How to identify a psychopath

The terms “psychopath” and “sociopath” often get used interchangeably, but they’re not exactly the same. Regardless of semantics, here’s how to spot the heartless, charming evil of a psychopath or sociopath

• By Savvy Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen on July 8, 2015

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Thanks to Savvy Psychologist listener Cindy Jossart of Webster City, Iowa for the idea for this week’s podcast.

With darkness in their hearts, ice water in their veins, and snake-charming smiles on their faces, psychopaths make up anywhere from 0.6% to 4% of the population. This personality disorder affects men more frequently than women. It’s been documented in cultures the world over. Here’s a great icebreaker for your next cocktail party: the Native Alaskan peoples call psychopaths “kunlangeta.”

The brain of a psychopath is different than yours or mine (unless you’re a psychopath). It has a smaller prefrontal cortex—the part that regulates behavior, impulse control, and planning—and a deformed amygdala, the seat of negative emotions like fear, guilt, and sadness.

You can’t tell superficially who is a psychopath—so let’s get to know them. Here are 3 traits of psychopaths, plus the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath:

Psychopath Trait #1: Fearless Dominance
Let’s look at fearless dominance from an empathetic point of view (ironically, something psychopaths lack). Imagine total freedom from fear, anxiety, or guilt. You do whatever you want without the pesky hindrance of conscience, social consequences, authority figures, or worrying about the well-being of others. You know the rules of society; you just don’t care.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Savvy Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen

Ellen Hendriksen, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders and the host of the Savvy Psychologist podcast on Quick and Dirty Tips.

And they’re much less likely than the average person to talk about:

• Family
• Religion
• Spirituality

As Jessica Stillman writes, “If your suspected psychopath is verbally obsessed with the pleasures of the body or the balance of his bank account, this study gives you cause to count that as another strike against him — and another reason to steer clear or handle this person with extreme caution.”

2. Psychopaths love to say what they will do

According to Robert Hare, the head of the team that developed the widely used Psychopathy Checklist, psychopaths have a narcissistic and incredibly inflated view of their own importance and self-worth. They have huge egos. They’re self-centered to an incredible degree.

As Hare writes, they have “a truly astounding egocentricity and sense of entitlement, and see themselves as the center of the universe, justified in living according to their own rules.”

Yet while they love to talk about huge goals . they typically have no idea of what it takes to achieve them. And definitely don’t have a plan for how to achieve them.

Which is why successful people don’t tend to talk about their goals; successful people talk about their plans, processes, and routines. They talk about how they’ll get to where they’re going.

Unlike psychopaths, who act like they’re already there.

3. Psychopaths are much less likely to mimic your nonverbal expressions

While it might sound strange, research shows that caring, empathetic people tend to imitate other people’s nonverbal expressions. If you grimace while telling a painful story, so will they. If you smile while telling a happy story, so will they.

Psychopaths won’t. In fact, research shows that psychopaths don’t even yawn when you yawn (a surprisingly common response for most people).

That’s because psychopaths are focused on themselves — not on you.

4. Psychopaths are incredibly rewards-focused

We all enjoy rewards. But according to this research, a psychopath’s brain is actually wired to seek rewards at almost any cost. That’s because a psychopath’s brain can release up to four times as much dopamine in response to a reward as a non-psychopath’s.

That means psychopaths aren’t necessarily people who do what they want without caring about the consequences. Psychopaths might actually care more about the consequences than other people.

According to the researchers:

It may be that because of these exaggerated dopamine responses, once they focus on the chance to get a reward . psychopaths are unable to alter their attention until they get what they’re after. These individuals appear to have such a strong draw to reward — to the carrot — that it overwhelms the sense of risk or concern about the stick.

Again, though, we all enjoy rewards. Rewards drive most of our behaviors. Even people who are incredibly giving do so at least in part because the act of giving makes them feel good about themselves.

But people who seek a reward in spite of the consequences — moral, ethical, legal, career, relationship, etc. — may not be doing so because they don’t care about the consequences. They may be hell-bent on getting that reward because they care too much about the reward aspect of the consequence. They’re so drawn to the reward that they can’t think about the risks — or the other consequences.

Psychopaths struggle to take a step back and weigh the rewards against the costs. They’re so driven to achieve, or gain, or be something that they can’t see anything else but the reward.

5. Psychopaths love working for bad bosses.

Some bosses are arrogant, rude, overbearing, overly demanding, don’t act with integrity — they’re the kind of people we hate to work for.

But not psychopaths. According to research, primary psychopaths (the worst kind) lack empathy. They’re cool-headed and fearless. They don’t get affected by things that cause most people to feel stressed, fearful, or angry — they coolly analyze the situation and find ways to flourish.

Which means a bad boss environment “may reward and retain exactly the kind of people who are likely to perpetuate abusive cultures,” the researchers write. Psychopaths not only thrive under abusive bosses, they’re much more likely to get ahead of their peers.

Does that mean that every person who seems to thrive under an abusive boss is a psychopath? S ome people do their best regardless — or even in spite — of the way they are treated.

But most do not. Superstars have options. So they move on.

“Superstar” psychopaths stay with terrible bosses. Because they feel right at home.

What should you do if you have to work with a psychopath?

Maybe you’ve already picked out the psychopath in your workplace. And there’s no way you can avoid that person. That’s OK.

Factor that into the way you treat them.

As Eric Barker writes, pay attention to what people do, not what they say. That’s the best way to know if you’re being manipulated.

Also, work hard to create win-win scenarios. Most of us want to “win.” Psychopaths just want to “win” more than most people. Find ways that both of you can win, and psychopaths are much more likely to work with you than against you.

And don’t forget to do what emotionally intelligent people do: Empathize with and adapt to the people around you.

You can almost never control the way other people act, but you can always control how you respond.

In order to understand and identify these people, we need to first undo what television has taught us. Most psychopaths are not deranged, imprisoned murderers. Most narcissists are not over-the-top womanizers who drive a flashy car. Much more likely, they’re the coworker, friend, ex, or family member who makes your brain hurt.

Psychopaths are not always murderers imprisoned in jails or unbalanced as we have seen on television. Narcissists are not always womanizers with expensive cars. They could be the ordinary people living around you- your colleague, a family member, your ex or anybody who tortures your brain.

They are able to hurt your brain because psychopaths, sociopaths, and narcissists have certain characteristics that will make anyone feel crazy over the time:

1. Shallow Charm

You could have met that person who swept you with their charm. The way they behaved with you made you feel special like no one has ever before. Be careful! Psychopaths are no different than shape-shifting chameleons. They are capable of changing their behavior according to the needs of their target. They can resort to flattery or just being shy and sympathetic, whatever helps them capture the mind of the target. Remember no matter what they show themselves to be, it is never a true image.

2. Contrived Reactions

Psychopaths will turn you “crazy.” Yes, they will, if you are not careful to take care. They will create chaos and then quietly sit at one corner. You will be surprised when they will blame you for reacting. Because of the trust they build, you believe their words to be true and when you react at their provocation they haughtily tell you, “not having this discussion with you again.” Naturally, you feel nothing but a hypersensitive fool.

Slowly but surely they will use these falsely created reactions to turn other colleagues against you. They will use your reactions to prove how crazy and hypersensitive you are. They will use these tricks to gain sympathy from their targeted individuals who they want as their future mates.

3. Pathological Lying

Psychopaths are compulsive liars. They simply can’t help it because it is ingrained in their characters. They will tell a different story even when the actual story would be a better one. Shifting personas is, constructing stories and lying is part of their self. If somehow you catch them with proof, they will use it against you and question you blatantly and brand you as over-analyzing and paranoid.

4. No Guilt

Anybody with normal behavior will feel guilt and remorse for doing things that psychopaths do, cheating, manipulating, stealing. Psychopaths don’t feel any regret for what they do to other. They do it because they know behavior harms other and that is why they enjoy it very much. If there is a psychopath in your life and you have ever received an apology from them, be sure it was for saving themselves from a worst situation or if they knew the act will help them gain something from you.

5. Secretly backstabs and betrays

Psychopaths have no attachment to anybody. They are not capable of feeling love and being loyal. They are so full of deceit that they can forge a friendly and committed relationship with anybody and then replace them instantly when required. The victim always feels an immediate closeness and excitement with them. They make their target feel how special and different they are from all the crazy people in their life, but when time comes they are very quick to declare the victim just the same. As a psychopath moves on, they leave stories of destruction behind them, but they always blame their victims for everything.

6. Creating animosity

A psychopath wants all the attention and this they do by turning people against one another. When you are the target of a psychopath you will find not liking anybody around you, not even the people you have never met. Psychopaths continuously inject venom and false stories into their surroundings, making each person jealous and distrustful about the others.

Is there a female psychopath lurking in your life?

Posted Nov 12, 2018

THE BASICS

In an earlier post, I discussed how to spot a psychopath by looking for three distinctive traits. Now, when we hear the word psychopath, we usually think of men. When it comes to psychopaths, most examples are of men. This is true of fictional characters, like Hannibal Lecter and Jim Moriarty, and it is also true of real-life psychopaths, like Charles Manson and Ted Bundy.

But what about women? Is there such a thing as a female psychopath?

The truth is, we don’t hear a lot about female psychopaths. They are rarely depicted in fiction—the only notable exceptions I can think of are Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction, Annie Wilkes in Misery, and Amy Dunne in Gone Girl. And they are rarely studied in the scientific literature. But that doesn’t mean that female psychopaths don’t exist.

In fact, the few studies that have been conducted tell us that an estimated 17% of incarcerated women fit the criteria of a psychopath (compared to 30% of incarcerated men). But what about outside the prison system? What are the odds that right now, you have a female psychopath lurking in your life?

In truth, the odds are fairly good. An estimated 1 in 100 people fit the definition of a psychopath. But most are not deranged killers. In fact, most psychopaths evade detection. They may be your doctor, your lawyer, your boss, or your co-worker. So the chances are good that you have at least one psychopath in your life, and that person may well be a woman.

But here is the problem. Because we rarely discuss female psychopaths or see them in the news or in the movies, we are not as good at spotting them as male psychopaths. In part, this is because female psychopaths don’t necessarily look and act the same way as male psychopaths do.

It is important to keep in mind that psychopathy is a personality disorder. As such, it is classified as a mental illness, and many such illnesses manifest differently in men than in women. For example, the symptoms we usually associate with a heart attack—chest pain, tingling in the left arm, sweating—are symptoms that are most common in men. When women suffer a heart attack, they tend to experience different symptoms, like shortness of breath and nausea.

The stereotypical signs of a psychopath, including animal abuse in violent psychopaths and superficial charm in “successful” non-violent psychopaths, are far more indicative of male psychopathy. Female psychopaths exhibit different and often less violent signs. As a result, female psychopaths are more likely to go undetected.

