Self diagnosed sociopath
Well, my wife is the one who told me she thinks I am one, and I think she was right on the money. We found multiple symptom lists and checked every box on each of them. This is my first post on here, and I wanted to ask the group if you guys know of any strategies to help mitigate my sociopathic traits. Also, how do I stop hurting people (especially my wife and kids)? I don't hurt them physically but I hurt them mentally more often than not.
@radioguy2013
It's good you are being honest about hurting them emotionally.
Taking accountability can be the first step forward.
Not making excuses.
Doing better.
Getting help.
It's important though for you and your wife to not diagnose, as many things can display similarly .
💛
@radioguy2013
Hi there 💜 It's praiseworthy that you're noticing some problems with what you're doing and trying to figure out what to do about it to protect other people.
I think maybe the approach to stopping hurting people might depend on what exactly is happening.
Is it like you're not expecting an action to hurt people and you get surprised/caught off-guard by their reactions? Or more like you're feeling anger or have trouble controlling impulses, and you say/do things with the expectation that people might not like it, but it doesn't feel like it matters enough to stop you?
In terms of anger/impulse control, strategies from CBT and DBT might be helpful, or a therapist could potentially help. This link is a masterpost with information about various DBT skills:
https://www.7cups.com/forum/personalitydisorders/Resources_2667/DBTuesdayMasterpost_274756/
In terms of hurting others but it not mattering, maybe the motivational angle would be enlightened self-interest. I've chatted with some other people on 7 Cups with ASPD or conduct disorder in the past who were getting into trouble with school, the law, family members, etc. and a common theme was that they were able to stop themselves from acting out just by recognizing it was a massive headache every time they got in trouble with other people and it didn't feel like it was worth the annoyance.