The Vulcan society decreed it best to live without emotion and to suppress them the best they can, and this is where they divide. Since Vulcans tend to show slight emotions and they are usually superficial, can they be considered sociopaths? Most sociopaths are law-biding citizens and have little to no emotions.
asked Mar 21, 2014 at 15:44
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6Short answer no. Vulcans have strong emotions, they just use mental techniques to keep them in check, constantly editing their reactions against a learned set of internal rules. The opposite of a sociopath, in fact.– ValorumCommented Mar 21, 2014 at 15:53
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9Seems like an opinion-based question. Anyway, with their difficulty understanding the emotional responses of others and their tendency towards highly systematic thinking, wouldn't it make more sense to compare them to people on the "high-functioning" end of the autistic spectrum? Sociopaths typically have a lot of traits that don't seem much like those of Vulcans, such as being superficially charming, frequently lying and being unreliable, difficulty with long-term planning and learning from experience, strong desire for outside stimulation, etc.– HypnosiflCommented Mar 21, 2014 at 15:56
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3Sociopath - a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. While Vulcans suppress their emotions, they certainly have a sense of moral responsibility and social conscience. They just base those decisions on logic without relying on the additional input emotions provide. So by definition, they would not be considered sociopaths.– StanCommented Mar 21, 2014 at 16:10
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2It seems facetious to accuse aliens of suffering from human psychological disorders. It's not like we call cats sociopaths, though they all clearly are.– James SheridanCommented Mar 22, 2014 at 4:24
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2Does anyone else besides myself work in mental health and law enforcement? Check out the DSM-V (Sociopathy) and the Psychopathy Checklist -- Revised (PCL-R) by Dr. Robert Hare, Ph.D. Sociopathy and Psychopathy can share some traits, but they aren't exactly the same thing. And I hesitate greatly at endorsing the suggestion that sociopathic or psychopathic behavior is rational per se. Consider instead: hedonistic, self-serving, dangerous, dishonest, uncaring, hurtful, without conscience, violent, entitled, homicidal. Sorry, but VTC. Subjective. Also, the topic is too complex for dictionary.com.– SlytherincessCommented Mar 22, 2014 at 13:14
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1 Answer
Let's look at the definition of "sociopath".
Dictionary.com defines it as
a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.
Does your typical Vulcan fit that? No. Vulcans feel moral responsibilities, though they are arguably not outwardly driven by them.
Oxfard Dictionary defines it as
A person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.
Does your typical Vulcan fit that? No, they have consciences. They know right from wrong.
Psychology Today lists common traits and warning signs of sociopaths including:
- Superficial charm and good intelligence
I don't know that I'd agree with "superficial", but they're intelligent. Push.
- Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking
OK, no irrational thinking here. +1
- Absence of nervousness or neurotic manifestations
The average Vulcan is almost always calm and collected. +1
- Unreliability
Nope. -1
- Untruthfulness and insincerity
Nope. -1
- Lack of remorse and shame
They may lack remorse outwardly, but that doesn't mean that they don't feel it. -1
- Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior
Arguable, as they're not exactly party animals. But they don't typically actively avoid social situations. -1
- Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience
Nope. -1
- Pathologic egocentricity and incapacity for love
We know this to be false from Spock's reactions in various episodes and movies. -1
- General poverty in major affective reactions
Arguable as they tend to hide emotions. +1
- Specific loss of insight
What do Vulcans do if not analyze and find insight? -1
- Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations
Again with not being overtly friendly. -1
- Fantastic and uninviting behavior with alcohol and sometimes without
Nope. -1
- Suicide threats rarely carried out
Nope. -1
- Sex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated
Arguable, but we do know that Vulcans feel love. We may allow that many, even most Vulcans view it more clinically. +1
- Failure to follow any life plan
Absolutely not.
-1
So, after all that, do Vulcans fit the definition of a sociopath? Comparing against the Psychology Today warning signs, we have 4 positive warning signs, 1 neutral, and 12 negatives.
No, one can not reasonably conclude that Vulcans are sociopaths.
answered Mar 21, 2014 at 16:33
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2Actually their sexual drives seem pretty darned indiscriminate.– ValorumCommented Mar 21, 2014 at 16:38
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@user14111 whoops. you're right. not sure how I misread that one. fixed. Commented May 12, 2014 at 15:10
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@Kevin Which makes them a lot more discriminate compared to, say, Kirk.– ZibbobzCommented Aug 28, 2014 at 15:09
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1I used the definition from a major industry publication for a very specific reason - to avoid debate or discussion. If you don't like their definition, that's fine - write up your own answer. Commented Jul 3, 2015 at 22:00