So, if you want to be able to spot a female psychopath, you need to know how female psychopaths may differ from males. Here are two key differences:

1. Differences in Narcissism

All psychopaths are high in narcissism. This means they see themselves as superior to those around them. But how this narcissism is expressed differs for men and women. Male narcissists tend to shout their self-praise from the rooftops. They tend to brag about their accomplishments and their superiority on social media. They have no problem telling you to your face that they are better than you.

Female psychopaths are different. They’re more covert about their narcissistic tendencies. They smile and praise you face-to-face but think they are better than you behind your back.

2. Differences in Aggression

Male psychopaths tend to display their aggression behaviorally. They engage in physical assault, abuse animals, or commit violent crimes. This helps explain why the percentage of psychopaths in male prisons is double that of female prisons. Since male psychopaths are more likely to engage in violent behavior, they are more likely to get caught and locked up.

Female psychopaths are better equipped to fly under the radar. This is because they tend to display their aggression relationally. They spread gossip about you at work. They gaslight you to the point that you doubt your own sanity. They leech off you and manipulate you into doing their bidding (think Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character in the movie Single White Female). If you refuse to go along, they threaten to harm themselves in response. They are master puppeteers, pushing everyone’s buttons and pulling people’s strings to get what they want.

In the end, the difference comes down to this: Male psychopaths throw punches; female psychopaths throw shade.

So what should you do if you suspect there is a female psychopath lurking in your life?

The first step is to identify them, which is harder than you may think. Despite what the movies lead us to believe, most psychopaths are not psychotic, raging killers. Instead, most are what psychologists call “successful psychopaths”—they’re your CEO, doctor, lawyer, or beloved celebrity (all of which are professions with high percentages of psychopaths). So that’s the good news: If there’s a psychopath in your life, he or she is not likely to kill you. But here’s the bad news: They are likely to make your life miserable and harm you in less obvious ways. This is why detection is key.

But before you start feeling paranoid, know this. Not every woman who gossips or threatens self-harm is a psychopath. Psychopathy is a narrowly defined disorder made up of a combination of three traits, not just one (to learn more about the three traits you can use to identify a psychopath, see my prior post).

But what if you have identified a psychopath in your life?

In truth, there’s little you can do to change a psychopath. Being a psychopath isn’t a choice, it is something that is hardwired into people’s brains. For example, when people view distressing images or immoral behaviors, psychopaths (both male and female) show reduced activity in the amygdala, the part of our brain that controls and processes emotions, compared to non-psychopaths. This explains why psychopaths are unaffected by the suffering of others; their lack of empathy runs deep within their neural architecture. In a sense, psychopathy is a disease of the emotional circuitry of the brain, especially the part that deals with interpersonal emotions.

So if you can’t convince the psychopath in your life to change, what can you do? Unfortunately, it is often the case that the only way to beat a psychopath at their own game is to refuse to play. Don’t engage in their petty gossip. Don’t take the bait when they push your buttons. Stand your ground and don’t let them intimidate you. And if all else fails, do what victims in all those serial killer movies do. Run!

Facebook image: Pascal Krumm/Shutterstock

Why do highly sensitive people need to know about psychopaths?

Because we are a dream come true for them.

What Is A Psychopath?

Thomas Sheridan in his book, Puzzling People The Labyrinth Of The Psychopath, gives the best understanding of psychopaths that I have ever seen.

A psychopath, very simply, is a predator.

The human psychopath does not prey on others out of necessity the way animals do for food. Human predators are essentially lazy with nothing to give. So they have to create a reason for you to do all of the giving. They use the inner wounds of others to pretend to be a savior, act superior, or create a sob story to get the other person to give of themselves.

Characteristics Of Psychopaths

There are many ways that psychopathic behavior can manifest. However, Thomas Sheridan has identified five characteristics that apply to all of them:

1. no empathy or remorse. Psychopaths do not feel the way your feel. For whatever reason, your pain does not register with them as a valid concern. When they emote it feels false.
2. invented personas to manipulate others. Psychopaths identify your inner weaknesses and use them to get you to trust and accept them. So if you were unloved as a child, they will become the most loving parent figure. Essentially they figure out your dream and appear to give it to you.
3. uses pity to manipulate others. Watch out for the pity party. Psychopaths cover their tracks and get you involved with through one sob story after another.
4. mysterious past. Psychopaths often have vague histories. They may claim honors or military medals which do not in fact exist.
5. high testosterone levels. This is a difficult characteristic to discern. High testosterone levels are associated with impulsivity and risky behavior including sexual acting out. It can also mean a tendency toward aggression.

It is important to look for all five of the above traits before deciding that you are dealing with a psychopath. Notice your energy. If it is uncomfortable or if you feel it going away from you, pay attention. A psychopath is essentially cold in their interactions with others and has many ways to take your energy from you.

How Psychopaths Reveal Themselves

In addition to the above traits, psychopaths may also exhibit these characteristics according to Thomas Sheridan. These are characteristics to watch out for if your intuition raises a red flag. Notice some commonalities: distortion and exaggeration, playing on sympathies in various ways, high entitlement and a feeling of being special, exploitativeness.

• little need for sleep, 4-5 hours tops
• falls asleep instantly and wakes up instantly
• wakes up in a sweat
• eye dead or lifeless; piercing stare
• faking cancer or other serious illnesses
• hypochondriac
• facial distortion when taking a picture
• does not dream and fabricates dream stories

• unreliable and broken promises
• corrects others
• condescending
• righteous indignation
• sycophantic
• acting and looking busy
• easily offended
• easily bored
• easily entitled to the best
• quickly interested in cause and then loses interest
• exploits friends, family, parents, elderly and handicapped
• claims special relationship with god
• flunks out of school and blames the institution
• claims to be spy, assassin, special forces agent or clandestine agent
• word salad – uses technical and sophisticated language to pontificate while really saying nothing.
• no creative talent
• phony altruism

• us vs. them you and me against the world
• sexual promiscuity
• history of brief or failed marriages
• idealization followed by cold rejection
• little interest in parenting

Psychopaths And Highly Sensitive People

Psychopaths love sweet, empathetic and kind people with warm hearts because they do not have that. They rely on your goodness as something to use. However, they have contempt for compassionate people. They see empathy as a weakness.

HSP’s need to be aware of their attractiveness to psychopaths. Please review the list and see where you think you may be vulnerable. You may also want to review your history to see if there are any people in your life past or present who may fit the description of a psychopath.

Psychopaths will push your boundaries so you need to make sure your boundaries are healthy. There are actually many psychopaths and people with psychopathic conditioning – Thomas Sheridan calls them pro to-psychopaths.

HSP’s need to surround themselves with like-minded people and be aware that the person with sob stories may not always be on the up-and-up. Listen to your energy and intuition. Discomfort and intuitive red flags are important information to be respected when dealing with psychopaths.

About Maria Hill

Maria Hill is the founder of Sensitive Evolution. She is the author of The Emerging Sensitive: A Guide For Finding Your Place In The World. In addition, she has created the immersive Emerging Sensitive Program of “sensory processing yoga” using frameworks to help sensitive people master their sensitivity and turn it into the asset it can be. She also offers the Emerging Sensitive Movie Club focused on movies and discussions about living in the world as a sensitive person and navigating the challenging cultural shifts of our times. She is a longtime meditator, reiki master, student of alternative health and Ayurveda. Maria is also an abstract painter whose portfolio can be found at Infinite Shape and also very interested in animal and human rights and the environment.

1 Comment

I have never rated psychologists that much, having been through a number of daft and inaccurate psychological assessments over the years and the dependency on this so-called science by HR departments worries me.

While Hollywood’s portrayal of psychopaths as serial killers can be accurate, not all psychopaths commit horrendous crimes. In fact, many of them are successful business leaders.

About 1% of the general population meets the criteria for a psychopath, yet 3% of business leaders may be psychopaths, according to a 2010 study published in Behavioral Sciences & the Law. By comparison, about 15% of the U.S. prison population are considered psychopaths.

There’s a good chance you’ve encountered a psychopath in the business world at one time or another, and perhaps you didn’t even know it. Whether you’re dealing with successful salesperson or a ruthless CEO, here are five signs you’re dealing with a psychopath:

Watch on FORBES:

1. They’re excessively charming.

Psychopaths don’t usually come across as horrible people–at least not at first. Instead, they’re usually well-liked. They’re great at making small talk and they always seem to know just the right thing to say.

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They’re known for their quick wit and alluring stories. Their tales about their adventures are astounding, yet believable. And they always portray themselves in a positive light.

They use flattery and compliments to gain trust. And other people usually walk away from their conversations with a psychopath feeling positive.

2. They lack empathy.

Psychopaths don’t care about other people, including their families. When they hurt someone else, they don’t experience any distress. They feel numb toward other people’s pain.

So they may say and do things that are quite damaging to others without batting an eyelash. If someone dares approach them to discuss their wounds, a psychopath isn’t likely to accept any responsibility, which can make their reactions especially toxic.

3. They prey on other people’s emotions.

Psychopaths understand other people’s emotions on an intellectual level, and they use that understanding to their advantage. They use guilt trips and flattery to manipulate others into doing things they wouldn’t normally do.

They also try to gain sympathy from others. They claim to be victims in an attempt to dupe others into helping them or caring for them.

4. They don’t have a conscience.

Psychopaths lie, cheat, and steal without a second thought. When confronted about their behavior, they offer a long list of excuses. They deny any wrongdoing and blame other people, often going so far as to say someone deserved to be treated poorly.

Psychopaths don’t care who they have to hurt to get ahead. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to meet their objectives and they won’t feel bad about the damage their behavior causes other people.

5. They have a grandiose sense of self.

Much like narcissists, psychopaths think the usual rules don’t apply to them. This is what leads many psychopaths to commit crimes without the fear of getting caught. They think they’re smarter than everyone else and they assume they can get away with whatever they want.

They have an inflated sense of self-importance and they truly believe they’re better and more deserving than the rest of the world. They put a lot of thought into what they’re going to achieve with a lot less thought about how they’re going to achieve it.

Dealing With A Psychopath

Psychopaths view themselves, other people, and the world differently. Their logic and emotions are extremely flawed, which is why their behavior is erratic.

Although you can’t talk a psychopath into changing, you can be mindful of your interactions to reduce the impact their toxic behavior has on you. Simply recognizing you’re dealing with a psychopath can help you understand what you’re up against.

Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, keynote speaker, and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, a bestselling book that is being translated into more than 20 languages.

Psychopaths are some of the most dangerous people in society, but is there a psychopath test that can identify them? As it turns out, yes, a psychopathic personality test does exist and has shown to be very accurate in diagnosing psychopathy as well as predicting future violent acts. The psychopath test is based on the psychopathic traits and characteristics of a psychopath.

