POLL: Do you know any sociopaths?

[Simon C]

You're more talking about something called antisocial personality disorder, though the 'disorder' part is hotly contested. A lot of mental health professionals believe that it isn't a disorder, but just another personality type.

Sociopathy, psychopathy, and antisocial personality disorder are not all the same thing. They're similar, but not identical.

Yes I do know someone like that - myself. There are a number of possible causes, but the individuals I went to during my teen years never had no consensus on what that cause would be.

It's not exactly true about the empathy bit. Yes it's true that no empathy is felt towards others, but that's only a symptom of what is really going on. People with ASPD simply don't form any kind of emotional bonds or connections to others, and *that* is why there's no empathy.