Essay on Psychopathy Disorder

The mental condition is associated with abnormal ratios of testosterone to cortisol in the body (Patrick, 2014). The hormonal imbalance results from development during young age. Prenatal conditions such as smoking can cause individuals to develop an imbalance in the two hormones, increasing the chances for the development of psychopathy. Genetic characteristics can also predispose some individuals to the development of the disorder. Individuals suffering from the disorder are associated with several characteristics. Sociopathy is characterized by the occurrence of certain antisocial behavior such as lying, manipulativeness, and aggressiveness. Sociopaths share the same characteristics as people suffering from antisocial personality behavior, which has led to the terms sociopaths and psychopaths to be used interchangeably. However, the main difference between sociopaths and the people suffering from antisocial personality disorder lies in the conscience which lacks among the people suffering from antisocial personality disorders (Pemment, 2013).