Sociopath

by Patric Gagne

temper and limited self-control, frequently storming out of meetings or screaming at staff members when she didn’t get what she wanted. But perhaps most different from me, Jennifer seemed to be highly erratic. This was particularly true when it came to her romantic relationships. Even the slightest perceived rejection would send her into a cognitive dissonant meltdown. “She sounds borderline,” Dr. Carlin surmised. I was at the therapist’s office for our weekly session. Curious about Jennifer’s personality type (and its similarities to mine), I’d asked for her take. “Borderline personality disorder is often confused with sociopathy,” she explained, “because a lot of the behavioral diagnostics are similar, the observational stuff. Unstable relationships, impulsivity, self-destructiveness, habitual emptiness, anger, hostility—many of those traits overlap. Same with narcissism, actually.” “But why is that the case,” I asked, “if we’re so different?” “Because your behavior is motivated by different things,” said Dr. Carlin. “Borderlines act out due to an abundance of feeling. Sociopaths