A sociopath is someone who is antisocial in nature and has tremendous difficulty relating to other human beings. They don’t understand emotions and have often known to be narcissistic. Sociopaths have behavior that is influenced by their environments. (Better Health, 2018).
In this guided practice activity, you will watch the following two interviews with sociopaths and then explain where you feel they may fall with respect to trait tendencies according to the Big 5 Trait theory of personality. You will evaluate each person according to all five traits. You will be asked to explain your justification based on statements made in the videos. Please be advised this guided practice includes graphic content and language.
References
Better Heath. (2018). Sociopathy Articles. Retrieved from https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/sociopathy/
Instructions:
- Watch the Angela Simpson interview (12m58s)
- Watch the Richard Kuklinshi interview (8m16s)
The Big 5 Traits are listed below:
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
This guided practice activity involves evaluating two interviews with individuals who exhibit sociopathic tendencies and determining their personalities according to the Big 5 Trait theory. The activity will require the evaluation of both videos based on statements made by the individuals and their behaviors. The Big 5 Traits include Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
Answer:
The first interview with Angela Simpson reveals behaviors that indicate a lack of empathy and disregard for others. She displays traits of narcissism and superiority, which suggest low levels of Agreeableness and possibly Conscientiousness. However, she does not exhibit any signs of neuroticism or anxiousness, and the interview suggests a level of stability in her personality. The overall assessment of Angela Simpson would be low in Agreeableness, moderate in Conscientiousness, moderate in Extraversion, moderate in Openness, and low in Neuroticism.
In the second interview with Richard Kuklinski, his statements suggest a disregard for the law and a lack of empathy for others, indicating low levels of Agreeableness. He also appears to be very confident and outgoing, indicating a high level of Extraversion. His statements suggest that he is pragmatic and focused on the present rather than concerned with the future, indicating low levels of Conscientiousness. He exhibits a lack of remorse for his actions and a disregard for social norms that may suggest low levels of Openness. Lastly, he portrays fearlessness and lack of anxiety, indicating low levels of Neuroticism. The overall assessment of Richard Kuklinski would be low in Agreeableness, low in Conscientiousness, high in Extraversion, low in Openness, and low in Neuroticism.
