Confessions of a sociopath

One in every 25 people in the world suffer from sociopathy

It should not come as a surprise that if someone you know suffers from sociopathy. One in every 25 people in the world do. You may want to dismiss any preconceived notions that come to mind when you read the word sociopath, if you want to understand them. Not all of them have criminal or violent tendencies, and some fit in quite well into society and in fact, even excel at high-stress, entrepreneurial jobs. Or so I am told, in the autobiography of M E Thomas titled Confessions of a Sociopath, which does a fantastic job of giving great insight into the thoughts and functioning of someone with this disorder.

Mental disorders are not given enough attention in Pakistan. They are ignored because they are misunderstood, and they are misunderstood because people having these disorders are shunned. People generally do not realise that those suffering from mental disorders, depending on the severity of the disorder, can manage their lives by working through the disorder’s effects. If nothing else, they can obtain prescription drugs from a psychiatrist to help them.

Interestingly, sociopaths have some traits that are sought after by employers of large corporations. Dr Robert Hare, a renowned researcher on sociopathy, believes that “a sociopath is four times more likely to be at the top of the corporate ladder than in the janitor’s closet, due to the close match between the personality traits of sociopaths and the unusual demands of high-powered jobs”. Some of the traits include lacking empathy, being manipulative, becoming bored easily, cunningness, confidence, and the ability to not get bothered by continuous direct eye contact. They are also experts at appearing to have the full range of sensitivities, so they appear to be charming as well. It is easy to see how these traits can help someone achieve corporate success.

Another distinction people fail to make is that even though a sociopath can utilise these traits in an office or work environment, they can reach an evolved state of self, where they can choose when to behave a certain way just like everyone else. This means that they do not necessarily use their sociopath traits negatively with family and friends and they are not always trying to manipulate someone. I do not mean to say that they do not suffer from their sociopathy or that it is a gift, rather my intention here was to display the flip side of the coin.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2014.