It is extremely difficult to determine with certainty whether a person is a psychopath. However, there are some behaviors that may indicate that he does have a problem. A psychopath, by definition, is a person who has trouble understanding why other people have feelings, and this lack of empathy can be seen in certain details - such as what drinks a person likes. This article will describe three types of behavior that may indicate that a person is prone to psychopathy. Interesting fact: men are more prone to psychopathy than women. Now that you know this, you can begin to learn three things you should pay attention to if you suspect that someone in your circle may be a psychopath.
They are immune to other people's yawns
In one study, scientists gave 135 students a task: fill out a questionnaire that was supposed to reveal their tendency towards psychopathy. Participants were then given three videos to watch in random order. On one of them there was a man with a neutral expression, on the other he was laughing, and on the third he was yawning. And while the participants watched these videos, the researchers closely watched their faces, trying to notice any activity in the facial muscles.
The Psychology of Yawning
The results of the study showed something extremely interesting: those participants who scored the highest on the psychopathic questionnaire also had one similar trait - emotional distance from what was happening, sometimes even with a clear disposition of hostility. And it was these people who were least likely to respond to the standard human reaction to yawning. Most of the time, when people see someone next to them yawning, they are also drawn to yawn. People prone to psychopathy completely ignored any stimuli caused in other participants by a video of a yawning person.
What are psychopaths like?
Scientists note that people who have psychopathic traits are more likely to be insincere, selfish, self-confident and insensitive. The reaction (or rather lack of reaction) to a video of a person yawning is one of the most prominent examples of the psychopathic trait of lack of empathy, but it is only one piece of a larger and more complex puzzle. If you're interested in testing out how "heartless" someone you know is, or if you suspect someone close to you might be a psychopath, you can simply yawn around them. Or there is another way: you can look at their account on the social network Instagram and count how many selfies you can find there. Which allows us to move on to the next point in the definition of psychopathic behavior.
They take a lot of selfies
In addition to the fact that psychopaths are unable to respond to yawning, scientists also noted that they most often post a lot of selfies. Such actions are a sign of personality disorders, and sending a selfie is a kind of signal to society. In one study, researchers looked at the relationship between a person's personality traits and how they present themselves on social media. The study involved 800 people aged 18 to 40 years, and people of various nationalities were represented. The purpose of the study was to examine selfie-taking habits in relation to narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. These three traits are collectively known as the “Dark Triad” and have become the focus of modern personality psychology.
Questions for psychopaths
Scientists focused on people's personalities, asking them how attractive they considered themselves, how much they wanted others to pay attention to them, how concerned they were with morality, whether they were manipulative, and so on. Participants were also asked how often they use social media, including how often they post photos and how much they edit them before posting them on the social network.
"Dark Triad"
The study found that people with high levels of self-objectification (that is, those who value themselves solely on their appearance) and narcissism spend significantly more time on social networks. Scientists also found that people prone to narcissism and psychopathy are much more likely to post selfies. Moreover, those who showed high levels of self-objectification and narcissism were the most likely to heavily edit their photos before posting them on social media. It is worth noting that all these traits are subclinical, that is, their presence in a person does not mean that he has a full-fledged mental disorder, and his mental health is at risk.
They order black coffee
This point could easily be attributed to a person who simply wants to reduce their intake of dairy and sugar. One study found that if you prefer to drink your coffee black without any additives, you will be more prone to psychopathy. The study involved thousands of volunteers, and the results showed that people who prefer bitter foods and drinks, such as black coffee, are more prone to the “Dark Triad”, that is, narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy, as well as everyday sadism. The list of bitter foods used in the study included radishes, celery and tonic water.
If day after day a person hears that he is useless and hopeless, eventually he begins to believe it himself.
Unhealthy Relationships: How to Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Relationships
The book by Norwegian experts on destructive communications is “On the Hook. How to break the circle of unhealthy relationships" how to recognize a psychopathic personality in your environment, escape from its influence, get rid of guilt and regain self-confidence. We are publishing an excerpt about the psychology of the aggressor-victim relationship.
In a destructive relationship- personal or business - the injured party is usually unable to defend his own individuality. If day after day a person hears that he is useless and hopeless, eventually he begins to believe it himself. At the same time, hope for change for the better, for harmonious, calm relationships is not lost.
Many victims turn to a psychologist, often under pressure from the aggressor, in order to improve, to become a person whom the aggressor could not blame for anything.
