Charles Dickens novel “Great Expectations” Essay Sample

1% of the population.

The media highlights sociopathy, which affects 3% of the population, and anorexia, an eating disorder that is found in 3.43% of the population.

Both anorexia and sociopathy are mental disorders, but they differ in terms of societal awareness. Anorexia is widely acknowledged as a common issue, while sociopathy remains relatively unfamiliar to many individuals. Sociopathy is categorized as a personality disorder in the DSM-IV and is frequently used interchangeably with antisocial personality disorder and mental illness. As per the DSM-IV guidelines, sociopathy entails a persistent absence of empathy and indifference towards others' rights.

While psychopaths and sociopaths have similarities, they also have notable differences. Psychopaths lack a conscience but form strong emotional bonds with others, resulting in the manifestation of certain traits. In contrast, sociopaths gradually become indifferent to others' emotions and consistently ignore societal norms, regulations, and duties. Additionally, they face difficulty in sustaining lasting relationships.

Psychopaths have a knack for easily creating , but they struggle with handling disappointment and often display aggression, resorting to violence. Additionally, they are unable to feel guilt or learn from past experiences, especially when it comes to facing consequences. Moreover, they frequently place blame on others or provide excuses for their behavior, which ultimately leads to conflicts with society. Now let's take a closer look at each of these characteristics.

Sociopaths have a dearth of emotions and empathy towards others, making it challenging for them to comprehend or connect with the experiences of others except on a rational level. The worries and feelings of other individuals hold no significance to sociopaths, enabling them to partake in behavior that normal people find abhorrent.

Sociopaths are not only perplexing, but they

also see people as objects to be used for their own satisfaction. They primarily target the weak and vulnerable, whom they mock instead of showing empathy towards. Sociopaths consistently display irresponsibility by actively disregarding societal rules and morals.

An ongoing desire for excitement often leads psychopaths to disregard societal norms and break the law or harm animals. The lack of emotions that psychopaths experience is partly responsible for their rejection of society's regulations.

Psychopaths must engage in actions that are considered immoral, disgusting, or inhumane in order to experience a level of excitement that normal individuals consider as typical. Sociopaths do not value duties and commitments, as promises like "I'll never cheat on you again" hold no weight for them. The irresponsibility and unreliability exhibited by psychopaths manifest in all aspects of their lives.

From their occupations to their relationships and household life, sociopaths perceive the regulations and ordinances established by society as obstacles to their lives, systematically disregarding them to further their own goals. This is achieved through their adept manipulation skills.

Sociopaths have a reputation for swiftly forming relationships, which typically deteriorate when the victim uncovers their true psychopathic nature or when the psychopath no longer benefits from the relationship and decides to terminate it. The ability to be charming and shallow, coupled with eloquence, is a prominent trait among sociopaths.

Psychopaths have the charming skill of captivating others with their engaging and entertaining conversations. Their talent for narrating fascinating stories, even if they seem unlikely, has a persuasive effect. Consequently, people are attracted to psychopaths because of their ability to manipulate others through their smooth demeanor. However, as victims gradually discover the deceitful character of psychopaths, these

relationships inevitably fall apart.

Despite being married and having children, individuals will end a relationship with a psychopath once they no longer see any benefits. Psychopaths display impulsive behavior and a lack of self-control, frequently failing to consider the advantages and disadvantages before making decisions.

When asked about their motivations, individuals frequently answer with the statement "I did it because I wanted to." Nevertheless, sociopaths display a lack of anticipation and show minimal concern for the consequences their actions will have on their own lives.

There is a distinction between psychopaths and sociopaths in terms of their capacity to control their actions when confronted with perceived mistreatment. While the majority of people are capable of refraining from responding violently, psychopaths do not possess this ability.

Sociopaths display a high level of unpredictability and are prone to responding aggressively when confronted with criticism, disappointment, discipline, threats, or verbal abuse. They can quickly become overwhelmed by even the smallest provocation.

Sociopaths, regardless of the extent of their actions, lack the ability to experience guilt and are not influenced by possible repercussions.

Sociopaths consciously choose to engage in immoral or unethical behavior, disregarding the moral compass of others.

Despite their ability to manipulate others, sociopaths consider individuals with morals as inferior and lack any remorse for the harm they inflict. A psychopath who has murdered several young women stated that guilt is simply a means of controlling people and is not real.

Employing guilt as a method of societal manipulation is an unhealthy behavior with negative consequences. There are alternative, more successful strategies to impact our organic systems without relying on guilt. As an illustration, there was an incident involving a person exhibiting psychopathic

traits who allowed their partner to sexually exploit their five-year-old daughter. The individual justified this action by citing exhaustion and unpreparedness for additional sexual engagement on that specific evening.

Psychopaths possess the ability to skillfully evade trouble and handle situations with caution. They might acknowledge experiencing remorse for their deeds, including murder; however, upon further scrutiny, they assert that they did not genuinely experience "internal distress." Conversely, sociopaths do not allow the fear of repercussions to hinder them from engaging in criminal behavior.

Psychopaths, who lack foresight and future planning, may be subject to capital punishment, while sociopaths have a high chance of repeating offenses and will persist in criminal behavior until they are either executed or given a life sentence.

Sociopaths often avoid taking responsibility for their wrongdoings and invent false explanations for their actions, even if they are not truthful. Their upbringing has led them to attribute their behavior to external factors, with the aim of gaining sympathy and forgiveness while also deceiving others. Using lies is a common strategy they employ to justify their conduct.

Psychopaths frequently employ straightforward alibis to rationalize their actions, such as the excuse "My mother is sick and in need of money," typically for theft. These individuals possess an innate ability to skillfully elude capture, thanks to their exceptional skills in manipulation.

Although the aforementioned features are prevalent in numerous psychopaths, it is the consistent absence of morals, emotions, and remorse that remain constant for all psychopaths, along with their capability (and willingness) to manipulate. A scientific experiment was conducted to examine if a sociopath's brain exhibits visibly distinct behavior compared to that of a typical individual.

Participants in this trial simply had

to sit in a chair while various words appeared on a screen in front of them. These words included emotional terms like love, hatred, and cozy.

Causing pain. Feeling joyful. The mother of a female offspring (also known as a mother) appeared suddenly. Also, non-personal words (like a chair and a brick).

12. Afterwards, an EEG (EEG) was utilized to measure the brain wave activity of the individuals participating in the experiment. Ordinary individuals responded quickly to the emotional words and processed them using a distinct area of the brain compared to when processing neutral words.

Psychopaths lack the ability to differentiate between emotional and impersonal words in a reaction clip, indicating a clear deficit in emotional experience and understanding. Furthermore, a significant number of psychopaths end up becoming criminals, with approximately 20% of all prisoners being psychopaths, and psychopaths being responsible for 50% of all serious offenses.

Although a significant portion, many psychopaths avoid committing crimes for which they can be prosecuted. Instead, most sociopaths manipulate individuals to obtain money while staying just within legal boundaries. However, these psychopaths still manage to destroy the lives of numerous people they encounter.

Leaving a path of shredded hearts and empty wallets in their wake, sociopaths often depend on their manipulative abilities to navigate life. Estella, portrayed in Charles Dickens' novel "Great Expectations," exhibits numerous traits commonly associated with psychopathy.

and would most likely receive a diagnosis of psychopathy from a psychologist.