You are right. Empathy and sociopathy, though both rather ill defined, do not sit at opposite ends of the same spectrum.

As a child, I was highly empathetic, caring, and frequently overwhelmed by others’ emotions. As an adolescent, I did a face-heel turn and became very manipulative, frequently lying, gaslighting, and emotionally abusing others.

But now it’s the positive aspects of both; I don’t feel emotions very strongly but am quite empathetic toward others, accommodating their needs with perceptive and manipulative skills honed by an adolescence of (frankly) sociopathy.

Being entirely self-serving gets old, actually. There’s not really any challenge in picking pockets or getting laid.