Monday, September 30, 2013

9 Easy-to-Identify Signs of a Sociopath

keywords: sociopath, empathy, conscience, psychopath, deception, honesty, relationships, love, domestic violence, oppression, fear, trust, emotions, common traits, strategies, damage, pain, cheating, lying, liars, pathological liars, antisocial personality disorder, superiority complex, ego, pity, friends, family, temper tantrum, rage, abuse, impulse control, impulsive, hypocrite, responsibility, accountability.



How to Spot a Sociopath or Psychopath Before You Become A Target
A sociopath is someone who is essentially devoid of a conscience. That means that no matter how bad of an effect they have on other people, they will never feel bad. They have no remorse for their long history of violating others, for their deception, lies and oppression of others. They are unable to form intimate relationships, and their sense of entitlement along with their superiority complex makes it easy for them to use others like I use Kleenex at a wedding.

Sociopaths take what they want at other people’s expense – be it material things like money, cars, and jewelry, or intrinsically held  valuables such as your reputation or your dignity - and never feel the slightest bit guilty. Rather, they look back back on all their conquests of others with a sense of smug satisfaction and pride in their ‘work’; feeling totally justified in everything they do.

To a sociopath, the purpose of everyone else’s existence is to be THEIR tool or THEIR toy to do with what THEY please. A sociopath may choose you as his target simply because you are there. They lure their intended victim in by becoming whatever that person needs at that moment – a shoulder to cry on, a crazy night out, your soul mate. They gain their victim’s trust and lull them into a false sense of security.  The victim has no idea what’s about to happen.

Once the sociopath knows his target’s defenses are down, they strike. Promises get broken, obligations are not met, considerations are not given. Depending on the nature of the relationship, the type of harm inflicted on the target may vary from stealing their life savings to destroying their career to breaking their heart.  These poor souls never seem to  know what hit them. They are left stunned and confused wondering, ”what did I do wrong?

But that’s the wrong question because it’s not about YOU or anything YOU did. It’s completely about THEM and THEIR need to cause pain and turmoil in order to confirm their power and superiority over others. The sociopath’s past is inevitably littered with unfortunate victims who did NOTHING to deserve the nightmare inflicted on them.

I want to make  sure this is VERY clear:  The victims of sociopaths DID NOTHING TO  DESERVE the anguish the sociopaths inflict on them.  Have you ever heard the expression: “It’s not you, it’s me.” Well in this case, “It’s not you, it’s them.”

  With a staggering 1 in 25 people being sociopathic, chances are you'll cross paths with at least a few in your lifetime. Think of 25 people you know right now, odds are at least one of them is a sociopath.

If you are like me, you're running through your mental rolodex as fast as you can right now to see if you know any of these monsters.  You are probably thinking to yourself "I don't know anyone like that!"  After all, you'd KNOW if someone was a sociopath. If a crazy person was in your midst, you would FEEL it. Right?

The answer is: No. Probably not.  Unfortunately, sociopaths look and can act just like the rest of us. Other than the lack of a conscience, which they are masters at concealing, there is no obvious  feature that makes them easy to spot. That’s a problem because we want to be able to identify any potential danger before it reaches us and, as far as dangerous things go, sociopaths are near the top of the list – just under lions, cobras, active volcanoes and F5 tornadoes.

There ARE, however, a few defining characteristics of their personality that can be fairly easy to identify ONCE YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. It is CRITICAL that we develop reliable ways of identifying the signs of an imminent danger approaching so we can protect and defend ourselves and our loved ones. So, where do we begin?   

We begin where we always do – at the beginning.  See, whether you realize it or not, whenever you meet someone, the first thing your brain tries to do is decide if this new person is safe for you and your family to be around.  We try to ‘size them up,” so to speak. The result is referred to as our First Impression.

We all want to make a good First Impression. So we put our best foot forward to try to appear more interesting & interested; more engaging & engaged; more decent; smarter; or whatever so that people will like us.

 To help determine a First Impression, we look for anything about that person that we feel gives us insight into who this guy really is. And I do mean ANYTHING: race, gender, age, weight, clothes, their handshake, their eyes, their mannerisms, an accent, the color or style of their hair, and the list goes on and on.  If we manage to find something about the person that is judgmentable (ok, I made that word up because it fits my purpose. It means “sufficient to make a judgment based on…”), it is usually because we knew someone else with that characteristic. So we  inevitably attribute whatever we knew and felt about that person to this person. This method of loose association may work for us once in a while, but what if that one characteristic is literally the ONLY thing those two people have in common? How accurate can our assessment be? As you can see, it can become a game of hit-and-miss – much like Russian roulette. What we need is to realize that  none of these criteria we use to judge whether or not someone poses a risk to ourselves and loved ones are as useful or as relevant as whether or not they have a conscience.

