I have family members currently wedded to the "Putin is a sociopath" ideography.

My response: If you want to see a sociopath, you can find one closer to home: just look in the mirror. This isn't to say that Putin is not a sociopath; he is. He is comfortable with sending massive Russian resources into a bloodbath to kill "his enemies" and achieve "victory". The problem is that my family members are equally happy to send massive US resources into the same bloodbath to kill "their enemies" and achieve "victory". Putin and my family members are flip sides of the same coin. They would recognize each other instantly. The combination of both is currently creating hell on Earth within the territory of Ukraine. This same thinking has created just this type of hellscape countless times around the world for the entirety of human existence.

I have my "enemies" list as well. I have just trained myself over many years to ignore that part of my brain. When I think to myself, "That person needs to die! Then we'll be safe!" (which I do think to myself quite regularly), I have learned to respond, "Oh, yeah. There's that violent delusion again..."

We are all sociopaths, when we listen to that voice. My family members and Putin (and all others who see war being a productive pursuit) believe this inner sociopath is the "voice of justice." I find this deeply sad.