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Mental Health

The Psychopath Show

Connecticut Public Radio | By Colin McEnroe,
Chion Wolf, Betsy Kaplan
Published November 13, 2014 at 10:00 AM EST
Wikimedia Commons

You know lots of sociopaths right?

It could be anyone from your ex-spouse to the guy who cut you off on your drive to work today. It's a term we throw around loosely to refer to anyone whoever lied to us or didn't follow the rules. 

But, if we use it that way, it's not a very useful term. A sociopath is not the same thing as a jerk. In fact, the person you know who strikes you as a jerk is probably not a sociopath because it's not in the best interests of sociopaths to let you know what kind of people they are and sociopaths are usually pretty good about acting in their own best interests.

So, what does this term mean?

Today, you'll meet a writer and self-proclaimed sociopath and a researcher who studies the mechanisms behind psychopathic behavior. 

Leave your comments below, email us at colin@wnpr.org, or tweet us @wnprcolin.

**Allison Ehrenreich produced today's show, which originally aired on August 14. 2014**

GUESTS:

  • Arielle Baskin-Sommers is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale, interested in the ways in which psychopaths can be trained to process emotion better
  • M.E. Thomas wrote the book Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Hiding in Plain Sight and runs the popular blog sociopathworld.com

SONGS:
Mental Health
Colin McEnroe
Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
See stories by Colin McEnroe
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.
See stories by Chion Wolf
Betsy Kaplan
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.
See stories by Betsy Kaplan

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Protect Connecticut Public