64 pages • 2 hours read
Patric GagneSociopath: A Memoir
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: Societal Perceptions of Sociopathy
Societal attitudes toward sociopaths are influenced by a mixture of fear, fascination, and misunderstanding. Sociopathy, a term commonly used interchangeably with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), is characterized by a lack of empathy, manipulative behavior, and a disregard for social norms. The societal view of sociopaths is primarily shaped by their portrayal in popular culture, which tends to emphasize the most extreme and sensational aspects of sociopathic behavior. Such portrayals, while entertaining, tend to exaggerate the traits of sociopathy for dramatic effect, depicting sociopaths as serial killers or criminal masterminds. Patric Gagne highlights this unrepresentative depiction in her memoir, asserting: “Most sociopaths aren’t like the characters in movies. They don’t resemble the serial murderers in Killing Eve or Dexter, and they aren’t similar to the one-dimensional antagonists many crime novels suggest” (x).
These skewed representations lead to a generalized distrust of diagnosed sociopaths and individuals who exhibit any behaviors that might be considered sociopathic. Sociopath emphasizes how the medical disorder has been misappropriated in popular culture to describe any individual displaying a lack of remorse or ruthlessness, from criminals to politicians. The popularity of true-crime documentaries, novels, and TV shows that explore the lives and minds of sociopaths is evidence of a desire to understand individuals who operate without the emotional constraints that govern most people’s behavior. Gagne illustrates this phenomenon in her interactions with Max, who fetishizes her sociopathy, envying the freedom he perceives in her lack of guilt. The author suggests that the fear and prurient curiosity targeted at sociopaths are equally dehumanizing.
The conflation of sociopathy with criminality, violence, and a complete lack of a moral compass results in the stigmatization and ostracization of individuals with the disorder. Consequently, individuals with the disorder often find it hard to seek help and integrate into society. In her memoir, Gagne depicts her struggle to find understanding and acceptance as a sociopath. She also recounts how this stigma impacts her ability to access appropriate mental health care. The memoir suggests that while help and support exist for other mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, sociopathy remains neglected.
Sociopath attempts to dispel negative stereotypes of sociopathy by highlighting the human aspects of the condition. While Gagne is honest about her sociopathic traits, she also emphasizes that she is not “the monster the media described” (120). By charting Gagne’s journey to a productive life, the memoir demonstrates that sociopaths can contribute positively to society. In doing so, the author aims to shift the popular narrative of sociopaths from one of fear and fascination to understanding and empathy.
Literary Context: Memoir
In the Epilogue of Sociopath, Gagne describes her family’s debate over whether she should write a memoir or a self-help book about sociopathy. The family agrees on a memoir, as an account of her lived experience will likely make the most significant impact. Memoirs are written from the first-person point of view, allowing readers to see the world through the author’s eyes. In Gagne’s case, she aims to provoke a more compassionate societal view of sociopathy, as well as assuring other sociopaths that they are not alone.
Unlike autobiographies, which aim to cover an author’s entire life, memoirs are selective, typically focusing on specific events or themes. This commonly includes formative childhood experiences, traumatic incidents, significant relationships, examples of overcoming adversity, and career milestones. This focused scope allows the author to delve deeply into particular events, providing insights that would be difficult to achieve in a broader life story. Sociopath illustrates this technique, as Gagne concentrates on the key life moments relating to her identity as a sociopath, such as the emergence of her symptoms, her growing understanding of her condition, her struggle for integration into society, and her attempts to lead a purposeful life.
Memoirs often include a reflective and analytical component where the author not only recounts events but also interprets and makes sense of them. This reflection helps to provide context and meaning, offering insights into how specific experiences shaped the author’s identity, beliefs, and life choices. Sociopath conforms to this trope, as it is written from a perspective of greater maturity and insight (340). Having gained greater control of her more destructive sociopathic behaviors, Gagne looks back on her earlier struggles. Her PhD in psychology adds an additional layer of professional insight into her personal analysis.
While memoirs are non-fiction, they often employ literary techniques commonly found in novels. These include vivid descriptions, dialogue, and narrative arcs. The use of these techniques helps to bring the author’s experiences to life, making the memoir more than just a chronological account of events. Gagne is transparent about restructuring certain elements of her life for narrative effect, declaring that “some timelines have been condensed, some dialogue has been reconstructed, and some characters have been presented as composites” (ii). Gagne draws further attention to this fact in the Epilogue, where her sister asks to be called Harlowe in Sociopath. The detail is a playful reminder to readers that the text is a stylized reworking of the truth.
