Not always. Severe childhood abuse can lead to sociopathy because the child becomes so preoccupied with survival that he or she never has the chance to be truly socialized, to learn how "right" and "wrong" work. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a child who has had every wish gratified, and has never had any limits put on behavior can turn out the same way.
In any event, I'm not talking about sociopaths. I'm talking about behavior that mimics that of the sociopath -- the same lack of empathy, the tendency towards self-justification, instant gratification, refusing to learn from mistakes, blaming the victim, etc.
And yes, I will agree with you that human beings who have not been damaged as true sociopaths are, but engage in behavior similar to sociopaths, are the closest thing to true evil. (Ever seen the movie M, with Peter Lorre? That's a point that film makes.)
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Date: 11/4/10 23:17 (UTC)Not always. Severe childhood abuse can lead to sociopathy because the child becomes so preoccupied with survival that he or she never has the chance to be truly socialized, to learn how "right" and "wrong" work. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a child who has had every wish gratified, and has never had any limits put on behavior can turn out the same way.
In any event, I'm not talking about sociopaths. I'm talking about behavior that mimics that of the sociopath -- the same lack of empathy, the tendency towards self-justification, instant gratification, refusing to learn from mistakes, blaming the victim, etc.
And yes, I will agree with you that human beings who have not been damaged as true sociopaths are, but engage in behavior similar to sociopaths, are the closest thing to true evil. (Ever seen the movie M, with Peter Lorre? That's a point that film makes.)