She's Home!!! (Very Long Version)

Sadly, I cannot suggest that she get counselling, because she believes the
problem is with the rest of the world.

Therapy can be considered training for dealing with the sick world out there.
Then again, MY mom IS a psychologist--maybe you are better off with your mom
untrained.
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

So I win.


damn right.
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

Kathy....is your mom a sociopath?
~~
Sooz
-------
"Selective deafness, it's a wonderful thing." ~Kathy N-V
ESBC
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html
~ Bead Notes: Beading information A - Z
http://www.lampwork.net/beadnotes.html

Yeah, that would be about it. She does show an inordinate concern for people
she considers her "betters," and wants to be in their good graces at all times.
But it's a wierd way of sucking up

I think it is far more likely that this is a result of her own past traumas and
is a learned survival skill rather than any type of antisocial behavior. You
and your family still have a relationship with her, which says a lot to me.

Carol in SLC
My new stuff: http://members.aol.com/carolinslc/emma.jpg

A more common version of this (less anti-social) is the Narcissistic
Personality disorder. The most salient characteristic is the inability to
see anything from another point of view, to be aware of a sense of self and
independent value in others.

Tina


"Dr. Sooz" wrote in message
...
She hasn't knifed anyone and doesn't run down
old ladies on purpose.

Well, that would be people who've committed assault.

Some (brief) info on sociopathic behavior in humans:

Antisocial Personality Disorder is also known as psychopathy or
sociopathy.
Individuals with this disorder have little regard for the feeling and
welfare
of others.

There are ten general symptoms:

~ not learning from experience
~ no sense of responsibility
~ inability to form meaningful relationships
~ inability to control impulses
~ lack of moral sense
~ chronically antisocial behavior
~ no change in behavior after punishment
~ emotional immaturity
~ lack of guilt
~ self-centeredness

They do not consider other people's wishes, welfare or rights. They can be
manipulative and may lie to gain personal pleasure or profit.

There are many theories about the cause of Antisocial Personality
Disorder including experiencing neglectful parenting as a child, low
levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, and belief that
antisocial behavior is justified because of difficult circumstances.
Psychotherapy, group therapy, and family therapy are common treatments.
The
effects of medical treatment are inconclusive.
Unfortunately, most people with Antisocial Personality Disorder reject
treatment. Therefore, recovery rates are low.

~~
Sooz
-------
Let the beauty we love be what we do. --Rumi
I'm not a hamster, and life's not a wheel. --Sooz
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

The not taking responsibility, is more a matter of "owning" her actions and
the consequences thereof. I imagine the sense of responsibility your mother
feels has more to do with a sense of authority.

Tina


"Kathy N-V" wrote in message
.com...
On Sat, 9 Aug 2003 2:52:31 -0400, Dr. Sooz wrote
(in message ):


Antisocial Personality Disorder is also known as psychopathy or
sociopathy.
Individuals with this disorder have little regard for the feeling and
welfare
of others.

Yeah, that would be about it. She does show an inordinate concern for
people
she considers her "betters," and wants to be in their good graces at all
times. But it's a wierd way of sucking up, completely transparent to all
that
she doesn't _really_ care, but wants to be seen as caring. (If that makes
any sense at all)

There are ten general symptoms:

not learning from experience
no sense of responsibility
inability to form meaningful relationships
inability to control impulses
lack of moral sense
chronically antisocial behavior
no change in behavior after punishment
emotional immaturity
lack of guilt
self-centeredness

Not all those symptoms all the time, but most of them most of the time.
Can't tell you about punishment - she's an adult, and doesn't break the
law.
There isn't any punishment that she's getting that I know of. The sense
of
responsibility thing has me thrown - she has an inappropriate sense of
responsibility, not no sense altogether.

When I was smushed by the truck, she came down to see me briefly in the
ER,
then went back upstairs to work, so she wouldn't miss a deadline. (She
works
at a Famous Boston Hospital, the one where I was taken) I was way more
dead
than alive, and spent a year at that hospital, you'd think she'd have been
right by my side. Naah, she was more concerned that I wasn't disturbing
her
cow orkers by crying and getting me the most famous surgeons to put me
together. The icky, unglamorous part: learning to walk again, dealing
through months of constant migraines, all the follow up surgeries to
repair
my face: that didn't even hit the radar screen. At the end, Mom was
quite
proud that she had exceeded her department's financial goals each month
while
I was hospitalized.


They do not consider other people's wishes, welfare or rights. They can
be
manipulative and may lie to gain personal pleasure or profit.

Yeah, that would be about it.

Unfortunately, most people with Antisocial Personality Disorder reject
treatment. Therefore, recovery rates are low.

So sad.

I have a problem calling my mother a psychopath -- chronic pain in the
ass,
absolutely. The word psychopath involves some really strong images in
me,
none of which fit my vain, fastidious, overly controlling mother.

Kathy N-V

And remember -- this is a set of symptoms. Not all sociopaths have all the
symptoms -- in fact, I bet most of them don't carry a full set. That would be
rather unusual.

The sense of
responsibility thing has me thrown - she has an inappropriate sense of
responsibility, not no sense altogether.

There are ten general symptoms:

not learning from experience
no sense of responsibility
inability to form meaningful relationships
inability to control impulses
lack of moral sense
chronically antisocial behavior
no change in behavior after punishment
emotional immaturity
lack of guilt
self-centeredness




~~
Sooz
-------
Let the beauty we love be what we do. --Rumi
I'm not a hamster, and life's not a wheel. --Sooz
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

A more common version of this (less anti-social) is the Narcissistic
Personality disorder. The most salient characteristic is the inability to
see anything from another point of view, to be aware of a sense of self and
independent value in others.


That's MY mother to a T. I have seen her laugh at other peoples pain - fall
down laughing in fact. To me that is BIZARRE.
Plus she's got some paranoid in there as well - the whole world is out to screw
her. With a computer if they can.

Cheri
(Bubbee to Emily and Nathan)

. Nancy Reagan looks like a living Bobblehead. Scary.

ooh, good observation!!!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

In article ,
uppies (Dr. Sooz) writes:

Antisocial Personality Disorder is also known as psychopathy or sociopathy.
Individuals with this disorder have little regard for the feeling and welfare
of others.

There are ten general symptoms:

~ not learning from experience
~ no sense of responsibility
~ inability to form meaningful relationships
~ inability to control impulses
~ lack of moral sense
~ chronically antisocial behavior
~ no change in behavior after punishment
~ emotional immaturity
~ lack of guilt
~ self-centeredness

They do not consider other people's wishes, welfare or rights. They can be
manipulative and may lie to gain personal pleasure or profit.

There are many theories about the cause of Antisocial Personality
Disorder including experiencing neglectful parenting as a child, low
levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, and belief that
antisocial behavior is justified because of difficult circumstances.
Psychotherapy, group therapy, and family therapy are common treatments. The
effects of medical treatment are inconclusive.
Unfortunately, most people with Antisocial Personality Disorder reject
treatment. Therefore, recovery rates are low.


Sounds like #1 son.... except the "lack of moral sense" and "chronically
antisocial behavior"-- he has "moral sense", it's just that his "wants" come
first. And he's very social... charming... has lots and lots of "friends".
Within 5 minutes of meeting somebody "cool", s/he's a "friend".... And I don't
think too many people would say he experienced "neglectful parenting as a
child".....
His dx is/was: ADHD with ODD, Bi-polar mixed type; the "bi-polar" MAY be an
artifact of the medications he was on. Childhood dx of ODD often can become
adult APD-- hopefully, all the therapy and "excessive" parental supervision
(his opinion...) has helped prevent THAT....
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/simplexities