>>115819067The main issue I have is neither are used very often anymore in literature, because they're super vague. Traditionally, a psychopath is someone experiencing a mental disorder and is violent. A sociopath is someone who doesn't care what others think.
So, a schizophrenic having a break and attacking a ghost who turns out to be their sister: psychopath. A depressed person who decides to kill themselves and take others with them: psychopath.
Not actually a useful descriptor to cluster the two together because they are significantly different backgrounds, reasons, types, whatever.
A sociopath is traditionally someone who doesn't care enough. So, someone not sad enough, by whatever definition of enough you chose to use, about their mother dying: sociopath.
Someone who manipulates people over time to get what they want, regardless of how it impacts the other person: sociopath.
Also very different pathologies.
I have a lot of issues with the personality disorder definition of Sociopath as well, but it is at least moving towards a precise definition.
Psychopath barely means anything, and someone having a psychotic break is so varied in affect that it's not worth generalizing about.
Both psychopath and sociopath are just not that useful as terms, and are frequently used more as vague slurs against a person than anything precise that can be discussed.
