You season 5: Is Joe Goldberg a sociopath? Here's what we know about the character

Joe Goldberg, the charming serial killer from Netflix's You is set to return to screens one last time this week. The fifth and final season of You promises to take viewers to another suspenseful and violent journey as Joe returns to New York City, where his obsessions first began.

While the creators have promised that the fifth season will be the end of Joe (played by Penn Badgley), there is one question that hasn’t been resolved by them till now- is the character a sociopath or psychopath? Many fans have used the terms interchangeably for Joe, making the distinction between the terms blurry.

Ahead of the new season of You, let’s take a look at Joe Goldberg’s character and what he can be termed as.

Is Joe Goldberg a sociopath or a psychopath?

As per Healthline, the word “psychopathy” is not a widely accepted clinical term or diagnosis. People commonly use it to refer to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). According to the Mayo Clinic, ASPD, “sometimes called sociopathy, is a mental health condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others.”

People with antisocial personality disorder often make others angry or upset on purpose, manipulate individuals around them, or treat them with indifference. They lack remorse and often violate the law, becoming criminals.

Joe often breaks the law and ignores the feelings of the person he is obsessed with. He often has no remorse for his deeds, such as when he killed Benji, Guinvere’s boyfriend in season 1. However, the character cannot be diagnosed in a clean-cut manner. Incidents over the course of the show depict Joe being devastated after his landlady’s death or his refusal to kill Forty because of his importance to Joe’s partner Love. This suggests that the character does have some sense of empathy. So, Joe Goldberg is a complicated character that cannot fit in easily within one diagnosis.

Kelly Scott, a therapist at Tribeca Therapy in Manhattan, told Business Insider in an interview that Joe could have attachment disorder due to childhood trauma. "Joe would be a good example of misdiagnosis," Scott said, adding "If he was my patient in season 1, sure, he could be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, but upon further excavation, his behavior reveals itself as a trauma symptom versus antisocial personality disorder."

Joe Goldberg in You

The character initially starts his journey at a bookstore in New York. When he becomes obsessed with one of the patrons, Guinvere, he starts to manipulate events to appear in her life. This leads to a chain of events where Joe kills, lies and stalks those close to Guinvere to cement his position as her boyfriend. Over the seasons, Joe becomes attracted to different women, but his obsessive and violent tendencies are a big hurdle in his happily ever after with any of them.

About You season 5

The series is set to air on Netflix from Friday, April 25. Fans have already started speculating about how Joe Goldberg’s story will end. Many believe that he would either die or go to prison for his misdeeds. The fifth season of You stars Penn Badgley, Charlotte Ritchie, Griffin Matthews, Madeline Brewers and Anna Camp in pivotal roles.

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