You all must know Joker, from the Batman series: bleached face, green hair, and facetious smile on his face. If you search on google, you will see that he is also one of the scariest villains of Hollywood, which is quite a great feat considering how vast and immensely populated that field is. Arthur Fleck aka Joker, an abused child, was not genetically of an unsound mind. His surroundings and his environment made him the person he was.
Considering how he was aggressive and unstable, people call him a psychopath. However, in my opinion, Joker is a sociopath; somebody who is impulsive and spontaneous lacks the need to care about external appearances and is generally unstable, but mostly somebody who was made so because of nurture in their surroundings and tragedies.
A psychopath is a person who is aggressive, unstable, and suffers from a chronic medical disorder. On the other hand, a sociopath is a person who has a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior.
Incorrectly, these terms are used interchangeably, especially in countries where mental health and mental disorders are not given that much importance.
Living in the 21st century, we are privileged enough to have a lot of information and knowledge about such things. Calling somebody “psycho” or “sociopath” just because we think that they are doing something that does not follow the societal agreement is not okay. As humans, even though we are aware, we tend to forget things. And generally, we do so according to our comfort. We have considered these terms as mere name-calls rather than acknowledging them for their gravity. The basic difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is that the latter has no conscience, while the former has it. Psychopaths believe that their actions are justified and feel no remorse for the consequences. They are cold-blooded and calculative with a definite plan of action and are naturally so. Deceit and manipulation being central to both of them, it is very rare for a common person to recognize a fellow psychopath or sociopath.
The basic difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is that the latter has no conscience whereas the former has a conscience, albeit weak. Basically, psychopaths believe that their actions are justified and feel no remorse whatsoever for the consequences. They are cold-blooded and calculative with a definite plan of action and are naturally so. Deceit and manipulation being central to both of them, it is very rare for a common person to recognize a fellow psychopath or sociopath.
According to research, up to 3% of the population may qualify for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. This disorder is more common among males and mostly seen in people with an alcohol or substance abuse problem, or in forensic settings such as prisons. Psychopaths tend to be more manipulative; so, they can be seen as more charming. Sociopaths tend to be more erratic, rage-prone, and unable to lead as much of a normal life. When sociopaths engage in criminal activity, they tend to do so in a reckless manner without regard to consequences.
In conclusion, psychopaths and sociopaths are not quite different. They are stereotyped as criminals and individuals that are more likely to be violent. But no person will experience the world the exact same way as another. They either help you get better or turn you into something worse.