sociopath

A vague term used to define a person with any one of a range of antisocial or dissocial behaviors. A sociopath is usually disconnected from other people on an emotional level and is incapable of experiencing empathy. Sociopaths are not necessarily immoral or amoral people, however, and can function well in certain positions where a lack of empathy is advantageous. For example, moral sociopaths make good court judges because they interpret the law as it is and treat the people involved as objects. Moral sociopaths also make good doctors in the sense they treat the patient as an object to be repaired and do not let emotions distract them or interfere with their work. Sociopaths can, of course, lack morals and in this way tend to engage in amoral or immoral acts of self interest. This type of sociopath is dangerous on some levels as they tend not to view other people as "real" people and have no problem killing or harming them.