History of the Psychopath Test

Until the 1970s, there was no test for psychopathy as psychopaths were not understood well enough, but, at that time, Canadian psychologist, Robert D. Hare, developed a checklist (the Psychopathy Checklist; the PCL) to be used in assessing psychopathy in individuals. This checklist, or psychopath test as some referred to it, was designed, in part due to work done with male offenders and forensic inmates in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Since that time, a revised version of the checklist (PCL-R) has been produced and used in many studies to identify psychopaths. This test is considered to have high reliability and validity and is widely used in the criminal justice system to identify offenders at high risk for reoffending and, in some cases, the score achieved on the checklist may affect parole request outcomes.

What Is the Psychopathy Test (Checklist)?

Hare developed a 20 item checklist in the PCL-R. Currently, each of the questions is divided into one of four factors or categories. The four factors of the PCL-R are:

• Interpersonal
• Affective (emotional)
• Lifestyle
• Antisocial (behaviors)

This psychopathy test or checklist is designed to be filled out by a healthcare professional and not the individual him or herself.

How the Psychopath Test is Taken

The items on the checklist are not really questions but more of a trait that the professional assesses as to whether it fits the individual or not. For example, how well does the term “conning-manipulative” fit the individual? Each psychopath checklist item is scored between zero and two to indicate its relevance.

The Psychopath Test Questions

As stated, each item on the psychopath test checklist is really a trait or psychopathic symptom and not a question. The following are the traits listed on the PCL-R:

1. Glibness-superficial charm
2. Grandiose sense of self-worth (narcissistic psychopath)
3. Need for stimulation
4. Pathological lying
5. Conning-manipulative
6. Lack of remorse or guilt
7. Shallow affect
8. Callous-lack of empathy
9. Parasitic lifestyle
10. Poor behavior controls
11. Promiscuous sexual behavior
12. Early behavioral problems (Do child psychopaths exist?)
13. Lack of realistic, long-term goals
14. Impulsivity
15. Irresponsibility
16. Failure to accept responsibility
17. Many marital relationships
18. Juvenile delinquency (behavior of psychopathic children)
19. Revocation of conditional release
20. Criminal versatility

It’s important to note that professionals that use the PCL-R are specially trained in how to assess each item on the checklist as well as how to score it and so an individual cannot, reliably, assess his or herself.

Scoring the Psychopath Checklist

As mentioned, each item is scored from zero to two meaning that the highest score possible is a 40. The higher one scores, the more likely the person is a psychopath. Typical scoring groups include:

Thirty points or above on the PCL-R is considered a psychopath. People with no criminal background tend to score around a five and criminals who are not psychopaths tend to score around a 22. If you want, you can take the psychopath test here. It’s instantly scored.

Am I a Psychopath Test?

Unfortunately, there is no way for an individual to reliably use this or any other test to assess whether he or she is a psychopath. If psychopathy is suspected, the best thing an individual can do is see a psychiatrist who specializes in psychopathy for an assessment. That said, very few, if any, psychopaths would likely take this step as psychopaths are not typically distressed about being psychopaths and thus have no motivation to change or even receive a diagnosis.

Education

Definition

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is a diagnostic tool used to rate a person’s psychopathic or antisocial tendencies. People who are psychopathic prey ruthlessly on others using charm, deceit, violence or other methods that allow them to get with they want. The symptoms of psychopathy include: lack of a conscience or sense of guilt, lack of empathy, egocentricity, pathological lying, repeated violations of social norms, disregard for the law, shallow emotions, and a history of victimizing others.

Originally designed to assess people accused or convicted of crimes, the PCL-R consists of a 20-item symptom rating scale that allows qualified examiners to compare a subject’s degree of psychopathy with that of a prototypical psychopath. It is accepted by many in the field as the best method for determining the presence and extent of psychopathy in a person.

The Hare checklist is still used to diagnose members of the original population for which it was developed— adult males in prisons, criminal psychiatric hospitals, and awaiting psychiatric evaluations or trial in other correctional and detention facilities. Recent experience suggests that the PCL-R may also be used effectively to diagnose sex offenders as well as female and adolescent offenders.

Purpose

The PCL-R is used for diagnosing psychopathy in individuals for clinical, legal or research purposes. Developed in the early 1990s, the test was originally designed to identify the degree of a person’s psychopathic tendencies. Because psychopaths, however, are often repeat offenders who commit sexual assaults or other violent crimes again and again, the PCL-R is now finding use in the courtroom and in institutions as an indicator of the potential risk posed by subjects or prisoners. The results of the examination have been used in forensic settings as a factor in deciding the length and type of prison sentences and the treatment subjects should or should not receive.

Precautions

Obviously, diagnosing someone as a psychopath is a very serious step. It has important implications for a person and for his or her associates in family, clinical and forensic settings. Therefore, the test must be administered by professionals who have been specifically trained in its use and who have a wide-ranging and up-to-date familiarity with studies of psychopathy.

Professionals who administer the diagnostic examination should have advanced degrees (M.D., Ph.D., or D.Ed.) in a medical, behavioral or social science field; and registered with a reputable organization that oversees psychiatric or psychological testing and diagnostic procedures. Other recommendations include experience working with convicted or accused criminals or several years of some other related on-the-job training. Because the results are used so often in legal cases, those who administer it should be qualified to serve as expert witnesses in the courtroom. It is also a good idea, if possible, for two experts to test a subject independently with the PCL-R. The final rating would then be determined by averaging their scores.

Many studies conducted in North America and Europe attest to the value of the PCL-R for evaluating a person’s degree of psychopathic traits and, in many cases, for predicting the likelihood of future violent behavior. Some critics, however, are more skeptical about its value.

Description

The Hare PCL-R contains two parts, a semi-structured interview and a review of the subject’s file records and history. During the evaluation, the clinician scores 20 items that measure central elements of the psychopathic character. The items cover the nature of the subject’s interpersonal relationships; his or her affective or emotional involvement; responses to other people and to situations; evidence of social deviance; and lifestyle. The material thus covers two key aspects that help define the psychopath: selfish and unfeeling victimization of other people, and an unstable and antisocial lifestyle.

The twenty traits assessed by the PCL-R score are:

• glib and superficial charm
• grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
• need for stimulation
• pathological lying
• cunning and manipulativeness
• lack of remorse or guilt
• shallow affect(superficial emotional responsiveness)
• callousness and lack of empathy
• parasitic lifestyle
• poor behavioral controls
• sexual promiscuity
• early behavior problems
• lack of realistic long-term goals
• impulsivity
• irresponsibility
• failure to accept responsibility for own actions
• many short-term marital relationships
• juvenile delinquency
• revocation of conditional release
• criminal versatility

The interview portion of the evaluation covers the subject’s background, including such items as work and educational history; marital and family status; and criminal background. Because psychopaths lie frequently and easily, the information they provide must be confirmed by a review of the documents in the subject’s case history.

Results

When properly completed by a qualified professional, the PCL-R provides a total score that indicates how closely the test subject matches the “perfect” score that a classic or prototypical psychopath would rate. Each of the twenty items is given a score of 0, 1, or 2 based on how well it applies to the subject being tested. A prototypical psychopath would receive a maximum score of 40, while someone with absolutely no psychopathic traits or tendencies would receive a score of zero. A score of 30 or above qualifies a person for a diagnosis of psychopathy. People with no criminal backgrounds normally score around 5. Many non-psychopathic criminal offenders score around 22.

Resources

BOOKS

Black, Donald W., and C. Lindon Larson. Bad Boys, Bad Men, Confronting Antisocial Personality Disorder. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Hare, Robert D. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 1993.

PERIODICALS

Freedman, M. David. “False prediction of future dangerousness: Error rates and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised.” Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law 29, no. 1 (March, 2001): 89-95.

Grann, M., N. Langström, A. Tengström and G. Kullgren. “Psychopathy (PCL-R) predicts violent recidivism among criminal offenders with personality disorders in Sweden.” Law and Human Behavior 23, no. 2 (April, 1999): 205-217.

OTHER

Hare, Robert D. Dr. Robert Hare’s Page for the Study of Psychopaths. January 29, 2002 (cited April 5, 2002.) .

Psychopathy is a psychological disorder characterized by antisocial and impulsive behavior, as well as contempt and lack of empathy with others. The psychopathic person tends to be very manipulative and centralizing, thus presenting extremely narcissistic behaviors and not taking responsibility for any of his attitudes.

The diagnosis of psychopathy is made by a psychiatrist based on the Robert Hare scale, in which the physician evaluates and punctuates the person from 0 to 2 according to the behavioral characteristics analyzed. At the end, the doctor compares the value obtained with the scale to check the degree of psychopathy.

Although psychopaths are often portrayed in films and series as extremely aggressive people, and even serial killers, this behavior is not characteristic of psychopaths. Psychopaths do not always develop this type of aggression, the most characteristic of which is the power of manipulation, egocentricity, and lack of empathy.

Psychopathy can occur in both men and women, with the most obvious features in men aged 15 and over, while in women the diagnosis is more difficult because they do not have so many impulsive behaviors. This psychological disorder can occur due to several situations, such as brain alterations, due to genetic factors and, mainly, childhood traumas, such as sexual and emotional abuse, violence and conflicts in the home, for example.

Main features

Psychopaths are incapable of forming any emotional bond, often possessing superficial and non-durable relationships. In addition, they are manipulators and lie in a natural way, and can even pretend emotions even if you can not feel them.

The main features that help identify a psychopath are:

1. Lack of empathy

Lack of empathy is one of the most important characteristics to identify the psychopath. This is because people who have psychopathic traits are indifferent and insensitive to the feelings of others, not showing any reaction, whether happy or sad.

But because they can lie very well, they can feign emotions or sympathize with a person, even without caring, so it is difficult to identify the lack of empathy.

2. Impulsive Behavior

Because they do not care about others only to themselves, psychopaths try to take impulsive actions, without regard to other people and without thinking about the pros and cons of certain actions. In addition, they do not usually deal well with rejection and frustration, and may exhibit aggressive behavior.

3. Do not assume guilt

Psychopaths usually do not take responsibility for their attitudes, they always feel they are right and therefore always blame others. Since you never recognize your mistake, you also do not feel remorse for anything you have done.

4. Egocentrism

People with psychopathic traits usually feel that they should be the center of attention, since they are considered super important, and this behavior can be described as narcissism. Find out what are the characteristics of a narcissistic person.

5. Lies in excess

Psychopaths often lie too much, even without realizing they’re telling lies. Usually these lies are spoken with the purpose of deceiving people and even manipulating them to gain their trust.

How is the treatment done?

