Key Difference – Narcissist vs Sociopath
A key difference between a narcissist and a sociopath is that a narcissist is a person who is overly self-involved, vain, and selfish, while a sociopath is a person who suffers from antisocial personality disorder. Both types of people usually have negative effects on society. Some characteristics of the two overlap, making it important to identify how they could be separated from each other.
Who is a Narcissist?
A narcissist is a person who is overly self-involved and usually vain and selfish. Egotism, pride, vanity, and selfishness are inseparable signs of a narcissist. The word Narcissist arises from Greek mythology, where Narcissus, a Greek youth, fell in love with his own reflection in a pool and turned into a flower while gazing at it. A narcissist is easily identified by characteristics such as obvious self-focus, problems in sustaining relationships, lack of empathy, hypersensitivity to insults and imaginary insults, heightened shame than guilt, detesting non-admirers, bragging and exaggerating own achievements, claiming to be an expert in many things, denial of gratitude, lack of respect for other people’s perspectives, pretending to be more important than they actually are, and flattery towards admirers. Psychologists identify different forms of narcissism, such as aggressive, collective, conversational, destructive, sexual, spiritual, and primordial. The severity of narcissism may vary depending on which form of narcissistic behavior is prominent. A healthy level of narcissism is not so bad because it allows a person to be confident and feel important. However, if a person is excessively narcissistic, it is considered a mental disorder called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NAD).
Who is a Sociopath?
A sociopath is a person who is suffering from antisocial personality disorder. They lack moral responsibility towards society. Some researchers say they have found abnormalities in the brain of sociopaths and believe that this behavior arises from wrong programming in the brain. Usually, sociopaths start showing disrespect for law and order and the rights of others from the age of 15 onwards. Characteristics and behaviors of a sociopath include superficial charm, extreme narcissism, secretiveness, pathological lying, lack of guilt or shame, shallow emotions, impulsiveness, unreliability, irresponsibility, being manipulative, paranoid, infidelity, and many others. These characteristics may overlap with the characteristics of a narcissist because extreme narcissism is a quality of a sociopath.
What is the difference between a Narcissist and a Sociopath?
Definitions of Narcissist and Sociopath:
Narcissist: A narcissist is a person who is overly self-involved and usually vain and selfish.
Sociopath: A sociopath is a person who is suffering from antisocial personality disorder.
Key Takeaways
- A narcissist is not always suffering from a personality disorder; it is only a character of extreme narcissism.
- A sociopath is a person who is suffering from antisocial personality disorder.
- A narcissist is not always a social threat, while a sociopath is considered a social threat most of the time.