But you can’t SEE a conscience like you can see, for example, race and gender. As highly evolved as our technique is, it is still evolving. We’d like to think it works perfect all the time. But it doesn’t.  It can be unreliable, uncertain and (gasp!) it can even be wrong. (OMG!)    So what can we do ?

We can learn. We can educate. We can share experiences.

 It is our evolutionary duty as human beings to try to improve ourselves past the previous generation that bore us - and we improve through education. We learn; we solve; we evolve.  But the study of sociopaths, or sociopathy, is a relatively new field so not much is known yet.

So gather up all the info you can find, then add your own observations and findings to it. This is how we, as human beings, can advance our skills and evolve our technique.  It is in this spirit that I share my knowledge and experience here with anyone who wants it.

For the past 3 years I have logged hundreds, maybe even thousands, of hours on line researching anything I could find to help me figure out how to better deal with the sociopaths in my life. I have read books and magazine articles, watched documentaries, and recorded years of observations with the goal of wanting to understand how these people think and what motivates them to treat others like they are inferior and disposable, or worse.

Even though all sociopaths are not the same, there are common features among the vast majority that may give you the advantage if you are astute enough to recognize some of the early warning signals that every sociopath inevitably puts out.

Here are some basic Red Flags that everyone should practice recognizing for their own safety and well-being. 

Red Flags

In the Beginning…the goal of the sociopath is to lure you into their web. They do that by trying to gain your trust. Usually that will involve convincing you that they are your best friend or devoted lover, but they may also try to gain your trust by assuming a professional role such as your financial advisor, lawyer, teacher or even your therapist. A position of authority is ideal because we have a tendency to automatically trust authority figures even though they are strangers to us. We actually need a reason to NOT trust them, rather than vice versa.  It seems weird because it sounds so  illogical, right?

 Well, it IS illogical, and we need to get out of the habit of doing it. We need to stop looking at others through a veil of preconceived notions and learn to judge them with more educated discernment than we ever have before. One in twenty-five is a lot of people, but these techniques will help you identify individuals who will become dangerous even if they are not true sociopaths. Because the goal here is not to haphazardly slap labels on others, our goal is to minimize the damage. It is necessary to catch on to their game in this first stage if you are to have any hope of escaping unscathed.

 Once they’ve got you caught in their web, that’s when their fun begins and damage to you begins. So the trick is to recognize the signs and remove yourself before they can get that far.  Here are some common, easy-to-spot Red Flags that everyone should learn to identify:

1.  Instant Best Friend Act
           
            This is when you meet someone and you have so much in common and get along so great that you become best friends almost instantly. They like everything you like. They believe in the same stuff you believe in. They have the same convictions as you do. They agree with basically everything you say. The more someone is like us, the more we feel we can trust them.  They let you lead the conversation. This makes you feel important, like what you have to say MATTERS to someone. But it is ACTUALLY vital to gaining your trust because this way they don’t have to guess at what you will relate to, they can simply agree with everything you say.

Most people won’t even notice that their new friend never puts forth his or her own independent thoughts or ideas in a conversation. Of course, it’s possible the new guy is still a little shy. If you are unsure, a good strategy is to ask questions that can help you get a clearer understanding as to the extent of their conviction on an issue they’ve agreed with you about. Ambiguous or generalized answers should trigger a Red Flag.  You want answers that are heartfelt and that do not sound rehearsed.

2. The Pity Play
           
            Sociopaths LOVE sympathy. They love it. Sympathy will make you an easier target. When we feel sorry for someone we are far more likely to let that person get with so much more than if they weren’t “going through such a hard time right now.” Not only do we let them get away with more, like being lazy, losing their cool, being rude to others, not cleaning up after themselves, and shirking responsibilities, but we also make excuses for them to rationalize and justify their bad behavior to ourselves and anyone who  complains about it. The sociopath’s favorite thing about sympathy, however, is that we let our guard down because we tend to not feel very threatened by someone we feel sorry for. They seem harmless, but they definitely are NOT.