The treatment of psychopathy is done by a psychiatrist, and it is usually recommended sessions of psychotherapy and use of medications that may improve the clinical picture.

The difficulty in treating psychopaths is that they do not identify with the characteristics, often judging that their behavior is normal and not admitting that they have traces of psychopathy, which causes them not to seek psychiatric help.

Popularized by movies about morally bankrupt men on Wall Street, the myth of the psychopathic stockbroker who is able to succeed financially despite his character flaws has gone mainstream. Yes, they think greed is good. Yes, these power-hungry bullies are not role models for society. But, hey, at least they’re charming, persuasive risk-takers and good with numbers, the thinking goes.

Contrary to those stereotypes, a new paper in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that hedge fund managers who showed psychopathic tendencies were actually worse investors for their clients. In the study, researchers characterized psychopathy as people who lack empathy and are impulsive and aggressive.

How to identify a psychopathic manager

But how could the researchers identify who was a psychopathic force of manipulation and deception? Apparently, our body language gives us away. Instead of asking managers straight-up about their psychopathic tendencies, the researchers relied on coders rating nonverbal and verbal behaviors of hedge fund managers in semistructured video interviews. The study was building upon previous research that found emotional disturbances in people’s facial expression and language can expose people’s characters.

Under this research, Machiavellian types use behavioral signals like expansive posture to display dominance. Narcissists make conversations all about them and use “I” over “we.” And psychopaths are prone to erratic emotional expression and will smile and take pleasure at the failures of others

In total, the researchers identified the psychopathic, Machiavellian, and narcissistic tendencies — the so-called “Dark Triad” traits — in 101 hedge fund managers. Then, researchers looked to see if that affected their financial performance in 2005-2015, a 10-year period of particular economic volatility.

The psychopath effect

While Machiavellianism had no effect on financial performance, psychopathic tendencies did. Those who showed psychopathic personality traits had annualized returns of nearly 1% less than managers rated at the mean of psychopathy. The more psychopathic you were, the worse your investment return got. Extreme psychopaths, with behaviors two deviations above average, could lose money in the six-digit range. The researchers found that when an extreme psychopath invested $1 million, that investment earned $311,834 less than a manager who showed average levels of psychopathic tendencies.

So why does the myth of the psychopathic stock genius endure? Researchers suggest that they’re good at getting power quickly and rising up the ranks. “Psychopathic behaviors may be associated with perceptions of dominance or competence, which lead to rapid promotions in some organizations,” the study states. “Once in a position of power, however, psychopathic behaviors may prove counterproductive.”

Sooner or later, as in the third act of many of these Wall Street movies, the psychopath within gets revealed for all to see.

Think of the term ‘psychopath’ and no doubt an image of Christian Bale’s maniacal blood-soaked businessman Patrick Bateman comes to mind.

But not all psychopaths are murderous. In fact, they are far more common than you think. At least this is what David Gillespie would have you believe in his new book ‘Taming Toxic People: The science of identifying and dealing with psychopaths at work and at home’.

“Psychopaths are real people. They work with you, and for you, and could easily be your boss,” he writes in a chapter titled ‘How to Manage a Workplace Psychopath’.

“In any Anglo-Saxon dominated workplace there are probably more psychopaths than people with red hair (no, they are not the same people — well, not always).”

Gillespie’s attitude to psychopathy in the workplace shares some common descriptions, but is distinct from clinical psychopathy, or antisocial personality disorder as it’s labelled in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5.

Gillespie’s psychopaths are everywhere, though in his estimation it doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. In fact, he told HuffPost Australia it was his own traumatic experiences with psychopaths in the workplace that prompted him to write the book in the first place.

“I tend to write and research about things I find interesting,” the author of the controversial ‘Sweet Poison’ books said. “And I’ve had the misfortune of working with a lot of people who were psychopaths.

“Curiosity got better of me and I decided to write this book.”

When pressed for more detail, Gillespie declines.

“One of the problems with psychopaths is they are terribly vengeful people,” he said. “Let’s just say I have worked with quite a number of them in my career.”

How to spot a psychopath in the workplace

Unpredictable behaviour

According to Gillespie, there are a number of ways to identify a psychopath in a work environment, the first being unpredictability.

“You can’t predict their behaviour, to the point where you start thinking perhaps something is wrong with you, perhaps you’re getting things wrong,” Gillespie told HuffPost Australia. “Because you’re absolutely certain they told you to do things a certain way, then publicly shamed you for following their instructions.

“It’s a perpetual state of confusion and anxiety, and it makes work hell.”

Gillespie also states psychopaths are prone to sudden changes in personality.

“When you first met this person, they were probably one of the nicest people you had ever met,” Gillespie said. “Charming, lovely, easy to get on with.

“After knowing them for just weeks or months, you might find they suddenly have a completely different personality, and different sides of that personality can appear multiple times a day.

“In one meeting with one person they might be lovely and charming, then in a meeting alone with you, they’re tormenting you.

Lack of empathy

Gillespie says how a psychopath treats you could be described as workplace bullying, only it differs in frequency and approach. The reason? A total lack of empathy.

“A garden variety bully might bully you once a month, whereas a psychopath will do it two or three times a week,” Gillespie said.

“They completely lack empathy. Remembering what empathy is, which is the ability to understand and share someone else’s feelings, they have none of that.

“One of the reasons we have empathy is it stops us from hurting each other, as social animals. So what stops me from hurting you is I will feel your pain and discomfort. But to a psychopath, hurting you is like kicking the chair, it doesn’t matter.

“As far as what they’re concerned, they’re just doing what needs to be done.”

Lying

“They lie constantly,” Gillespie said. “To them, the truth is irrelevant. Honestly is irrelevant. They”ll say whatever needs to be said at that moment in time to achieve what they want.”

What to do

Gillespie is of the opinion that anyone working with a psychopath will no doubt be better off looking for a new job. In saying that, however, he recognises it’s not always possible for people to just up and quit, or at the very least it could take time.

As such, he has cultivated some tips for how to manage a psychopath in the workplace.

Managing the relationship

1. Give them what they want. “Absolute obedience, no questions asked,” Gillespie said. “Do what they ask you to do, when they ask you to do it. No matter how stupid it is, as long as it’s legal, do it.
2. Confirm everything in writing. “If they want you to move dirt from pile A to pile B and back again, make sure you confirm it in writing. Not an emotional response, no sarcasm, just a clarification of the task that has been asked of you.”
3. Flatter them. “This is a key thing. And they will believe every word of it. They believe they’re the best person in the universe.”
4. Take notes. “Do exactly what James Comey did with Donald Trump. When you walk out of a meeting, write down exactly what happened.”
5. Maintain your circle of friends and relationships. “Have people who know what you are going through. Because if you come home upset and say ‘he made Mary finish my report,’ people are going to think you’re crazy. What they have to understand is it’s part of a nonstop chain of events.”

Gillespie is keen to stress, however, that the above are purely coping mechanisms to be used in the short-term, while you assess other options.

“These are all coping strategies,” he said. “You’re not going to get rid of [the psychopath] while working in the same place. These are just to get you through.”

‘Taming Toxic People: The science of identifying and dealing with psychopaths at work and at home’ is on sale now.

By Abigail Malbon | 2 years ago

We all know one, but if you’re in the unfortunate position of having to live with a psychopath, chances are you have more understanding than the average person about what comes from being in close proximity to a person with more than the odd psychotic behaviour.

Five to ten per cent of people show psychopathic tendencies, and it’s easy to get caught up in their ambitious, charming personalities. But author David Gillespie tells 9Honey that those exciting moments can quickly lead to something much more toxic.

“At the start of a relationship you might be a little bit unsure, so [later] you might think “oh, hang on, this isn’t the same person I met, you know, they were terrific, they were wonderful, they were telling me everything I wanted to hear… they were the most charming person I’ve ever met, and now suddenly – they’re not,” He explains. “Now suddenly, they are abusive and they’re mean, they’re vengeful. they lie all the time.

“If you are in a relationship with that kind of behaviour happening, where the persona being presented to the outside world is completely the opposite of what was being presented to you, then I don’t think you need any detection for figuring out that you are with a psychopath; you probably are.

While David says the best option here is always to leave if possible, he does have advice for those who are living with a psychopath. In an extract from his newest book, Taming Toxic People, he gives five rules for surviving the psychopath at home:

Rule #1 – Accept you are with a psychopath

You will not be able to change them; the best you can hope for is suppression of their most callous behaviours.

Rule #2 – Emotionally disengage

They do not feel anything for you and never will. They regard you as a possession that generates a lifestyle. So, in that sense, they would be sad to lose you. But they will never love you. To avoid being hurt you need to acknowledge this and disengage any feelings you have for them.

Rule #3 – Assume they are cheating on you

They may not be, but having this mindset will assist with the acceptance and disengagement.

Rule #4 – Work on relationships outside your relationship with the psychopath

Reconnect with your friends and family and stay connected. You will need their support. Make sure they understand what you are dealing with. If you decide to leave, you do not need them trying to talk you back into the relationship out of goodwill.

Rule #5 – Keep your finances separate

Do not buy property in joint names. Do not take on joint debt (like credit cards, personal loans or mortgages). Do not hold joint bank accounts. If they can access your money they will and when they leave you will be holding the bag (and the debt). If your finances are already joint, then you need to work on disentangling them one by one.

Rule #6 – Do not have children with them

To a psychopath, a child is a means of binding you to them. They have no interest in caring for the child or raising it. If you already have a child and you decide to leave, you will likely be taking them with you, but the psychopath will try to use your attachment to the children to extract resources from you.

Sound familiar? “We all have them- we all know them, and we have all worked or been in relationships with them,” David told 9Honey .

But you can put boundaries between yourself and a psychopath. “Pay close attention to your support network, your friends, your family etc. and what they are thinking and encourage them to be honest,” David suggests.

“One of the strategies a psychopath will use is cut you off from your support network. They will work very, very determinedly to isolate you. They want you, essentially, to be their prisoner and their slave.

“You’ve got to guard against that happening.”

Taming Toxic People by David Gillespie is out now and available in all good book stores.

Psychopath 7 Item Checklist

It is not uncommon to encounter a sociopath or psychopath at some point in one’s life. In the beginning, it may be one of the greatest experiences in your life, but as time goes on, it will likely be the worst experience in your life. They come in both genders, though most are male. They have been referred to as emotional vampires, sucking the life (emotional and financial resources) out of those that they have influence over.

Sociopath is the new, more politically correct label for a psychopath, so henceforth when I refer to a “sociopath” know that it is interchangeable with psychopath (psychopath is the old-school reference that I believe is a more accurate label of the condition).

