A woman who has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) says there’s one straightforward line that can be used to gauge whether someone has the condition.
While “sociopath” is commonly used online, it isn’t a clinical diagnosis. Many professionals instead refer to ASPD, a term that’s often seen as less loaded.
Commonly discussed traits associated with ASPD include difficulty telling right from wrong, limited empathy, manipulative behavior, and a general disregard for social expectations.
Kanika Batra is one creator who has spoken publicly about living with the disorder, describing it as being marked by an absence of “empathy, guilt, and remorse”.
She explained on LADbible Stories: “A lot of people claim to be sociopaths, and they think, ‘I’ve done bad things before. Am I a sociopath?’
“And the answer is no. Most of you still have empathy, guilt, and remorse. And what people like to call conscience. We don’t have that.”
In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Kanika said it can be hard to identify a sociopath at first glance. However, she explained that she personally tries to draw one out by saying something intentionally outlandish and watching how the other person responds.
She explained: “The way I do this is by saying something absolutely ridiculous and seeing if they’ll mirror me. I tell them that I spend my free time knitting; somehow they knit as well, or their uncle does.”
In the same LADbible Stories interview, she also discussed how ASPD influences the way she approaches both romantic relationships and friendships, saying she evaluates connection through a different lens than many people might expect.
She said: “I will appreciate someone’s value in my life and I will decide to love them. I will do whatever’s in their best interest because I see them as an extension of myself, and I would never want myself to be harmed. So if anyone with me is, you know, attacked or bullied or treated poorly by anybody, I will be there no matter what.
“If I’ve decided to be in a relationship with you, I will put you above all else and I will every single day love you as an action. I don’t just do flowery words, like, I will go out and do the exact things that make that person happy.
“And I think it’s a more effective way to love than empaths.”
Kanika also claimed there can be a small physical clue in someone’s expression—particularly in their eyes—when it comes to recognizing sociopathic traits.
“The eyes are pretty soulless,” she said.. “If you see me get angry, you’ll see my eyes become soulless.”