Dave Grossman and Loren Christensen noted that sheepdogs are closer to wolves than sheep, and now Andrea Kuszewski is saying that heroes and villains — or extreme altruists and sociopaths — are really just two sides of the same coin:
Sociopath:
- low impulse control
- high novelty-seeking (desire to experience new things, take more risks, break convention)
- no remorse for their actions (lack of conscience)
- inability to see beyond their own needs (lack of empathy)
- willing to break rules
- always acts in the interest of himself
X-altruist:
- low impulse control
- high novelty-seeking
- little remorse for their actions (would “do it again in a heartbeat”)
- inability to see past the needs of others (very high empathy)
- willing to break rules
- acts in the best interest of others, or for the “common good” (because it is the right thing to do)
I suppose regular Batman readers have been saying the same thing for years.