The only defense one has against a sociopath is early detection. So, here’s a checklist of seven items that may give you the head’s up that this “someone” in your life, may not be all that he (or she) appears to be. So, here are seven signs to help you figure out if you might be dealing with a sociopath (hopefully before you’ve suffered damages):

1. Sociopaths are charismatic and are able to attract supporters easily. They are wonderful speakers who are able to engage their audience who can easily engage the emotions and attention of those fortunate enough to be in their presence. They exaggerate stories skewing the truth for their self-serving benefit, and will go as far as to lie and place themselves in someone else’s story and claiming it is their own.
2. Sociopaths are intellectual. They have a gift of having incredibly sharp wit and intelligence enabling them to masquerade as highly-educated, bob and weave in live situations. This also makes them excellent con artists able to conceive, plan and execute elaborate schemes, while (mostly) staying one step ahead of the authorities.
3. Sociopaths are devoid of feelings. They do not grieve, are in capable of feeling guilt, shame or remorse, empowering them to easily victimize anyone. They will enthusiastically engage in anything that bolsters their position at someone else’s expense. They do not love. They are incapable of giving or receiving love, but terribly acute at acting as though they are in the throes of love, if it will help them achieve a desired result. They are great actors/performers with no real feelings whatsoever.
4. Sociopaths are impulsive, often acting or speaking without thinking through potential consequences of their words or actions, and are more likely to take risks, being free of repercussion, since they see themselves as above the law or the constraints of the social norm.
5. Sociopaths never lose. They will dominate anyone who gets in their way, will vehemently defend their position, often by telling lies and spinning wild tales in an effort to discredit naysayers.
6. Sociopaths are never wrong. They never apologize; do not feel remorse for hurting others and are incapable of feeling guilt. If asked to apologize, will often strike out and attack their victim, rather than admit they may have made a mistake or misstep.
7. Sociopaths believe their own press. Once they have said something, it becomes gospel in their mind; so much so, that they can often believe their own bold-faced lies, even to the point of being able to pass a lie detector test. They keep a long list of secrets, and are not forthcoming about intimate details of their past, unless they are fictitious.

So, what do you do if you discover you’re in the presence of a sociopath?

Simply put as much distance between yourself and them as soon and as safely as possible. Curtail any continued communication with them immediately if not sooner. Be aware that if they have not bled you dry, or achieved their goal in manipulating you; they will do anything in their power to repair their relationship with you, so that they can complete their exploitation of you.

Don’t let them do it. Surround yourself with friends who will help shelter you from further exposure.

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Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, Dexter Morgan in Dexter, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. They are all psychopaths.

Psychopaths are usually depicted as serial killers or villains in the entertainment industry. They are antisocial yet powerful, often display threats and put others at peril. How much of this impression is true under the definition of a psychopath?

Here are six characteristics of a psychopath:

1. Lack of empathy: Psychopaths are callous and coldhearted. They lack the ability to understand and identify other’s emotions.
2. Egocentric: They are extremely selfish. They live a “parasitic lifestyle”, meaning they habitually rely and exploit on others to maximize their own benefits.
3. Shallow emotional investment: Without the ability to form emotional relationships, psychopaths only build artificial relationships to manipulate people to benefit themselves.
4. Superficially charming: Despite an emotional deficiency, psychopaths are great actors. They can bring out the charm and trustworthiness to be likeable, to gain more relationships for further manipulation.
5. Lack of morals and social consciences: Psychopaths rarely feel any guilt or remorse regarding their behaviors.
6. Highly calculated: Their actions are well-planned, especially those with huge consequences, like a criminal activity. They tend to act in a way to minimize the risk they will encounter and ensure to not get caught, with multiple contingency plans in mind.

In short, “psychopath” is defined as an amoral person who is amoral with impaired remorse and empathy, and egotistical traits.

Wait, so how often would I bump into a psychopath?

A research on psychopathic traits [1] results in a surprising yet daunting finding — 5 percent of the general population may possess psychopathic tendencies. Maybe your heart is pounding right now and you want to double check if someone’s lurking around with a machete or chainsaw.

Calm down, let me finish.

Contrary to popular beliefs, psychopaths aren’t always violent.

Yes, there are psychopaths who are criminals, killers, and madmen, like Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. A psychopathic behavior doesn’t revolve around violence, but focuses on how psychopaths use their apathetic, manipulative, and selfish nature to get what they want.

It’s time to debunk other myths and misconceptions of psychopaths.

I’m sure some of you are linking people you know while reading the traits of a psychopath earlier in the article. And you are probably eager to learn how to clearly spot a psychopath.

Psychopaths do not occur on a binary level. As much as everyone wants a rubric to separate psychopaths from the population, there are no concrete parameters to measure psychopathy, different than some antisocial behavorial personality like autism. The spectrum of psychopathic tendencies ranges from minor to severe.

There are no any brain imaging or biological test to diagnose a person as a psychopath. The most common device to identify psychopathic tendencies is the psychopathy checklist-revised (PCL-R). The test provides a 20-item list to evaluate the test subject, and will generate a maximum of 40 points with a cutoff at 30 (in the United States) to determine whether a person is psychopathic or not.

Psychopaths and sociopaths are different.

Sherlock Holmes once said, “I’m not a psychopath, Anderson, I’m a high-functioning sociopath, do your research!” Both disorders are defined as antisocial and often amoral, but what are the differences between them?

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic causes. Researchers believe psychopathy is a genetic predisposition, as psychopaths lack parts of the brain responsible for emotional regulation. On the other hand, sociopaths tend to be stemmed and made by their environment, like childhood trauma, physical or mental abuse.

Well-planned vs. impulsive actions. As mentioned above, psychopaths plan their criminal actions cautiously to avoid bearing the consequences; but sociopaths often act upon their impulse and pay little attention to the risk or impacts of their actions.

Charming vs. erratic. Psychopaths have the ability to mold themselves to gain trust and relationships. They are able to obtain a long-term job or even a family life, because these are all pieces and pawns for them to move around in the giant chess game. For sociopaths, they lack what their psychopathic counterparts have because of their impulsive and unpredictable actions.

Socially unconscious vs. conscious. As cruel as it sounds, psychopaths are not guilty of what they do. For example, their emotionless selves allow them to intentionally harm someone without holding any remorse. But for sociopaths, they are familiar with societal norms and they are just relatively less socially conscious than the general public. They know they shouldn’t harm someone but it’s not enough to stop their deviant behaviors.

There are female psychopaths too, but they express their psychopathic tendencies differently.

Most of the psychopathic characters you see on TV or movies are male. In reality, the ratio of psychopathic men and women is 20:1. So where are all the female psychopaths?

After numerous studies and experiments, researchers have found female psychopaths are just as dangerous as sociopaths. The main reason behind such discrepancy in gender ratio is because female psychopaths are harder to identify.

A research [2] suggests men and women with this disorder do not differ in the existence of psychopathic characteristics and traits, but the expression of these personality traits. Female psychopaths display manipulative, deceitful, impulsive characteristics in a way which is typically associated with other mental illnesses. For example, a woman with explosive outbursts, or constantly wants to be the center of attention, you may not immediately associate her actions as psychopathic.

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How to identify a psychopath

Whether it’s Ted Bundy or a fictional character such as Hannibal Lecter, psychopaths elicit within us a sense of morbid fascination.

How did they come to be? Are they born out of society’s failures or simply born evil? Recent evidence has shown that their brains appear to be wired differently than most people. Yet what makes them even more mysterious is that on the outside, they appear as inconspicuous as the next person.

However, a study now suggests that there may be a way to identify psychopaths and it involves simply recognizing certain patterns and words in their speech. The finding may make it possible to screen suspects and even enable law enforcement to develop better strategies to track down or interrogate suspects. Additionally, clinical psychologists can use such insights to formulate improved treatment programs.

To investigate whether there are actually “psychopathic tendencies” in the way a person talks, researchers at Cornell University compared stories told by 14 imprisoned psychopathic male murderers with those of 38 convicted murderers who were not diagnosed as psychopathic. Each subject was asked to describe his crime in detail; the stories were taped, transcribed and subjected to computer analysis.

The analysis showed that psychopaths are more likely than other criminals to use words that reveal a great degree of selfishness, detachment from their crimes and emotional flatness, the study found. These include conjunctions like “because,” “since” or “so that,” to imply that the crime “had to be done” to obtain a particular goal. Here are a few other notable differences:

• Psychopaths used twice as many words relating to physical needs, such as food, sex or money, while non-psychopaths used more words about social needs, including family, religion and spirituality.
• They were also more likely to use the past tense, suggesting a detachment from their crimes.
• They tended to be less fluent in their speech, using more “ums” and “uhs.” The exact reason for this is not clear, but the researchers speculate that the psychopath is trying harder to make a positive impression and needs to use more mental effort to frame the story.

However, the researchers caution that their analysis applies only to murderers relating the story of their own crimes, and called for further studies of speech patterns in more neutral situations, such as telling a neutral story from the subjects’ past or describing an incident shown to them on video.

“These findings on speech begin to open the window into the mind of the psychopath, allowing us to infer that the psychopath’s world view is fundamentally different from the rest of the human species,” the researchers concluded.

Re: How to identify a psychopath

This research seems to imply that we all have psychopathic tendencies to some degree or another:

Point number one: considering the present superficiality trend in society where people seem to be overly concerned with how they look (body modification, clothes, sexual appeal) and how much money they have to buy “things”, the latest phone, the latest fashion, the latest vehicle, the latest boobs.

Point number 2: not many people live in “The Now”, and our psyches are based on past experiences.

Last edited by Retired; March 14th, 2012 at 03:30 PM . Reason: removed offensive comment

What most people know about psychopaths, or sociopaths, stems primarily from films and popular fiction. Although some of these portrayals are more accurate than others, the basic archetype is based on a “cluster” of behavioral and neurological differences. When these differences start coming together into a risky personality: these 13 steps will let you identify a psychopath.

Although Hervey Cleckley’s 1941 still remains a reasonably accurate depiction of the psychopathic personality, we have since learned that the many of the same genes can be shared between the monk and the psychopath, but that the psychopath has increased problems with transcending their ego and taking responsibility for their behavior.

These 13 traits should help you more easily identify psychopathic or sociopathic individuals in your life. In terms of the HARE-40 (a 40 point “psychopathic check-list“) which classifies symptoms into affective (emotions, mood), interpersonal, and lifestyle/criminal traits. The first two categories of affective and interpersonal domains seem to be more related to genetics than the third (lifestyle), which is more related to social factors. Regardless of what “created” a psychopath: identifying them can be a life-saving skill

This 12-point list will give a little more definition to what you see in your mind, but never forget that every personality “disorder” is an extreme expression of normal human behaviors and feelings. No matter what genes you carry or how you’ve come to see the world: there is literally no excuse for extremely irresponsible behavior in the grand scope.

