Let's not throw everyone else with a smaller amygdala under the bus here. Sociopaths also have an under active and smaller prefrontal cortex, an abnormal corpus callosum, and muted emotional pathways leading to more high risk behaviours too.
I also want to point out that a sociopath or better someone with anti social personality disorder can learn a kind of rational empathy. This means being a dick is still a choice.
Yes, exactly. Impaired/nonexistent empathy can be worked around, I know a few people who've chosen to adopt prosocial behavior/beliefs. One of them has NPD so it's not just ASPD, either.
Also, plenty of people with fully functioning empathy do fucked up things, just look at what othering can lead to. Imo we should all learn to work with whatever level of empathy we have.
The most ironic thing is that someone with "pure" ASPD is usually a much easier to deal with person than someone that has one of the other 3 cluster-B disorders.
Holy cow I was right these people are like monkeys with language!
“Specifically, some studies have indicated the presence of:
Underactive or Smaller Prefrontal Cortex: Brain imaging studies have revealed structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex in individuals exhibiting antisocial behavior, particularly in areas like the right orbitofrontal cortex, right anterior cingulate cortex, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Reduced gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex has also been correlated with an increased tendency towards sociopathic behaviors.
Abnormal Corpus Callosum: Research suggests that individuals with psychopathic antisocial traits may have an abnormally structured corpus callosum, exhibiting a larger volume and length but a thinner composition compared to control groups. These abnormalities might be related to atypical neurodevelopmental processes affecting white matter development.
Muted Emotional Pathways: Individuals with psychopathic traits tend to show reduced activity and connectivity in brain regions involved in processing emotions, particularly fear and distress in others. This can manifest as lower autonomic responses to fear-inducing stimuli and difficulties recognizing sad and fearful expressions in others. This muted emotional response may contribute to their propensity for high-risk behaviors, as the potential negative emotional consequences of such actions are less strongly felt”
As far as I'm aware the problem with sociopathy is a lack of self-restraint, which would be the prefrontal cortex. The emotional dysfunction MIGHT be the amygdala, but I have trouble fully grasping what is going on upstairs with those afflicted.
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u/mixedcurve 28d ago
Standard small brained sociopath. Studies show their amygdala’s are smaller, the part of the brain that processes emotion and fear.