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Profile of the Sociopath
This website summarizes some of the common features of
descriptions of the behavior of sociopaths.
- Glibness and Superficial Charm
- Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their
self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be
charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing
their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may
dominate and humiliate their victims.
- Grandiose Sense of Self
Feels entitled to certain things as "their right."
- Pathological Lying
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost
impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis.
Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about
their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and
even able to pass lie detector tests.
- Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at
their core. Does not see others around them as people, but
only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they
have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end
always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in
their way.
- Shallow Emotions
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and
compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an
ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet
remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal
person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their
promises.
- Incapacity for Love
- Need for Stimulation
Living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical
punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.
- Callousness/Lack of Empathy
Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having
only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily
taking advantage of them.
- Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love
and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and
abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim.
Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to
every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for
their impact on others.
- Early Behavior Problems/Juvenile Delinquency
Usually has a history of behavioral and academic
difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning others. Problems in
making and keeping friends; aberrant behaviors such as
cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc.
- Irresponsibility/Unreliability
Not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams.
Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does
not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for
acts they obviously committed.
- Promiscuous Sexual Behavior/Infidelity
Promiscuity, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual acting out
of all sorts.
- Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle
Tends to move around a lot or makes all encompassing
promises for the future, poor work ethic but exploits others
effectively.
- Criminal or Entrepreneurial Versatility
Changes their image as needed to avoid prosecution. Changes
life story readily.
Other Related Qualities:
- Contemptuous of those who seek to understand them
- Does not perceive that anything is wrong with them
- Authoritarian
- Secretive
- Paranoid
- Only rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out
situations where their tyrannical behavior will be
tolerated, condoned, or admired
- Conventional appearance
- Goal of enslavement of their victim(s)
- Exercises despotic control over every aspect of the
victim's life
- Has an emotional need to justify their crimes and
therefore needs their victim's affirmation (respect,
gratitude and love)
- Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim
- Incapable of real human attachment to another
- Unable to feel remorse or guilt
- Extreme narcissism and grandiose
- May state readily that their goal is to rule the world
(The above traits are based on the psychopathy checklists of H.
Cleckley and R. Hare.)
NOTE: In the 1830's this disorder was called "moral insanity."
By 1900 it was changed to "psychopathic personality." More
recently it has been termed "antisocial personality disorder" in
the DSM-III and DSM-IV. Some critics have complained that, in
the attempt to rely only on 'objective' criteria, the DSM has
broadened the concept to include too many individuals. The APD
category includes people who commit illegal, immoral or
self-serving acts for a variety of reasons and are not
necessarily psychopaths.
DSM-IV Definition
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of
regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture.
There is a marked inability to get along with others or abide by
societal rules. Individuals with this disorder are sometimes
called psychopaths or sociopaths.
Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV)
1. Since the age of fifteen there has been a disregard for and
violation of the right's of others, those right's considered
normal by the local culture, as indicated by at least three of
the following:
A. Repeated acts that could lead to arrest.
B. Conning for pleasure or profit, repeated lying, or the
use of aliases.
C. Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive.
D. Repeated assaults on others.
E. Reckless when it comes to their or others safety.
F. Poor work behavior or failure to honor financial
obligations.
G. Rationalizing the pain they inflict on others.
2. At least eighteen years in age.
3. Evidence of a Conduct Disorder, with its onset before the age
of fifteen.
4. Symptoms not due to another mental disorder.
Antisocial Personality Disorder Overview (Written
by Derek Wood, RN, BSN, PhD Candidate)
Antisocial Personality Disorder results in what is commonly
known as a Sociopath. The criteria for this disorder require an
ongoing disregard for the rights of others, since the age of 15
years. Some examples of this disregard are reckless disregard
for the safety of themselves or others, failure to conform to
social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, deceitfulness
such as repeated lying or deceit for personal profit or
pleasure, and lack of remorse for actions that hurt other people
in any way. Additionally, they must have evidenced a Conduct
Disorder before the age of 15 years, and must be at least 18
years old to receive this diagnosis.
People with this disorder appear to be charming at times, and
make relationships, but to them, these are relationships in name
only. They are ended whenever necessary or when it suits them,
and the relationships are without depth or meaning, including
marriages. They seem to have an innate ability to find the
weakness in people, and are ready to use these weaknesses to
their own ends through deceit, manipulation, or intimidation,
and gain pleasure from doing so.
They appear to be incapable of any true emotions, from love to
shame to guilt. They are quick to anger, but just as quick to
let it go, without holding grudges. No matter what emotion they
state they have, it has no bearing on their future actions or
attitudes.
They rarely are able to have jobs that last for any length of
time, as they become easily bored, instead needing constant
change. They live for the moment, forgetting the past, and not
planning the future, not thinking ahead what consequences their
actions will have. They want immediate rewards and
gratification. There currently is no form of psychotherapy that
works with those with antisocial personality disorder, as those
with this disorder have no desire to change themselves, which is
a prerequisite. No medication is available either. The only
treatment is the prevention of the disorder in the early stages,
when a child first begins to show the symptoms of conduct
disorder.
