[Wool]

What psychological condition has the following characteristics?

poor social skills
lack of empathy
active but odd interactions
lack of impulse control
obsessive interests
constant need of stimulation

If you said aspergers syndrome or another ASD you would be right. If you said they are signs of psychopathy you would also be right. Is it about time that the taboo of discussing psychopathy in the same sentence ans autism is dropped? It does seem to the elephant in the room. It was very much hushed up when it was brought up in discussions of Adam Lanza. But they do share many characteristics.

I think some people hold the fear that if this was openly discussed then everyone on the AS would be viewed with suspicion but that is very naive. To accept that psychopaths may lie on the spectrum does not mean everyone on the spectrum is psychopaths or that they cannot be distinguished. But what it will do is further our understanding of two of the least understood psychological conditions. And in doing so improve their diagnosis and treatment.

I'll repeat I don't think everyone with autism, aspergers or any other ASD is a psychopath I think psychopaths are a subset. It should also be remembered that just like every autist isn't a psychopath that not every psychopath is a bad person. Psychopathy has a bad name it's a term laymen use to describe murderers, sadists terrorist and other bad people with no real understanding of the term. Maybe with defining psychopathy as part of the spectrum we can lift this terrible label from people who have that psychological defect.

Thoughts?

[ShadowWalker]

They have some characteristics in common, but they are completely different. The distinguishing factor is that sociopaths have no sense of remorse despite knowing that something is wrong by most people's standards. People with autism are often unable to determine how to act is specific social situations, but sociopaths can manipulate social situations quite easily.

[#FFFFFF Φ]

I lack morality, things you find in moral and wrong I find fine most of the time. I don't believe humans ever had morals, more that society just created morals as a code to live by. That doesn't mean that I am going to go kill people. No. However, I have no regret in life and never give a second thought to the things I do and say to people.

The best part is everyone that knows me says I am an awesome and generous person.

I believe there is a very fine line to it all.