The Traits To Look For:

1. Absence of nervousness or neurotic symptoms
2. Interpersonal unreliability
3. Untruthfulness and insincerity
4. Insufficiently motivated antisocial behavior
5. A lack of affective (“feeling”) empathy
6. Failure to learn from negative experiences
7. Callous and shallow emotional response
8. Fast, but irresponsible, decision-making
9. Incapacity for love
10. Lack of remorse or shame
11. Pathological narcissism/egocentricity
12. Superficial charm and manipulation
13. Failure to accept responsibility for their own actions

Callous/unemotional and antisocial (lack of responsibility, manipulative nature) traits have been linked to genetics, but this is not the only factor. How you have been brought up, the values and cognitive constructs you have been handed down through life or your culture, all impact your behavior and experience of the world.

Research also indicates that even completely neurotypical people can have their empathy reduced by too much digital stimulation. Empathy is not simply something that is “on or off,” but is also a skill. Your natural capacity to improve and use this skill likely impacts how often you use it, but pretty much everyone is capable of improving their capacity for empathy. Whether you feel with everyone, rarely, or never: you are technically capable of it.

We need to ask ourselves whether a culture that teaches reflection, mindfulness, and sustainability as values could create cognitive constructs capable of compensating for a lack of the necessary feelings. Certainly, a society that celebrates short-term profit while ignoring social and environmental costs offers a great chance for every individual to partake in irresponsible profiteering and exploitation.

Primary psychopaths, so those who display the emotionally callousness and lack of empathy (low anxiety) without secondary impulsivity-based (high-anxiety) features, were equally prone to rejecting unfair offers to themselves while being more prepared to offer more slanted offers to others, in several studies. The results actually showed the primary psychopaths acting approximately the same as patients with brain lesions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

No matter what genes you have or what parts of your brain light up who knows when, you are responsible for your actions. Regardless of whether you feel with everyone you meet or are incapable of feeling even with your closest friends: you should expect yourself to improve the world around you and the society you exist in while doing as little damage as possible.

Hopefully, we as a society can start gaining the cultural maturity needed to create the cognitive constructs to disarm psychopathic predispositions. After all: a lack of empathy and having risk-taking genes doesn’t prevent you from being a relatively responsible neurologist.

‘The pupil has long been known to be an indicator of a person’s arousal.

‘Card sharks have learnt to look carefully at the eyes of their opponents to gauge if they have a great hand, and many an astute salesperson knows to up their price if your eyes reveal your excitement at their product.

‘Likewise, the pupil usually dilates when an image shocks or scares us.

‘The fact that this normal physiological response to threat is reduced in psychopathic offenders provides us with an obvious physical marker for this condition.’

WOULD YOU KNOW HOW TO SPOT A PSYCHOPATH?

Psychopaths display different traits depending on their disorder.

Common signs include superficial charm, a grandiose notion of self-worth, the need for stimulation and impulsiveness, pathological lying, the ability to manipulate others and a lack of remorse and empathy.

But despite the popular association, not all psychopaths become killers.

Experts claim people usually find psychopaths intriguing , but can’t put their finger on why.

This is down to incongruous behaviour because psychopaths tend to do a lot of acting to deceive, or mimic normal reactions , sometimes changing their views and reactions quickly.

For example, Self-professed psychopath Jacob Wells said that upon meeting someone, he tries to become ‘the most interesting person they know’ and presumably adopts suitable interests and responses to do this.

His response also gives away another common trait – a grandiose notion of self-worth – in that he can be the most interesting person in the room.

Psychopaths occasionally tend to exhibit unconvincing emotional responses , with slip-ups including tone of voice or body language.

This may be because they are unable to understand emotions such as fear and love, but can mimic them.

Psychopaths display different traits depending on their disorder, but common signs include superficial charm and the ability to manipulate others. Despite the popular association, not all psychopaths become killers (stock image)

Generally psychopaths’ ’emotions’ are shallow and short-lived and there is a manipulative ulterior motive to showing them.

For example, Mr Wells said he offers to do favours and tells false secrets to people to gain their complete trust.

He also displays insincere charm – another trait associated with psychopaths.

He says: ‘I keep secrets, and tell them fake secrets to further gain their trust, and once they trust me enough, I ask for favours, reminding them of the favours I did them. I can get literally anything from them, which is incredibly useful.’

Psychopaths typically display an incredible ability to manipulate others and sometimes take pleasure in doing so.

Psychopaths often have an air of superiority about them, perhaps shown by Mr Wells’ belief he can spot other psychopaths

Even expert Dr Hare, who came up with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) used as a diagnostic tool to determine where someone lies on the psychopathy spectrum, warns that anyone can be duped during a short interaction with a psychopath.

While the eyes of a psychopath behaved abnormally when looking at distressing scenes, the researchers were amazed when they saw their eyes behaved normally when looking at positive pictures.

They say this shows that psychopathy is not associated with an overall difficulty in responding to emotion, but rather a specific insensitivity to threatening information.

Professor Nicola Gray, a clinical and forensic psychologist from Swansea University, who provided clinical supervision for the project, added: ‘This is one of the first times we have objective, physiological, evidence of an emotional deficit underpinning the offending behaviour of psychopathic offenders that does not depend on invasive methods or expensive equipment.

‘We hope to be able to develop this methodology to assist with clinical assessment and intervention in offender populations.’

Professor Robert Snowden from Cardiff University said that many psychopathic offenders appear to be bold, confident, and can act in cold-blooded manner.

He added: ‘It’s much easier to act bold if you have no feelings of fear, and to be cold-blooded if there is no emotion to get in the way of the act.’

Psychopathic behavior is easy to see when a psychopath is a killer, but psychopaths exist in places outside of prison and their behavior goes beyond killing. The most notable psychopathic behaviors are antisocial, often illegal, ones but psychopathic personality traits also create other notable behaviors for psychopaths. Here are some of the places that psychopaths exist and what some of their behaviors typically are.

Psychopathic Behaviors in the Workplace

Lately, some press has taken notice of the fact that psychopaths exist in the workplace, specifically, in management, in greater numbers than elsewhere. In fact, the latest figures suggest that one-in-ten managers are psychopaths.

If your boss is manipulative, intimidating, totally lacking in remorse or guilt, and yet superficially charming, you could be working for a psychopath. An obvious marker of a psychopathic boss is when he or she makes decisions, such as laying off 100 people, and feels no guilt over taking away the livelihood of all those people. (These 20 signs of a psychopath can also help you identify one.)

Psychopath Behaviors of Con Artists

Hollywood movies are full of psychopaths, characters that con others without the slightest bit of remorse. These are behaviors of a psychopath. These psychopaths use their charm to dupe others into trusting them only, in turn, to take advantage of these people.

The movie, Catch Me If You Can, illustrates a quintessential version of this type of psychopathic behavior in its main character, Frank Abagnale, Jr. (played by Leonardo di Caprio). In this film, based on real life events, Abagnale Jr. uses his charisma and other attributes to pass himself off as a commercial pilot, a pediatrician and a prosecutor all before the age of 19. He was also a skilled check forger.

Behaviors of Psychopathic Serial Killers

Of course, this type of psychopath kills, but more subtly, this psychopath typically preys on his victim and uses his charm to lure his victim in. It’s not just the killing that denotes a psychopath but rather how they approach the killing and choose and attract his or her victims.

Psychopathic Behaviors of Chronic Offenders

Rather than becoming killers, many psychopaths choose other criminal acts to pursue. In fact, in one estimate 93% of all noninstitutionalized psychopathic males age 18 or over are in the criminal justice system in some way.

One example of a chronic psychopathic offender is offered in the paper, Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy:

Robert* “has been in trouble with the law since age 10. As a child, he was seriously maltreated both sexually and physically, both at home and later in foster care. Although of average intelligence, he learned little in school and has never successfully held a job. He binges on alcohol and drugs whenever he can; endeavors to manipulate others (but is not particularly adept at it); has never had a stable romantic relationship; and has been convicted of various types of crimes, both violent and nonviolent. He is anxious, easily upset and angered, speaks in a self-centered way about his situation, and appears indifferent to his victims’ suffering. When paroled from prison, he is quickly rearrested, more often for trivial than for serious offenses.”

For more information on the specific symptoms of psychopathy, please see the article, Does a Psychopath Test Exist? Diagnosing the Psychopath.

There’s a very long laundry list of “traits’ regarding someone with trauma based PTSD. If you know the top 10 characteristics of a trauma victim, it can save you plenty of pain and heartache…..in regards to dating them, marrying them or becoming friends with them. Our PTSD based culture is chalked full of trauma victims and although most appear “nice” on the surface, the PTSD trauma they experienced as children is proven to change the way the brain operates, in a very negative way. Trauma victims will have an easier time using you to satisfy their genetic needs for safety and security…….than they’ll ever have actually liking or loving you in a genuine or natural way.

The first trait of a trauma victim is external focus, straight across the board, over their entire personality subset. So for example, when there are problems in their lives, everything and everyone else is to blame. They were punished and terrorized so much in their childhood for being wrong, they can’t handle being wrong at all anymore, because the fear of a mistake or being wrong brought immense trauma in their past. In an effort to never be wrong again (and receive the punishments for being wrong) they often develop life long habits of lying, deceit and deception. They end up lying all the time, the people around them know they’re lying but the trauma victim lies anyway. When you’re in the wrong, simply lie about it, in order to down play the situation as much as possible.

They often collect physical objects (hoarding) or they’re consumed with materialism. This often comes from the traumatized child disconnecting from meaningful social interactions in their youth and retreating into the illusion of media based TV, magazines, movies etc. By disconnecting from human interactions due to trauma and moving toward non human bonding/connection with the TV, cell phones, movies etc…….the PTSD victim is constantly exposed to media outlets that sell “materialism” as the primary way to reacquire the lost safety stolen from them in their childhood. Look for the inability to manage finances properly, hoarding, debt, spending beyond one’s means, bankruptcy, lying about money issues, hiding credit cards or credit card bills from romantic partners, keeping “money” secrets…..and of course blaming everything or everyone else when the financial situation goes south. From sedating with alcohol to binge watching screen media……all the way to the next coach, guru or specialist being the one who’s going to solve ALL their problems……the PTSD trauma victim always looks to external sources for every quick fix in their life. The booze will fix it, the coach will fix me, the new shoes will fix me, the new job will fix me, the government will fix me, the new tattoo will fix me, the new plastic surgery will fix me, the new make up, the newest fashion, the next romance with this guy or that girl etc etc. Everything is EXTERNAL, nothing is INTERNAL. With child abuse comes the destruction of any confidence in self, so naturally the trauma victim starts pointing all their focus outwards, because their internal landscape is a wasteland of lost potential and broken dreams.