THE PSYCHOPATH NEXT DOOR (Source:
http://chericola57.tripod.com/infinite.html)
Psychopath. We hear the word and images of Bernardo, Manson and
Dahmer pop into our heads; no doubt Ted Bundy too. But they're
the bottom of the barrel -- most of the two million psychopaths
in North America aren't murderers. They're our friends, lovers
and co-workers. They're outgoing and persuasive, dazzling you
with charm and flattery. Often you aren't even aware they've
taken you for a ride -- until it's too late.
Psychopaths exhibit a Jekyll and Hyde personality. "They play a
part so they can get what they want," says Dr. Sheila Willson, a
Toronto psychologist who has helped victims of psychopaths. The
guy who showers a woman with excessive attention is much more
capable of getting her to lend him money, and to put up with him
when he strays. The new employee who gains her co-workers' trust
has more access to their chequebooks. And so on. Psychopaths
have no conscience and their only goal is self-gratification.
Many of us have been their victims -- at work, through
friendships or relationships -- and not one of us can say, "a
psychopath could never fool me."
Think you can spot one? Think again. In general, psychopaths
aren't the product of broken homes or the casualties of a
materialistic society. Rather they come from all walks of life
and there is little evidence that their upbringing affects them.
Elements of a psychopath's personality first become evident at a
very early age, due to biological or genetic factors. Explains
Michael Seto, a psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and
Mental health in Toronto, by the time that a person hits their
late teens, the disorder is almost certainly permanent. Although
many clinicians use the terms psychopath and sociopath
interchangeably, writes psychopath expert Robert Hare on his
book 'Without Conscience', a sociopath's criminal behavior is
shaped by social forces and is the result of a dysfunctional
environment.
Psychopaths have only a shallow range of emotions and lack
guilt, says Hare. They often see themselves as victims, and lack
remorse or the ability to empathize with others. "Psychopaths
play on the fact that most of us are trusting and forgiving
people," adds Seto. The warning signs are always there; it's
just difficult to see them because once we trust someone, the
friendship becomes a blinder.
Even lovers get taken for a ride by psychopaths. For a
psychopath, a romantic relationship is just another opportunity
to find a trusting partner who will buy into the lies. It's
primarily why a psychopath rarely stays in a relationship for
the long term, and often is involved with three or four partners
at once, says Willson. To a psychopath, everything about a
relationship is a game. Willson refers to the movie 'Sliding
Doors' to illustrate her point. In the film, the main character
comes home early after just having been fired from her job. Only
moments ago, her boyfriend has let another woman out the front
door. But in a matter of minutes he is the attentive and
concerned boyfriend, taking her out to dinner and devoting the
entire night to comforting her. All the while he's planning to
leave the next day on a trip with the other woman.
The boyfriend displays typical psychopathic characteristics
because he falsely displays deep emotion toward the
relationship, says Willson. In reality, he's less concerned with
his girlfriend's depression than with making sure she's clueless
about the other woman's existence. In the romance department,
psychopaths have an ability to gain your affection quickly,
disarming you with words, intriguing you with grandiose plans.
If they cheat you'll forgive them, and one day when they've gone
too far, they'll leave you with a broken heart (and an empty
wallet). By then they'll have a new player for their game.
The problem with their game is that we don't often play by their
rules. Where we might occasionally tell a white lie, a
psychopath's lying is compulsive. Most of us experience some
degree of guilt about lying, preventing us from exhibiting such
behavior on a regular basis. "Psychopaths don't discriminate who
it is they lie to or cheat," says Seto. "There's no distinction
between friend, family and sucker."
No one wants to be the sucker, so how do we prevent ourselves
from becoming close friends or getting into a relationship with
a psychopath? It's really almost impossible, say Seto and
Willson. Unfortunately, laments Seto, one way is to become more
suspicious and less trusting of others. Our tendency is to
forgive when we catch a loved one in a lie. "Psychopaths play on
this fact," he says. "However, I'm certainly not advocating a
world where if someone lies once or twice, you never speak to
them again." What you can do is look at how often someone lies
and how they react when caught. Psychopaths will lie over and
over again, and where other people would sincerely apologize, a
psychopath may apologize but won't stop.
Psychopaths also tend to switch jobs as frequently as they
switch partners, mainly because they don't have the qualities to
maintain a job for the long haul. Their performance is generally
erratic, with chronic absences, misuse of company resources and
failed commitments. Often they aren't even qualified for the job
and use fake credentials to get it. Seto talks of a patient who
would get marketing jobs based on his image; he was a
presentable and charming man who layered his conversations with
educational and occupational references. But it became evident
that the man hadn't a clue what he was talking about, and was
unable to hold down a job.
