend these labels are useful or are they useful? What is sociopathy? Can we measure it or just categorize it under some label of symptoms that themselves will be interpreted with a wide spectrum of perspectives? Everybody is different, but I find these labels with negative connotations to not be terribly useful until they can be measured. What does society or any individual gain with the label? Some people I know who believe themselves to be a sociopath use it as a crutch or an excuse for their behavior in hopes no one will blame them for being born with a condition. They're still capable of behaving in socially acceptable ways - the most deranged of sociopathic killers aren't literally overcome with insatiable urges or else they wouldn't make it to adulthood in society, right?

Bit of rambling, I know, but I just don't get why we seem to celebrate the label. I'm aware that I don't experience any other person emotions other than my own and that makes me very limited to the understanding of my own emotions, but my observations tell me that I could walk into a few pysch wards and have a diagnosis of sociopathy within a few weeks if I wanted. My observations also tell me that the main reason for desiring that label would be to feel unique, accomplished (by overcoming some obstacle) or to use that label as a "get out of social judgement jail free" card.

Then why don't you try it and see if it work for you. Way more productive than endless speculation.

I see the irony that is your attempt to dismiss these labels is just a way to label these people as self-aggrandizing fraud. In absence of evidence isn't it wiser to not assume such a stand?

Would it change your opinion if I already have done exactly that and I have been professionally diagnosed as a sociopath? I'm also not accusing anyone of anything. I'm very specifically asking a question and revealing my opinions and reasoning for my opinoin on the matter as a non-expert on the subject.

edit: it should also be noted that the article says she was diagnosed with sociopathy which isn't even in the DSM-5. In fact the word sociopathy appears once in the entire DSM-5 as an incorrect term to describe antisocial personality disorder. Which to me is a red-flag for self-diagnosis.

If you were diagnosed it means some measurement was used. These labels are useful granted they’re correctly applied, to first of all understand oneself, attempt to improve the condition and blend in with the rest of the world without causing suffering/pain in others.

...self-diagnosis...

The byline is "Patric Gagne is a writer and doctor of psychology from Los Angeles." She might have stretched the truth in the essay, but surely we can still trust NYT to verify something like this? Anyone with a PhD in psychology has had access to all the diagnosis she could ever need. She isn't anonymous. If she really isn't what she so publicly claims to be, someone from her university would speak up. Of course, no one wants to have a public squabble with a sociopath...

Speak up against what? It's an unfalsifiable immeasurable diagnosis. I appreciate that most everyone means well, but academia is not some city on a hill with saints wielding an omniscient peer review process. Incredibly elementary statistical errors make it thru peer review process in even the highest impact journals somewhat frequently - so no I don't have any faith that academics would criticize an unfalsifiable diagnosis even if they could. That's really the basis of my opinion in the first place - if you can't prove something is true then you can't prove it's false. That being the case, what's the point of the label to begin with?

Sociopathic people can be very functional. The label simply has to do with your internal feelings and responses. How you handle real life is up to you.

Most people that get these labels don't want go feel special. In fact, most are at their wits end and just want things to get better. It's usually the opposite of what you think - these people are often happy and surprised they are not alone.

The label helps avoid a lot of explanation when moving from provider to provider. Any provider worth their salt will see the person as a multi dimensional human.

It's very privileged of you go assume it has anything to do with vanity or a desire to be unique.

(Sorry for the formatting, on mobile)

There's no DSM definition for sociopathic so I'll assume you mean antisocial disorder, which no, antisocial disorders can not be "very functional" as the category depends on the individual not being very functional. I recommend looking up the diagnosis criteria in the DSM-V and I also recommend not assuming things about people you've never met.

Not sure why this is being downvoted, I had the same question. I would say I do things that others might describe as sociopathic, but I would not generally describe myself as a sociopathic.

The labels aide communication. Seems mildly obvious.

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