People with a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy, shallow emotions, and manipulative or harmful behavior toward others.
Combining 'socio-' (from Latin 'socius' meaning 'companion/society') and 'path' (from Greek 'pathos' meaning 'feeling/disease'). The term emerged in psychology in the early 1900s to describe antisocial personality disorder.
About 1-3% of people meet clinical criteria for sociopathy, but Hollywood gets it wrong—real sociopaths often succeed in business and politics precisely because they're charming and strategic, not theatrical villains.
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