The standard narc feels empathy, particularly for people removed from them, eg refugees. They struggle to show it in a way that isn't about them, but they do feel it. Your common or garden sociopath doesn't have empathy or feel any shame, but is able to play along with the socially accepted norms in order to achieve their goals. They'll pretend to be contrite if to do so will help them to get what they want. They genuinely don't give a
duck what people think of them, so they'll do whatever it takes.
The narcissistic sociopath, however, has NO empathy and NO shame. Think Donald Trump. Or, indeed, Jack Monroe.
Sociopaths often use autism to explain the lack of facial expressions you'd expect from a person who feels empathy. Their faces can also change quite drastically when they're off guard, moving from warm and smiling (or whatever the expression is that they're mirroring) to cold, dead, shark eyes in an instant. It's quite something to observe, it really is like watching the clichéd mask slip.
Jack, IMO, is textbook. Here's a list of sociopath traits I just copied and pasted in full:
- Disregard for right and wrong
- Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others
- Being callous, cynical and disrespectful of others
- Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or personal pleasure
- Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated
- Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behavior
- Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty
- Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead
- Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence
- Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others
- Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behavior with no regard for the safety of self or others
- Poor or abusive relationships
- Failure to consider the negative consequences of behavior or learn from them
- Being consistently irresponsible and repeatedly failing to fulfill work or financial obligations
Sociopaths can actually be quite fun to be around, if you're of benefit to them. When you're no longer providing any value, they just
duck off. (Not all sociopaths obvs, but generally speaking.)
Narcissistic sociopaths, however, are incredibly dangerous. If you wrong them (or if they perceive you to have wronged them) or do anything to dent their ego, they'll punish you without any empathy or remorse. I think she's a narcissistic sociopath, and that explains even more why nobody in her past is calling her out.
The Guardian, however, has serious questions to answer.