Why are people more interested in psychopaths and sociopaths than empaths?

[Lark]

Why do you think that people are more interested in psychopaths or sociopaths than empaths? Why does emoting, feeling and sensitivity get such a bad reputation while reason, thinking and cold indifference are highly thought of? Why is health and strength associated with the later and illness and weakness with the former?

Do you think that the internet culture favours high cognitive empathy and low affective empathy?

 

[Z Buck McFate]

I think I've noticed something like low affective/high cognitive psychopathy getting romanticized/idealized among the younger people who seem to believe such a thing can exist with strong, almost zen-like ethical parameters keeping the baser impulses (e.g. retaliating in anger over minor ego blows) in check. This belief *seems* to follow from a fictional trend of characters that make it seem like such a thing is possible. But as far as real life experience and everything I've read about low affective/high cognitive goes, I wouldn't trust such a person to anything outside of doing what's in their own best interest.

 

[Coriolis]

Why do you think that people are more interested in psychopaths or sociopaths than empaths?

Perhaps because psychopaths and sociopaths cause more problems than empaths. We don't need to focus the same kind of attention on the latter.

 

[LightSun]

I think this is a generalization. Now for entertainment purposes on film there are those who follow psychotic killer films with enthusiasm. I personally am of the sound conviction that as a balance both reason and empathy should be trained and instilled in us at a young age. I admire an empathetic person. it is a gift. Whereas a sociopath is a disease.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Because they are the minority and that is mysterious and intriguing.

 

[Forever]

The answer is in your post OP.

 

[Lark]

I think I've noticed something like low affective/high cognitive psychopathy getting romanticized/idealized among the younger people who seem to believe such a thing can exist with strong, almost zen-like ethical parameters keeping the baser impulses (e.g. retaliating in anger over minor ego blows) in check. This belief *seems* to follow from a fictional trend of characters that make it seem like such a thing is possible. But as far as real life experience and everything I've read about low affective/high cognitive goes, I wouldn't trust such a person to anything outside of doing what's in their own best interest.

Which fictional characters do you imagine conform to that? What are their sources? I know that the author who created Hannibal Lector said most of the fans of his creation had a totally unrealistic and out of touch impression of the character when they protested that his later books featuring the guy "reduced him to a mere psychological case", he said his entire point all along was that he was a mere "psychological case" and people were meant to be fans of the empath, the cop in Red Dragon.

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Perhaps because psychopaths and sociopaths cause more problems than empaths. We don't need to focus the same kind of attention on the latter.

They are interesting because they cause problems?

 

[Poki]

Why do you think that people are more interested in psychopaths or sociopaths than empaths? Why does emoting, feeling and sensitivity get such a bad reputation while reason, thinking and cold indifference are highly thought of? Why is health and strength associated with the later and illness and weakness with the former?

Do you think that the internet culture favours high cognitive empathy and low affective empathy?

I see people trying to fix psychopaths and sociopaths and not empaths...I don't understand your connections at all between "interesting" "thinking" "psychopath" "healthy". Psychopath and psociopath is a referred in DSM-V as "anti-social personality disorder". I am not aware of "empath" being in DSM-V.

People are always interested in WTF people...it sells almost as good as sex sells.

 

[Poki]

Because they are the minority and that is mysterious and intriguing.

Could you imagine a world where they were not the minority

 

[Poki]

ok...lets paint 2 pictures.

A room full of "sociopaths"...who is the last one standing

A room full of "empaths"...who feels first?

I mean, common, which is more interesting to watch.

 

[Coriolis]

They are interesting because they cause problems?

It behooves us to pay attention to something that is a potential threat or source of problems, yes. We need to understand it to be able to address or defend against it if need be.

Most animals and insects in my area leave my herb garden alone. Occasionally, there are green and black caterpillars that eat the dill plants down to bare stems in just a few days. As a result, I tend to focus on these, and ignore the other critters.

 

[Lark]

I think this is a generalization. Now for entertainment purposes on film there are those who follow psychotic killer films with enthusiasm. I personally am of the sound conviction that as a balance both reason and empathy should be trained and instilled in us at a young age. I admire an empathetic person. it is a gift. Whereas a sociopath is a disease.

Interesting, I agree, although it would not be the view that's trending online, I've seen more threads about psychopaths and sociopaths on this forum, even ones about narcissists and manipulative types/machavellians, than empaths, in fact I this is the only thread on empaths, or were they got a mention.

Plus supposed sensitivity is attacked all the time, the main forms of aggression online are minimised as "its just words", provocation is fine, free speech even, though taking exception or offense is not, I dont even mean any idea of offense deserving sanction or control or censure but just feeling or experiencing offense per se.

Publishing seems to have the same preoccupation, I saw the "Good Psychopaths Guide" or something along those lines in a Tescos lately but I never did see any guides for or about empaths, I did read a good book lately about the highly sensitive person which mentions empaths but does so in order to say that a lot of esoteric or self-help guides talk about empaths in psychic or mystical terms but instead we're going to talk about research on empathy.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Could you imagine a world where they were not the minority

This should be a book/movie.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Perhaps because psychopaths and sociopaths cause more problems than empaths. We don't need to focus the same kind of attention on the latter.

This.

 

[Lark]

It behooves us to pay attention to something that is a potential threat or source of problems, yes. We need to understand it to be able to address or defend against it if need be.

Most animals and insects in my area leave my herb garden alone. Occasionally, there are green and black caterpillars that eat the dill plants down to bare stems in just a few days. As a result, I tend to focus on these, and ignore the other critters.

OK, sure.

Still, I think there's plenty of Jokers, I'd rather hear from a Batman which upstages them one of these days.

Where are the all the Skywalkers?!

 

[Lark]

Because they are the minority and that is mysterious and intriguing.

Empaths are plentiful?!

Were do you live PD because it sounds like an awesome place

 

[Lark]

ok...lets paint 2 pictures.

A room full of "sociopaths"...who is the last one standing

A room full of "empaths"...who feels first?

I mean, common, which is more interesting to watch.

Glad you were able to make the party man, I was worrying no one would be able to illustrate my point in another post.

 

[Poki]

Glad you were able to make the party man, I was worrying no one would be able to illustrate my point in another post.

I fail to see your connection from "interesting" to "healthy". now if you said "cool" then yeah I can see the connection to "interesting". But your "interesting" to "thoughts" to "anti-feeling" to "healthy" is a stretch that snaps the rubber band because you pulled it WAY to far trying to make the connection that doesn't fit.

 

[Lark]

I fail to see your connection from "interesting" to "healthy". now if you said "cool" then yeah I can see the connection to "interesting". But your "interesting" to "thoughts" to "anti-feeling" to "healthy" is a stretch that snaps the rubber band because you pulled it WAY to far trying to make the connection that doesn't fit.

I confess to not speaking this particular language.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Empaths are plentiful?! Were do you live PD because it sounds like an awesome place

That's actually a good point.
Where do I fall on the cold and heartless scale? Ah nevermind, I don't actually care.