Extreme terror and trauma in childhood can destroy the brain’s connections within the prefrontal cortex, therefore leading to what’s known as a psychopathic personality, which is basically just a natural adaptation that the human mind executes automatically when its’ scared or under extreme stress. A psychopath is simply a human who was placed under so much fear, terror and panic in their childhood…….that all they do is seek security or safety, even if they have to hurt or even kill others to achieve it. Learn all the traits of a psychopath and you’ll really start to understand the personality traits you need to avoid in your next friend, romance or marriage partner.

Are you dating a psychopath?

Contrary to what most people think, most psychopaths aren’t serial killers. In fact, only about 1% of the population has true psychopathic tendencies.

Psychopaths can be straight or gay and are most commonly male. That’s not to say women can’t have this personality disorder because a small number do.

When you think of psychopaths, think of people who are social chameleons who can adapt to almost any situation. In the clinical sense, they are shapeshifters – able to morph their personality into whatever they need to obtain want they want.

Most commonly they seek attention. But that doesn’t mean they won’t put on a mask of manipulation to obtain sex, money or power.

Because of their unique ability to charm, psychopaths often go undetected. To the unsuspecting eye, they are perceived as fun loving, innocent and “free”.

But remember, what you are experiencing isn’t real. Underneath their cloak of deception lies a much more sinister persona. It’s calculating and conniving, all swirled up into a vortex of danger.

While exhibiting traits that are similar to narcissists, the two are not the same. The key difference between them is that narcissists become wounded when they feel rejected.

Psychopaths, on the other hand, can’t be hurt because they are missing a “chip” that allows them to feel much of anything.

When a psychopath wants something, they’ll do whatever it takes to get it. This means they’ll charm, manipulate and seduce you – usually with a quickness.

What follows are 10 ways to identify a psychopath before they suck you in. It’s important to look at the totality of their behaviors and not just focus in one thing.

Let’s jump right in.

1. Grandiose behaviors

Psychopaths often think they are smarter and more powerful than other people.

• May brag about intelligence.
• Likes to “name drop”.
• Often boasts about financial and business success.

2. Extremely charming

One of the key characteristics of a psychopath is his ability to charm you while getting what he wants. Be cautious – many psychopaths know how to woo their victims in ways that are subtle and overpowering.

• Will identify your weaknesses and compliment them as strengths.
• May become extremely affectionate, employing sexual seduction to get you into bed.
• May offer to do things for you as a rouse to gain your trust.

3. Needs constant stimulation

Psychopaths are allergic to boredom. One of their greatest fears is being left alone with their thoughts. To compensate, many seek out and even manufacture different sources of stimulation.

• When feeling bored, may provoke an argument for no apparent reason.
• Constantly wanting to be entertained in some fashion.
• Has difficulty sitting with silence and may exhibit traits of ADHD as a compensatory symptom.

4. Pathological lying

When you hear the term “pathological liar”, think of a psychopath. That’s because when analyzing their behaviors, you will see a strong history of lies – both small and large.

• Will lie about minute details during conversations.
• Often will tell elaborate stories to explain a larger lie.
• Will omit facts and bits of information to shape opinions.

5. Has no sense of guilt or remorse

Unlike 99% of the population, psychopaths literally do not have the ability to feel guilt or remorse. However, they are excellent at pretending to feel bad about the harms they have inflicted.

• Will act like they are ashamed of something they’ve done and put on a “big production” to feign sorrow.
• Often turns the tables on a victim, faking guilt in order to be consoled with the goal of receiving attention.
• May have an inappropriate emotional response, such as frustration or rage, instead of feeling sadness or guilt.

6. Blunt affect

Sometimes a psychopath’s mask “slips” off, thereby allowing others – just for a brief moment – to see who they really are. This is why you want to know all about blunt affect (aka: flat affect).

• May seem “unbothered” by the death of loved one or animal.
• May appear they have no real personality or “soul”.
• May have no emotional response to things that typically encourage feelings of joy, happiness or sorrow.

7. Parasitic lifestyle

By nature, many psychopaths are nomadic. This doesn’t mean they can’t feign stability. Generally speaking, psychopaths will live off of others. Paradoxically, this allows them to appear “free”, which plays into their alluring charm.

• Uses others to gain resources, such as money or shelter.
• Intentionally forms bonds with others perceived to have influence.
• Often enters into and leaves people’s lives quickly.

8. Unable to accept responsibility

Getting a psychopath to admit he’s wrong is like trying to put a square peg into a hole. Simply put, they are incapable of owning responsibility for their actions.

• Will often blame the accuser for their actions.
• May admit making a mistake but bring the blame back to accuser.
• Often plays “victim” when held accountable for harmful behaviors.

9. Spotty relationship history

Because psychopaths are unable to experience feelings, their partners often break things off. Look for the following when assessing for a psychopath.

• Short-term relationships that are superficial.
• Blames previous relationship woes on “ex”.
• Doesn’t take any responsibility for collapse of prior relationships.

10. May have criminal past

Most all psychopaths have a criminal past but not all of them have legally charged with a crime. Look for the following behaviors.

• History of stealing or theft.
• Animal cruelty, including torture.
• Aggressive behaviors with a history or juvenile delinquency.

Summing Things Up

Psychopaths can often be incredibly magnetic. That’s because they’ve spent a great deal of time studying others; similar to how an actor might rehearse a part.

While not true of all, many are very good looking. They know how important it is to stay in shape and appear attractive. This in turn allows them to lure in victims, combining sexual energy with charm to fleece the person emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.

If you are dating a psychopath or have a history of dating individuals with psychopathic tendencies, a helpful book to read is Psychopath Free.

Inside, you’ll find lots of practical insight on how psychopaths think and operate. More important, you’ll learn how to avoid getting involved with one in the first place.

We have all encountered one, or multiple ( barely) people of this kind through our life.

Dealing with them is bad enough as an acquaintance or a friend, but do you know what’s worse? Being involved in a romantic capacity with one of them, ie. being in love with a psycho!

Unless, you happen to be someone like me.

Bad as they are, the convoluted minds and thoughts of a psycho fascinate me like no other. Every time I meet someone I can identify as having psychopathic tendencies, I long to break into it.

It’s difficult to explain, but, getting a psychopath, to discover their feelings and fall in love, is a bit like training an amputee to run. It’s not impossible, but it nearly is.

Psychopaths might not fall in love like, you or me, but they do. They usually tend to use love, as an escape.

What that means, for you, if you’re it, is you get to see, someone from the inside, that everyone else in their lives, don’t get to see. You’re the only privileged one.

Sadly though, they cannot sustain that behavior for too long.

However, it’s what entices me. Being raised by a sociopathic mother, and the resulting oedipal complex, has a part to play in too, probably.

I believe I have a “ fix” to a “ problem” that cannot be fixed. In fact, it isn’t a problem at all. It is just a characteristic. I somehow thought the psychopaths must want to feel these emotions on some level.

I want to help them, but, realize soon, it’s not what they need or want.

It’s a weird fetish, I am trying to lay off. I am probably more of them by now than I intended to be.

However, since I have been involved with manifold such people over the course of the last decade, I figure I am a bit of an expert in the field of psycho-dating!

That I read up a ton on Psychology helps. I also understand many others get coaxed by such people to get into things, they are unaware of.

Through this article, I will be pretending to give you advice, while voicing my intense regret at not just my inability to evoke emotion in these people I encountered, but also my inability to recognize to myself that some people, do in fact remain who they are, incapable of change.

Science behind the psycho

Firstly, if your notion of what a psychopath is, remains painted by mainstream glorification of characters you might have seen on screen, let me break it to you: the real world is different. There is nothing remotely hip, or cool, or bad-ass about it. Believe me!

It is a mental condition, that is often a way of being, and underline many different issues beneath the surface.

Fundamentally, a psycho defined here could be a psychopath or a sociopath, depending on circumstances and characteristics. Psychologists around the world, however, do not classify people as “ psychopaths” or “ sociopaths”, they simply term them as people with “ anti-social disorders”.

The popular belief among most researchers is that psychopaths tend to be born as they are owing to genetic predisposition. Research shows that psychopaths have underdeveloped and reduced connections between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC): the area of the brain responsible for emotions such as empathy and guilt, and the amygdala: the part of the brain which processes fear and anxiety.

Reduced structural integrity in the white matter fibers connecting the two areas show much-less or nil coordinated activity compared to an average human, resulting in the proverbial lack of empathy, remorse, or guilt they are famous for.

While sociopaths, reach the same degree of numbness due to their circumstances later in life, with or without the physiological defects from birth. This may be due a traumatic experience, like bad parenting, molestation, physical or mental violence endured, etc. resulting in stunted brain development.

However, there’s a range upon which each individual can be rated as to having these tendencies, namely the Hare Psychology Checklist. Most psychos in society wouldn’t fall in the serial killer range, but, it doesn’t mean, living with them is any easier.

Who is more dangerous?

First of all, dangerous? What dangerous? Lack of feelings? Bring it on! That’s the challenge, isn’t it?

Well, if you’re a bit more sane than I am, the answer to that question depends on who you are, and how well you can handle yourself around others. Most psychologists would prescribe you to NOT engage with either: the more you can fly under the radar with them, the better the chances of you not being a target for their manipulation.

Statistically, sociopaths are more prone to impulsive, emotional or violent outbursts in society when involved in criminal acts, whereas psychopaths tend to commit more thought out or detailed acts of crime.
Ergo, the probability of a psychopath getting caught in a criminal act, is much less likely than a sociopath committing the same crime, due to the worsened impulse control and lack of attention to detail.

Psychopaths tend to have better control of their limited emotions than their sociopathic counter-parts and can lead better incognito dual lives, as witnessed by numerous cases of psychopathic serial killers in the past. However, it is important to mention “ violence” is not a necessary trait amongst either tribe.

How to spot a psycho?

Both classifications share almost identical traits in terms of behavior and ethical or moral standings.

Some shared characteristics of antisocial personality disorder include: disregard for laws/rules, violence towards animals, pathological lying, manipulative, lack of empathy, lack of remorse, lack of guilt, impulsive outbursts, refusal to accept responsibility for actions, disregard for others’ opinion or values, and selfishness.

Loving a psycho

So, now you know a bit more (if you didn’t already) about how to identify and understand psychos and how they are made or operate. It is deceptively easy to define a person from a third-person perspective theoretically.

However, the practical implications stretch out to be so much more than just a little list of characteristics. It’s one of those mistakes that I made in jest.

It’s difficult to get in to the psyche of a psychopath, but what’s even harder is to free yourself from the entanglement of it once you’re in. If you’ve been close to, or been attached emotionally to a psycho sometime, you will probably be able to relate to these instances.

