An outdated term for a person with antisocial personality disorder.
Typically, it’s used to refer to those with the symptom of reckless behaviour due to severe
boredom. It is now considered a “slur” towards those with ASPD, as it is most commonly used as an insult.
People with ASPD often
don’
t feel empathy or sympathy in the same way others do, which leads to them being regarded as evil or inhumane.
Some synonyms for the insult version include:
cold-hearted, reckless, uncaring, self-absorbed, unpredictable, untrustworthy, inhumane
Other offensive terms towards those with ASPD include: antisocial, psychopath, psycho
Insult: He was such a sociopath!
Medical (outdated): She was a sociopath, not a psychopath, because she was unpredictable and wouldn’
t think things through
Correct usage:
- “They called me a sociopath”
- “Some might say I’m a sociopath but I
don’
t think that word in particular is accurate”
- “The word ‘sociopath’ annoys me”
- “He called his own daughter a sociopath”
- “Just because I have ASPD doesn’
t mean I’m a ‘sociopath’”