On Nov 20, 2007, at 2:20 PM, hugheshugo wrote:
--- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Another point might be that if we categorise Hitler as a sociopath > > isn't that the same kind of pushing him away as the conspiracy > > theorists do. Another way of saying we're safe because he aint like > > us. > > > > > I think the different way we are looking at this, and that includes > Turq, is that you both seem to be taking a philosophical stand on the > concept, but psychiatrists are taking a clinical approach. Telling a > family that their son's interest in torturing kittens is just him > expressing his dark side doesn't help. The model evolved by treating > patients who display certain recognizable symptoms. If you are > counseling a person who lacks a capacity for empathy and cannot relate > to the question, "how does your action make another person feel?", > there is a problem for that person to develop relationships of any > kind. But all of modern psych is a POV. It is one I appreciate but > it is not for everyone I guess. > I'm sure there is such a thing as sociopathy, I just think it can be overused to describe anyone who's selfish, nasty etc. From what I've read, the task of clinical diagnosis is quite involved and can only be applied by a qualified doctor (according to the his book) as it is easy to misdiagnose.
Check out Reactive Attachment Disorder. It's what I've heard some people describe in regard to Hitler. Untreated, they can develop into sociopaths (for which see Antisocial Personality Disorder).