In the next part, I list out the 10 Lessons to guide you away from the clutches of a psycho: My 10 Lessons From Being In Love With A Psychopath- Part II

Surprise! It might be your neighbor.

We joke a lot about someone being a psychopath, and casually throw in that term to describe the slightest uncomfortable behavior of people in front of us. It’s also funny how men depict women of being “psychopathic” when intense affection is given to them, while the media has shown men being psychopaths for unbelievable reasons several times already. Let’s lay off psychopathic men for a second and try to understand, and help you spot the females with such tendencies.

Psychopathy is categorized as a mental illness and a personality disorder that has hints and diagnosis on how to spot people affected by it. People don’t usually choose to be psychopaths, it just happens. Science proves that the amygdala—part of the brain that is responsible for emotion processing—of female psychopaths is reduced when faced with immoral or distressing behavior. Apart from fictional portrayals in movies, and crime documentaries, many psychopaths are actually strolling around every day without people noticing. Dr. Melissa Burkley in Psychology Today explains how they may be your lawyer, co-worker or doctor which increases the odds of you having one in your life as “An estimated 1 in 100 people fit the definition of a psychopath” she wrote.

Dr. Burkley gave the brief that there are three traits that make up this narrow disorder for males and females:

1. Machiavellianism
2. Lack of Conscience or Empathy
3. Narcissism

It is how they manifest these traits that differ from a gender to another. Female psychopaths tend to be less violent than males, especially “behaviorally aggressive”. But will master displaying that aggression “relationally”, meaning that they won’t necessarily throw a punch, commit a crime or torture a puppy – though they still could. But they will spread rumors about you, pressure you into actions, manipulate you for their own advantage, deceive you to the point of questioning your own sanity. No, this is not a script of a movie, this is real life behavioral occurrences.

Then there is narcissism, one of the key traits in identifying a psychopath, and women can be sly about it too. Contrary to males with high narcissism who will shout it from the roof top about how they are so much better than you, females will smile to your face and then judge you when you leave, because they also think that they’re better than you. It is all about deception, a façade that never really lasts, and now you know why.

You’d think if only it was that easy to spot a psychopath before they enter your life, then no one would suffer, but even with hints and tips it is hard to determine if someone actually is one. Females seem to be even harder due to their sly characteristics. But at least now you can keep an eye open. “In the end, the difference comes down to this: Male psychopaths throw punches; female psychopaths throw shade,” Dr. Burkley sums it up.

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9 Subtle Ways Psychopaths Communicate Differently, According to Science

A single conversation could be all you need to spot a psychopath.

For years, scientists have known that psychopaths’ brains are different from normal ones. Brain scans show reduced activity in areas that regulate impulses, emotions, aggression, and morality.

But since you probably don’t have brain scans at your disposal, there are some other ways to tell if you might be dealing with a real-life psychopath.

A new study examining existing literature on psychopaths discovered that they may be detected through subtle differences in the way they hold conversations. Here are nine specific communication patterns psychopaths use:

1. They speak in the past tense.

Psychopaths use more past-tense verbs than other people. When talking about an event happening right now, most of us would say, “I think this is a good idea.” A psychopath might be more likely to say, “I thought that was a good idea.” Researchers suspect this is because they are detached from their behavior and their environment.

2. Their body language is convincing.

Psychopaths lie to make themselves look good. But their nonverbal behavior is often so convincing–and distracting–that people don’t recognize they’re being deceitful. In the police interview with murderer and rapist Paul Bernadino, FBI agents noticed he used powerful hand gestures to distract from his spoken lies.

3. Their language lacks emotional dimension.

For psychopaths, saying, “I love you,” doesn’t stir up any more emotion than saying, “Please pass the milk.” They can parrot back what they’ve heard other people say but their facial expressions don’t match their words. Their ability to verbalize feelings is most likely a learned behavior, as opposed to a genuine emotional experience.

4. They sound charming.

Researchers have found that psychopaths talk more and use more emotional words in an attempt to gain attention and admiration. Psychopaths are really good at saying just the right thing at the right time. They know how to play on other people’s emotions and they’re master manipulators.

5. They speak slowly and quietly.

Studies show psychopaths usually speak in a controlled manner. They don’t emphasize emotional words like other people do. Their tone remains fairly neutral throughout the conversation. Researchers suspect they craft a calm demeanor intentionally because it helps them gain more control in their personal interactions.

6. They talk about life in terms of cause and effect.

Psychopaths–especially those who commit crimes–talk about their behavior in terms of cause and effect. For example, one might say, “I had to teach him a lesson.” Rather than show remorse, a psychopath is likely to justify his actions.

7. They focus their attention on their basic needs.

Rather than talk about spiritual or emotional needs or the needs of others, psychopaths are more likely to talk about their own basic needs, like food and shelter. A psychopath who confesses to a murder, for example, is more likely to spend the bulk of his time talking about what he ate for lunch and what he hoped to gain financially, rather than how his behavior affected other people.

8. They say, “um” more often.

Psychopaths are more likely to use filler words and sounds, like “uh” and “um.” While many people use such sounds to avoid an awkward silence, researchers suspect psychopaths use them in an effort to appear sane.

9. They’re great storytellers.

Whether a psychopath claims she rescued kittens from a burning building or says she was the only one at her last job who was willing to stand up to management, psychopaths tell rich stories about themselves. While some stories are likely to paint them as victims, the bulk of their stories are likely to portray them as heroes. All of their stories stem from their desire to gain trust and manipulate their listeners.

How Likely Are You to Talk to a Psychopath?

Before you start declaring everyone around is a psychopath, know that only about one in 100 people is likely to be one–unless you’re talking to people in prison. Some experts estimate up to 25 percent of prison inmates may be psychopaths.

If you encounter a psychopath, don’t panic. Most of them aren’t serial killers. In fact, some of them are successful CEOs and business leaders. But knowing whom you are dealing with can prevent you from being manipulated.

Psychopath or mere criminal?

What makes a criminal a psychopath?

Their grisly deeds and commanding presence attract our attention — look no further than Ted Bundy, the subject of a recent Netflix documentary, and cult leaders like Charles Manson.

But despite years of theorizing and research, the mental health field continues to hotly debate what are the defining features of this diagnosis. It might come as a surprise that the most widely used psychiatric diagnostic system in the US, the DSM-5, doesn’t include psychopathy as a formal disorder.

As a personality researcher and forensic psychologist, I’ve spent the last quarter-century studying psychopaths inside and outside of prisons. I’ve also debated what, exactly, are the defining features of psychopathy.

Most agree that psychopaths are remorseless people who lack empathy for others. But in recent years, much of this debate has centered on the relevance of one particular personality trait: boldness.

I’m in the camp that believes boldness is critical to separating out psychopaths from the more mundane law-breakers. It’s the trait that creates the veneer of normalcy, giving those who prey on others the mask to successfully blend in with the rest of society. To lack boldness, on the other hand, is to be what one might call a “shy-chopath.”

The Boldness Factor

About 10 years ago, psychologist Christopher Patrick and some of his colleagues published an extensive literature review in which they argued that psychopaths were people who expressed elevated levels of three basic traits: meanness, disinhibition, and boldness.

Most experts in the mental health field generally agree that the prototypical psychopath is someone who is both mean and, at least to some extent, disinhibited — though there’s even some debate about exactly how impulsive and hot-headed the prototypical psychopath truly is.

In a psychological context, people who are mean tend to lack empathy and have little interest in close emotional relationships. They’re also happy to use and exploit others for their own personal gain.

Highly disinhibited people have very poor impulse control, are prone to boredom and have difficulty managing emotions — particularly negative ones, like frustration and hostility.

In adding boldness to the mix, Patrick and his colleagues argued that genuine psychopaths are not just mean and disinhibited; they’re also individuals who are poised, fearless, emotionally resilient, and socially dominant.

Although it had not been the focus of extensive research for the past few decades, the concept of the bold psychopath isn’t actually new. Famed psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley described it in his seminal 1941 book, The Mask of Sanity, in which he described numerous case examples of psychopaths who were brazen, fearless, and emotionally unflappable.

Ted Bundy is an excellent example of such a person. He was far from unassuming and timid. He never appeared wracked with anxiety or emotional distress. He charmed scores of victims, confidently served as his own attorney, and even proposed to his girlfriend while in court.

“It’s probably just being willing to take risk,” Bundy said, in the Netflix documentary, of what motivated his crimes. “Or perhaps not even seeing risk. Just overcome by that boldness and desire to accomplish a particular thing.”

Seeds Planted in the DSM

In the current DSM, the closest current diagnosis to psychopathy is antisocial personality disorder. Although the manual suggests that it historically has been referred to as psychopathy, the current seven diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder mostly fall under the umbrella of disinhibition — qualities like “recklessness,” “impulsiveness,” and, to a lesser extent, meanness, which are evident in only two criteria: “lack of remorse” and “deceitfulness.”

There’s no mention of boldness. In other words, you don’t have to be bold to have antisocial personality disorder. In fact, because you only need to meet three of the seven criteria to be diagnosed with the disorder, it means you don’t even need to be all that mean, either.

However, the most recent revision to the DSM, the fifth edition, did include a supplemental section for proposed diagnoses in need of further study.

In this supplemental section, a new specifier was offered for those who meet the diagnosis for antisocial personality disorder. If you have a bold and fearless interpersonal style that seems to serve as a mask for your otherwise mean and disinhibited personality, you might also be diagnosable as a psychopath.

Can a Psychopath Be Meek?

Whether this new model, which seems to put boldness center stage in the diagnosis of psychopathy, ultimately will be adopted into subsequent iterations of the DSM system remains to be seen.

Several researchers have criticized the concept. They see meanness and disinhibition as much more important than boldness when deciding whether someone is a psychopath.

Their main issue seems to be that people who are bold — but not mean or disinhibited — actually seem to be well-adjusted and not particularly violent. In fact, compared with being overly introverted or prone to emotional distress, it seems to be an asset in everyday life.

Other researchers, myself included, tend to view those criticisms as not particularly compelling. In our view, someone who is simply disinhibited and mean — but not bold — would not be able to pull off the spectacular level of manipulation that a psychopath is capable of.

To be sure, being mean and disinhibited is a bad combination. But absent boldness, you’re probably not going to show up on the evening news for having schemed scores of investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The chances that you’ll successfully charm unsuspecting victim after unsuspecting victim into coming back to your apartment to sexually assault them seem pretty slim.

That being said, timid but mean people — the “shycho-paths” — almost certainly do exist, and it’s probably best to stay away from them, too.

But you’re unlikely to confuse them with the Ted Bundys and Charles Mansons of the world.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by John Edens. Read the original article here.