Patric Gagne (should be "Patrice" en française, non?) writes about being a snake from toddler-age. This seems like opposite of the Gamma. The Gamma isn't born; he's spoiled.
And it's hard to unspoil something. It's likely impossible to alter a sociopath; her settings are Factory. By contrast the Gamma isn't a sociopath. The Gamma wants approval, in all senses of "want".
But the Gamma has a hard time getting that by merit. It isn't (anymore) natural for the Gamma to behave as people respect. And the Gamma likely has had a history of failing-at-it, thus ensuring he's been cold-shouldered early-on. How's he fixing this? If he's been ousted from the Cool People Table, with the Alpha and his Bravo betae (bayût?), naïfs imagine he could try another table; but now all the other tables see him as an upstart loser. Any attempt to rise above is getting snapped back, even by those he thought might be his friends.
So Can't Buy Me Love, if a real story, would frontload Dempsey's fall to the first day of school; like The Karate Kid did. The former film works mainly as parable cautionary for the Bravo-curious Delta (until the ending which is copout and Cope). Most Deltas don't dare that journey to Bravo, because they instinctively know to hit up the lower-status table first. And Omegas... well, whatever.
The Gamma has a ready solution against resigning himself to Omega status or trying harder with the Deltas: he can retreat into fantasy. He's Alpha in his own mind. He's Aragorn, just living out his Sigma phase. He interprets sympathy, or at least indifference, as friendship - that's as close as he gets. He convinces... himself. Everyone else knows (miles) better.
As to whether it's easier to fix the sociopath or the Gamma: who knows. They have to do it themselves. They have to desire it. The sociopath can at least fake caring for others, although not always longterm. The Gamma has to fight the urge to retreat or to overstep, every single day.
BACKDATE 3/14: not my bravest slot of poastage, mayhap.
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