3. No Family or Friends to Turn To

            This usually goes hand-in-hand with Playing the Victim. How are they going to take advantage of you if you think they have someone else who can help them? Exactly. So whoever they live with is going to be either cheating on them or bullying them or kicking them out. So, if you find yourself wondering how anyone could turn against such a NICE person, you can probably bet they are NOT such a “nice” person.

4. The See-You-Can-Trust-Me Move

            This is an old-school, but effective deception tool. It involves creating a situation that appears to test a person’s honesty, so they can pass it with flying colors and you’ll be convinced he’s a trustworthy friend.  Example:  you leave the change from your last convenience store purchase out on the table in plain sight. Instead of taking the money, your new ‘friend’ will bring it to your attention that money has been left out and convince you that you should put it away. They will make a point of pointing out how anyone else would’ve taken the money. This is to make you believe that not only can you trust them, but that they actually have your best interests at heart and will protect you from harm.  After this little charade,  you’ll trust him around your valuables and want him to do all your house sitting – making it so much easier for them to take so much more from you. Now, aren’t you glad you know better than to fall for this one?

5. Every Story is a SAT Story – (Sympathy, Admiration, Trust)

            Everything they tell you about themselves is engineered to extract Sympathy, Admiration, or Trust from you. It’s a SAT story. They will present themselves as either the Hero whose selflessness and bravery is to be admired, or the Victim who is somehow treated badly or unfairly.  Just remember that everyone tells SAT stories once in a while. What I’m talking about is recognizing a pattern where practically everything said is hero or victim oriented.  By this time you should be seeing this as the basic theme for his life. They give so much, ask for so little, and yet somehow manage to survive the daily abuse.  Oh yeah, and the abuse isn’t really abuse because (assuming they weren’t actually the abuser) it’s almost always made up or well deserved – which makes it a consequence, which brings us to the next phase of our sociopaths behavior and to our next Red Flag.

6. Consequences Don’t Compute

            At first, this will be confusing to witness because it won’t make sense. Everyone understands consequences, right? I mean, we’ve been trying to avoid them as much as possible our whole lives. We begin learning consequences when we were toddlers and made that first grab for the toy we wanted that a playmate was already playing with. If we didn’t want to be spanked or get a time-out we learned to be patient and to wait our turn.  Yet, somehow, this concept seems to escape the sociopath. They will claim to understand, but remember, they are compulsive liars.  They’ll lie again and again. They promise “it’ll never happen again.”  I’ll tell you, if Vegas took that bet, I would be betting against it every time and making plans to retire early to my own island because I have learned that those words mean only one thing:   it will definitely happen again.  

But, strangely, when they commit the offense again (as predicted), they become enraged that the consequence is there too!  Cause and effect doesn’t seem to make sense to them – BUT ONLY WHEN THEY ARE THE CAUSE. In every other aspect of life it seems to make as much sense to them as it does to you or I. They just don’t see the effects of their actions as being related in any way to the action that caused it. A sociopath will take that toy again and again but will continue to view any consequence as “unfair”, even to the point of believing he is the victim.

Be careful, a sociopath has no problem using his consequences to justify seeking vengeance for his “suffering.”  And since the sociopath is never wrong,  the sociopath will make the same mistakes and bad decisions over and over regardless of the consequences.

7. Temper Tantrums / Sudden Rage

            Even when children have temper tantrums it’s unacceptable. I’m talking about GROWN ASS ADULTS throwing temper tantrums. Yelling, slamming doors, overreacting to everything, causing a scene. I believe this falls under the psychopathic trait labeled “poor behavioral controls” and includes “inadequate control of anger and temper” on Robert Hare’s famous List of Psychopathic Traits.  But in my experience, a sociopath can control his temper as good as anyone; he just wants you to THINK that he can’t so that he won’t be held accountable for his highly disrespectful actions or be held responsible for any of the damage or pain he causes.

 A sociopath USES anger as a tool and as a weapon. In fact, any emotion he pretends to have is actually a tool to manipulate or a weapon to intimidate.  The sociopath will always insists he has good “reasons” to put on such display; all of which involve blaming you and  none are which are EVER true. Basically, they are having a tantrum because they WANT  to. They are very calculating and there is a purpose behind each calculated move. Personally, I suspect that they secretly ENJOY these ridiculous outbursts because it’s fun for them, it makes them feel powerful and good about themselves, and it’s an adrenaline release. Anytime they can get their adrenaline flowing is like an emotional high for them, only without the oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that makes us feel giddy and emotionally closer to someone when it is released. It’s that feeling we get when we are in love, which sociopaths are incapable of.  So adrenaline and testosterone are about the best they can get.  

