Education would be the best course of action, yes. But if you, personally, have a difficult time interpreting emotion/intent of others, than I believe having discussions with others might be most beneficial. Developing a sense of empathy could be your strongest tool.

But I'd like to clarify that Sociopaths have a strong sense of morality and empathy. However, their moral compass is so different from the "norm" that they are considered to have an Antisocial Personality. Psychopaths are the ones that lack empathy, emotion, and a sense of morality.

Sociopaths tend to be very passionate about their causes. An example would be Sherlock Holmes. He doesn't care what he has to do or who might get hurt as long as justice is achieved. He has a sense of morality, justice, and fairness, but will enforce it at the expense of the few. So a sociopath will be the first to sacrifice the few for the many. However, they will also sacrifice the many for the few should the few prove to be better/more beneficial/"better."

Psychopaths lack any sense of morality and seek to only further their own position of power or influence. They will act more calm and reserved while Sociopaths tend to be rash and passionate in their actions. Psychopaths are all about manipulation and control. Sociopaths care more about enacting/enforcing their own sense of morality. Psychopaths lack the capacity for this since they lack empathy and morality.

I know it seems like semantics, but the difference between the two are quite stark. Consider using proper terms or simply researching the terms in which you wish to classify your characters. Like any writer, research is your best friend. 

I also am not claiming to be a psychologist of any sort. I just remember a lecture in a course I took in college that discussed the difference. I tried to do a quick google search that would support this, but I didn't find anything as clear as the above right away, so I just gave up. xP

I hope this helps. ^^

As for myself, I have a strong sense of empathy, so emotions aren't necessarily difficult for me to interpret. However, I'm of the belief that there is a reason for people to behave/feel/emote the way in which they do. So when I'm writing about an emotionally unstable person (even if they're intended to be "normal" but are experiencing a string of unfortunate circumstance), I think of what that character has experienced in the past or how they've dealt with anything remotely similar and take inspiration from that. That's why I advocate developing a character's history/background enough to where you would be able to answer these questions and play out these scenarios when necessary.