How do you make sure you don't get fooled when you're hiring
someone to baby-sit your child or for any other job? Hire based
on reputation and not image, says Willson. Check references
thoroughly. Psychopaths tend to give vague and inconsistent
replies. Of course the best way to solve this problem would be
to cure psychopaths of their 'illness.' But there's no recipe
for treating them, say psychiatrists. Today's traditional
methods of psychotherapy (psychoanalysis, group and one-on-one
therapy) and drug treatments have failed. Therapy is more likely
to work when an individual admits there's a problem and wants to
change. The common problem with psychopaths, says Sets, "Is they
don't see a problem with their behavior."
Psychopaths don't seek therapy willingly, says Seto. Rather,
they're pushed into it by a desperate relative or by a court
order. To a psychopath, a therapist is just one more person who
must be conned, and the psychopath plays the part right until
the therapist is convinced of his or her 'rehabilitation.'
Even though we can't treat psychopaths effectively with therapy,
it doesn't mean we can't protect ourselves, writes Hare. Willson
agrees, citing the most important factor in keeping psychopaths
at bay is to know your vulnerabilities. We need to "realize our
own potential and maximize our strengths" so that our
insecurities don't overcome us. Because, she says, a psychopath
is a chameleon who becomes "an image of what you haven't done
for yourself." Over time, she says, "their appearance of
perfection will begin to crack," but by that time you will have
been emotionally and perhaps financially scathed. There comes a
time when you realize there's no point in searching for answers;
the only thing is to move on.
Taken in part from MW -- By Caroline Konrad -- September 1999
THE MALIGNANT PERSONALITY:
These people are mentally ill and extremely dangerous! The
following precautions will help to protect you from the
destructive acts of which they are capable.
First, to recognize them, keep the following guidelines in mind.
(1) They are habitual liars. They seem incapable of either
knowing or telling the truth about anything.
(2) They are egotistical to the point of narcissism. They really
believe they are set apart from the rest of humanity by some
special grace.
(3) They scapegoat; they are incapable of either having the
insight or willingness to accept responsibility for anything
they do. Whatever the problem, it is always someone else's
fault.
(4) They are remorselessly vindictive when thwarted or exposed.
(5) Genuine religious, moral, or other values play no part in
their lives. They have no empathy for others and are capable of
violence. Under older psychological terminology, they fall into
the category of psychopath or sociopath, but unlike the typical
psychopath, their behavior is masked by a superficial social
facade.
If you have come into conflict with such a person or persons, do
the following immediately!
(1) Notify your friends and relatives of what has happened.
Do not be vague. Name names, and specify dates and
circumstances. Identify witnesses if possible and provide
supporting documentation if any is available.
(2) Inform the police. The police will do nothing with this
information except to keep it on file, since they are powerless
to act until a crime has been committed. Unfortunately, that
often is usually too late for the victim. Nevertheless, place
the information in their hands.
Obviously, if you are assaulted or threatened before witnesses,
you can get a restraining order, but those are palliative at
best.
(3) Local law enforcement agencies are usually under pressure if
wealthy or politically powerful individuals are involved, so
include state and federal agencies as well and tell the locals
that you have. In my own experience, one agency that can help in
a pinch is the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal
Revenue Service or (in Canada) Victims Services at your local
police unit. It is not easy to think of the IRS as a potential
friend, but a Swedish study showed that malignant types (the
Swedes called them bullies) usually commit some felony or other
by the age of twenty. If the family is wealthy, the fact may
never come to light, but many felonies involve tax evasion, and
in such cases, the IRS is interested indeed. If large amounts of
money are involved, the IRS may solve all your problems for you.
For obvious reasons the Drug Enforcement Agency may also be an
appropriate agency to approach. The FBI is an important agency
to contact, because although the FBI does not have jurisdiction
over murder or assault, if informed, they do have an active
interest in any other law enforcement agencies that do not
follow through with an honest investigation and prosecution
should a murder occur. Civil rights are involved at that point.
No local crooked lawyer, judge, or corrupt police official wants
to be within a country mile if that comes to light! It is in
such cases that wealthy psychopaths discover just how firm the
"friends" they count on to cover up for them really are! Even
some of the drug cartel biggies will scuttle for cover if
someone picks up the brick their thugs hide under. Exposure is
bad for business.
(4) Make sure that several of your friends have the information
in the event something happens to you. That way, an appropriate
investigation will follow if you are harmed. Don't tell other
people who has the information, because then something bad could
happen to them as well. Instruct friends to take such an
incident to the newspapers and other media.
If you are dealing with someone who has considerable money, you
must realize that they probably won't try to harm you
themselves, they will contract with someone to make the hit. The
malignant type is a coward and will not expose himself or
herself to personal danger if he or she can avoid it.
Update: A thorough
article.
You may also find more at http://sociopathworld.com/.
I, the creator of this site, am not a psychologist and no
special expertise in the subject. I created the site as a public
service, because no similar site existed in 2003. I occasionally
get sad calls and emails. I urge you to consult either a
clinical psychologist or the police depending on the problem you
face, and wish you good luck.
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