How do you KNOW it’s NOT legitimate anger? First of all, their display of rage is always disproportionate to the alleged cause because it’s NOT the cause. It’s just a lame excuse. Secondly, there will rarely be any warning. They don’t work up to it. They explode. This is to take you off guard so that you are more easily intimidated.  Remember, that’s the whole point of these sudden rages – to intimidate you. The important thing to remember is that if their anger doesn’t make sense to you and they can’t explain it so that you at least understand why they are angry, then they aren’t angry. They are acting. They are not out of control. Still, their actions will be frightening as they hurl accusations, insults and threats at you. It is NEVER ok for anyone to speak to you with this level of disrespect.  I GUARANTEE that you will always regret it if you do not immediately separate yourself from this person.

Number seven in my list should end there but I feel compelled to tell you exactly what you can expect if you do NOT get out. There’s 2 ways this can go, but they have the same ending. One way is a classic psychopath reaction: nothing. It’s as if nothing happened and you should be unaffected. There’s no apology since he never does anything wrong. You can ask for one but either “he didn’t do anything” or “you made him do it.” He’ll do it again whenever he pleases, especially if he succeeded in intimidating you out of whatever it was he was trying to intimidate you from.  The downward spiral has begun.

The other way is with a very emotional apology using their Emotion Pretending Abilities, engineered to get you to stay. They KNOW they ARE going to do it again – THAT’S WHY THEY WANT YOU TO STAY!! They don’t care that they lie to you. So you stay, promises are made and you think things are better than ever, then it happens again.  This cycle of violence (or threats of) and reconciliation is the basis for most abusive relationships.  Side note:  Your friends and family are only going to be there for you in the beginning, especially if the violence gets physical, so you better get out while you still have a support network to help you work through it.

8. One-sidedness due to Inflated Sense of Self-Worth

            This is one trait that most people recognize right away. One-sidedness is like a slap in the face. It is utterly unfair, deliberately offensive and is intended to make others feel inferior. A grossly inflated view of one's value and a deflated view of everyone else's value is at the core of the sociopath’s disrespect for others.   A sociopath won't let you finish a sentence during an argument -they’ll talk over you, interrupt you, and employ any of a hundred tactics meant to prevent you from saying anything that might make sense and expose them for the Drama Queens and Liars they are. A sociopath has a “win-at-all-costs” attitude including, but not limited to, sacrificing their relationship with you to “win” an argument. In their opinion, which is the only one that matters, they are always RIGHT and you are always WRONG. No compromises. No exceptions.

 Their hypocrisy shows in other ways too. They will lie to you often, but expect total honesty in return. They will demand certain "courtesies" that they’ll refuse to reciprocate. They will try to impose their will on you, proclaiming they have a “right” to wield authority over you while you are “obligated” to submit. They will attempt to force or frighten you into submission. Sociopaths are certain that they can outsmart you and truly believe they are superior to others, and, as such, feel they are naturally entitled to do whatever they want and have their every wish fulfilled, hopefully at someone else’s expense.

They do not acknowledge anyone else’s personal boundaries or respect anyone’s personal space.  Privacy becomes a myth for you while they continue to be secretive. And don’t forget that they will punish YOU for any consequences they “suffer” due to their OWN poor behavior.  It is a double standard that becomes evident fairly early on and should be considered a HUGE red flag.

9. Patterns of Irresponsibility and Financial Recklessness Emerge

            A sociopath sees no reason to fulfill their commitments and obligations. They don’t care about who it affects. They don’t care about anybody except themselves. They only said those things or agreed to those things because that’s what had to be done at the time to get what they wanted. They never had any intention of following through. Integrity is for suckers. They easily break promises. You’ll probably notice that first. They leave a trail of short and shallow relationships behind them. They ignore their children and their children’s children.  They won’t pay bills unless they still need the service, preferring instead to pay up to four times the original amount after their paychecks are garnered by court order. That’s IF they have a legitimate job. Most likely they will avoid any job that doesn’t pay under the table so that they can avoid being held accountable for their financial obligations – including paying child support. They default on loans, max out their credit cards and refuse to file their taxes. They see nothing wrong with any of this. They exhibit no signs of anxiety or fear of incurring extra charges or penalties, of being sued, or even going to jail for, say, nonpayment of taxes . They don’t seem to worry what their employer will think when their wages are garnered or experience any embarrassment like you or I would if people found out what deadbeats they are.

