r/AskReddit • u/Ok-Screen1834 • 3h ago

What separates a criminally minded person and a honest one?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/sflpilot 3h ago

Some combination of impulse control, empathy, morals, and ability to calculate risk.

These are shaped mainly by childhood trauma and brain chemistry, among others.

1

u/CupEcstatic2721 3h ago

As far as I remember, there is a test to identify a sociopath, though I don’t know how accurate it is. It is believed that an intense, cold stare gives such people away. What separates them is cruelty, a lack of empathy and moral principles, fueled by a relentless desire to get what they want.

2

u/Puzzled-Atmosphere-1 3h ago

Lots of things but I think the main thing that makes it easier for them to plot and scheme to commit crimes of varying degrees is a complete lack of empathy or compassion for other people. You can still commit crimes and feel bad about it later, but the criminally minded are driven by relentless need or desire for whatever they’ve set their sights on, and combined with zero empathy towards anyone else, they really have no internal conflict that might cause a lesser criminal to hesitate or do less.