With estimates of sociopaths as high as 4% of the general, American population and 10% of the high-tech industry, they are a very real threat to society, at least at the individual level (or worse when [not if] they attain senior management and political office). How do we deal with them?

First and best: run the other direction. This seems to be the consistent advice. Being without remorse, sociopaths are capable of some pretty nasty evil. Distance and total lack of contact is best.

Barring this, it does seem they genuinely fear a very few things, including their own death and sometimes prison (unless they're already in the system). Unfortunately, we cannot legally threaten them with death until it becomes a legitimate self-defense scenario. (I say "unfortunately" because I believe many of the passages of Scripture that speak of putting people out of the assembly or even putting them to death are highly applicable to sociopaths.) Given sociopaths' malady (no empathy, conscience, etc.), they are indeed more inclined toward murder than most. It is prudent to be effectively prepared to defend oneself and one's loved ones against such harm (i.e., armed).

How do these people come to embrace such evil? The old thought was largely genetic, but evidence appears to be mounting that it's largely due to bad parenting. I know there's no shortage of that. In fact, if such bad parenting (of particular flavors, of course) is the cause, it's a wonder we don't have more sociopaths than we do! I've seen sociopaths in the making firsthand. It's interesting, if predictable, to see how they grow up.

I found this brief "test" for sociopathy in others. (A self-test is pointless.) Consider it a continuum. Each additional "yes" suggests an ever stronger presence of the disorder.

1. Does this person act in private in ways that contradict the values he or she says other should live by?
2. Do you find yourself feeling uplifted and ennobled in this person's presence or words, but later can't remember the facts of what that person said and why it made you feel so good?
3. Have you ever known this person to pick a fight with someone he or she was actually in agreement with?
4. Has this person ever publicly humiliated another person, in front of friends, family or co-workers?
5. Has this person ever rewarded you or someone you know too much, far out of proportion to the good deed?
6. Have you developed a system to "translate" what this person says into something that makes sense in the real world?
7. Does this person have a remarkable ability to appear to be a completely different person in different situations?
8. Does this person expect blind loyalty, even if he or she claims to want to hear honest feedback?
9. Does this person bring people together primarily by demonizing others outside the group?
10. Has this person ever convinced you to do something you later realized contradicts your personal values?

http://www.lovefraud.com/01_whatsaSociopath/k...

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2009/04/mailvox-no...