 Most of us would lose sleep or be a nervous wreck if we did even one of these things. In contrast, the sociopath is strangely calm and dare I say, a little proud of themselves for their own rebelliousness. If the sociopath is trying to present himself as a love interest, ignorant and reckless actions such as these  should be considered instant deal breakers. Do not put yourself in a position where YOU become responsible and accountable for his deliberate transgressions.


This list is by no means comprehensive. These Red Flags were compiled from research and experience and are never going to be overlooked or underestimated again by this humble author. Surely, as I continue to evolve, I will add more Red Flags to this list. I also have several other articles planned on this particular subject. So don’t forget to check back often.


Next time I'll give you some News from the world of Psychology that you can use to improve your life today!

Also coming. . . Better Understanding the Items on Hare’s Psychopathic Checklist!

PSYCHOPATH vs. SOCIOPATH: What’s the difference?



What is the Difference between a Psychopath and a Sociopath?

There is no official distinction between a sociopath and a psychopath – at least not in America. Both terms are used interchangeably by the psychiatric community to refer to people who are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) as defined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V).

Incidentally, all psychopaths and all sociopaths have Antisocial Personality Disorder. Everyone who has been diagnosed with APD is a sociopath, but according to experts only 16% of those are a psychopath.

 Needless to say, not everyone agrees that these terms should be interchangeable and most EXPERTS do NOT use them synonymously. But since there is no OFFICIAL distinction, the opinions of these experts may vary as to what that distinction is.  Ironically, this diversity of opinion is why there is no official definition. It’s not that the editors of the DSM didn’t think it was important, they simply couldn’t come to a consensus – perhaps because the science of psychopathy is barely a century old and the very nature of psychopaths, and sociopaths too, make them notoriously difficult to study.

Not to complicate things further but the DSM is like the Standard system of measurement. We’re the only country that uses it. The rest of the civilized world uses the Metric system and the ICD-10 (International Classification of Mental Diseases, Tenth Edition).

Now, I realize that may be more confusing than helpful, so here are some differences that most psychiatrists seem to agree on:

1 )  Nature vs. nurture– It is believed that true psychopaths are born with their brains wired in a way that prevents them from experiencing certain emotions that involve bonding with others as well as emotions that aid in self-regulation. Sociopaths are believed to be born with some sort of predisposition to the disorder and, if subjected to a childhood filled with traumatic events, are more likely to develop into sociopaths than children who were raised in a loving supportive environment or who did NOT have a predisposition to the disorder.


2) Level of intensity - Psychopaths are prone to physical violence against others which usually becomes evident during childhood with the torture, abuse and killing of animals. Sociopaths, on the other hand, are more prone to steal, humiliate others and cause conflict rather than be violent.

I’m sure there are other ‘clear’ distinctions, but I can’t be sure because there are so many explanations available that ‘clearly’ contradict each other and my personal experience is too limited to base assumptions and generalizations on. My research into this aspect of the disorder is ongoing. When I find RELIABLE information for you, I will post it.

What is a Sociopath?

DSM-IV Definition (Official American Psychiatric Assoc. definition)

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture and a marked inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules.  Individuals with this disorder are referred to as sociopaths.

Official Criteria for Diagnosing Antisocial Personality Disorder:

1. Must be age 18 or older,
2. Must have a childhood history of disregard for the rights of others
3. Must have had symptoms of Conduct Disorder prior to 15 years of age,
4. Must be evidence of three of the following seven behaviors associated with disregard for others: 
  • Fails to conform to social norms, as indicated by frequently performing illegal acts or pursuing illegal occupations.
  • Deceives and manipulates others for selfish reasons, often in order to obtain money, sex, drugs or power. This behavior may involve repeated lying, conning or the use of false names.
  • Fails to plan ahead or displays impulsive behavior, as indicated by a long succession of short-term jobs or frequent changes of address.
  • Engages in repeated fights or assaults as a consequence of irritability and aggressiveness.
  • Exhibits reckless disregard for safety of self or others.
  • Shows a consistent pattern of irresponsible behavior, including failure to find and keep a job for a sustained length of time and refusal to pay bills or honor debts.
  • Shows no evidence of sadness, regret or remorse for actions that have hurt others.

An adult 18 years or older who does not meet all the criteria for APD may be given a diagnosis of conduct disorder.

If you think you know someone who may qualify as a sociopath, DO NOT CONFRONT THAT PERSON!!!  A sociopath will NEVER be honest with anyone about themselves. Confronting them will only be counter-productive. If you don't believe me, try it. See what happens. 

But have your shoes on, a bag packed and an escape plan ready. OK?


What is a Psychopath?

Psychopaths are the most dangerous of the sociopaths. These are the guys (women psychopaths are rare) who violently rape, kill and dismember their victims; blame the victim; then claim to be the real victim. Currently, the leading expert in the field of psychopathy is Canada’s Robert Hare C.M. (born 1934). He has spent more than 35 years researching psychopathy and is the developer of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL), the premier diagnostic tool used by prisons to gauge a psychopath’s future tendencies toward violence. 

How to Use the Checklist:

To use the checklist properly, a SPECIALLY TRAINED psychologist conducts a lengthy interview with the suspected psychopath about his childhood, education, family, work and relationships.  Then the psychologist has to fact-check all the responses for accuracy and truthfulness because psychopaths are pathological liars. Each response is scored with a 0, 1 or 2 with 40 being the maximum score. Anything over 30, however, is considered  psychopathic, which means they are very likely to feel compelled to use violence against others.

Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R):  A person can exhibit a few of these characteristics and NOT have APD! A true psychopath will display ALL of these symptoms on a regular basis. 

1.       glib and superficial charm
2.       exaggerated sense of self worth
3.       need for stimulation (adrenaline rush, risk-taking to ‘feel alive’)
4.       pathological lying
5.       cunning and manipulative
6.       lack of remorse or guilt
7.       shallow affect (emotions seem insincere; either over exaggerated or faked )
8.       callousness and lack of empathy
9.       parasitic lifestyle (takes advantage of people’s resources)
10.   poor behavioral controls (loses temper)
11.   sexual promiscuity
12.   early behavior problems
13.   lack of realistic long-term goals  
14.   impulsivity
15.   irresponsibility
16.   failure to accept responsibility for own actions
17.   many short-term marital relationships
18.   juvenile delinquency
19.   revocation of conditional release
20.   criminal versatility 

Most people will score between 5 – 10 because almost everyone has displayed at least one of these traits to some degree. A score of 30 or more indicates a psychopath. Most violent criminals who are NOT psychopaths score in the 20s.


Hare checklist was built on the foundation of a previous checklist designed by one of the pioneers of psychopathy, an American by the name of Hervey Cleckley M.D. (1903 - January 28, 1984). His book, The Mask of Sanity, originally published in 1941, provided the most influential clinical description of psychopathy in the twentieth century. 

Hervey Cleckley’s List of Psychopathy Symptoms:

1. Considerable superficial charm and average or above average intelligence.
2. Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking.
3. Absence of anxiety or other “neurotic” symptoms. Considerable poise, calmness and verbal facility.
4. Unreliability, disregard for obligations, no sense of responsibility, in matters of little and great importance
5. Untruthfulness and insincerity.
6. Antisocial behavior which is inadequately motivated and poorly planned, seeming to stem from an inexplicable impulsiveness.
7. Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior.
8. Poor judgment and failure to learn from experience.
9. Pathological egocentricity. Total self-centeredness and an incapacity for real love and attachment.
10. General poverty of deep and lasting emotions.
11. Lack of any true insight; inability to see oneself as others do.
12. Ingratitude for any special considerations, kindness and trust.
13. Fantastic and objectionable behavior, after drinking and sometimes even when not drinking. Vulgarity, rudeness, quick mood shifts, pranks for facile entertainment.
14. No history of genuine suicide attempts.
15. An impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated sex life.
16. Failure to have a life plan and to live in any ordered way  (unless it is for destructive purposes or a sham).


DO NOT  CONFRONT A PERSON YOU SUSPECT OF BEING A SOCIOPATH OR A PSYCHOPATH USING THIS CHECKLIST. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. There are very few endeavors in life that would be as much a waste of time and energy. Besides the possibility that it could be dangerous, remember these jerks have no capacity to care about you, your concerns, or your feelings about their reaction to your concerns.


 Personality disorders, by their very nature, are inflexible and deeply ingrained. There are no drugs currently that are known to be effective in the treatment of personality disorders. Add to that the fact that psychopaths don’t think there is anything wrong with themselves and you end up with an illness that is very difficult to treat and generally has a poor prognosis.

Next time I'll tell you some ways to spot a sociopath BEFORE they can target YOU!

Also coming, News from the world of Psychology that can improve your life today!