We can say that the victim loses himself and focuses only on the aggressor. She loses contact with her own individuality, her feelings, thoughts, needs and desires. One's own value system, which signals what is right and what is unacceptable, may also be forgotten. The victim can no longer imagine a healthy, normal relationship. One man put it this way: “It’s like my boss got into my head and took over my thoughts.”
In destructive relationships, the victim focuses on the feelings, thoughts, well-being and needs of the aggressor.
The victim navigates his or her own life while sitting in the back seat of a car driven by the aggressor.
In such a situation, there is usually a feeling of helplessness and emptiness. “I don’t know who I am or what I want anymore. “I can’t make sense of this chaos,” this is what a woman who knew firsthand about this condition said.
Acceptance of responsibility for what is happening, feelings of guilt and shame
Aggressors deny or devalue their own bad actions. They believe themselves to be flawless and lie about themselves, their lives, actions and feelings. A psychopathic person does not conduct internal dialogues with himself, does not ask himself what could have been done to avoid problems that arose in interactions with others.
If the aggressor is directly confronted with the unseemly nature of his actions, he may begin to claim that you are lying, exaggerating, confusing, always only criticizing, saying that because you are abnormal. If he admits the fact of committing a certain action, he will blame you for the current situation. A psychopath will constantly switch attention from himself to another person, pointing out the victim and his “mistakes.” Such people masterfully avoid responsibility, explaining their actions by external reasons.
And in this they quite often succeed - their victims criticize and blame themselves. It is the victims who take the blame for the problems that arise, freeing the aggressor from responsibility. In an abusive relationship, it is the victim who does everything possible to change, act differently, be positive, work on himself, etc. The more responsibility the victim takes, the more difficult it is for him to escape the psychopath's trap. Gradually she becomes more and more vulnerable to new attacks.
The victim feels guilty for the fact that the relationship, personal or business, is not working out, as well as for everything that displeases the aggressor.
The consequence of this feeling of guilt can be a devaluation of one’s own personality, viewing oneself as a bad, cruel, callous, stupid or worthless person. The more the victim, losing himself, becomes entangled in the networks of the trap, the easier it is for the aggressor to make him feel guilty.
Accepting guilt and responsibility for the violence committed can be a way for the victim to get rid of the state of helplessness. “If my actions actually provoked violence, then it can be avoided.” This thought gives a feeling of control, hope of being able to cope with a difficult situation.
The victim, as a rule, also experiences shame. For example, a woman may feel that there is some irreparable flaw in her because she is treated so poorly and no one cares. She may feel that she deserves this treatment, as if she is truly unworthy of respect. This feeling can be quite strong if the aggressor is someone close to the victim or a person who formally stands up for moral principles and professionalism.
Treating yourself as a weakling or a loser
Fear, fear, anxiety, anger, confusion, powerlessness and emptiness are common consequences of psychological and physical abuse. As soon as the victim shows his weaknesses or tells the aggressor about these feelings, new harsh attacks will follow. Most aggressors regard such feelings as a sign of weakness.
Our experience shows that aggressors respond to the vulnerability, powerlessness and despondency of another person with contempt. In the eyes of the aggressor, victims are weaklings and losers. This weakness is constantly used against victims as an argument to confirm their inferiority and worthlessness. Often, aggressors manage to instill such an opinion about the victim in others.
A woman who suddenly lost her mother in a car accident expected support from her husband. But he only reproached her every day for abandoning her family and home and looking bad. This situation may well result in the victim agreeing with the psychopath: “Yes, I’m weak, I can’t cope with grief with dignity. I'm a failure."
Self-contempt only intensifies. She gradually loses contact with herself, with her own grief, becoming more and more worried about how to avoid the reproaches of the aggressor.
The aggressor usually gives the impression of a strong personality, his activity and assertiveness deserve the respect of others, and he likes to look like a winner.
But the truth is that abusers spend their entire lives deceiving themselves. They repress and deny their own vulnerability, anger, grief, guilt and loneliness.
By devaluing, insulting and suppressing the victim, aggressors escape from the feeling of their own weakness and inferiority. They are dependent on the ability to project their own weaknesses onto the victim in order to create the impression of themselves as a strong personality, a winner, and believe that it is better to have power over another than to be subjugated.
As a cesspool
Every victim of the aggressor becomes the object of his projections. It seems to be turning into a cesspool for everything that the aggressor himself does not want to have or see in his life. The aggressor is completely dependent on projecting his repressed emotions, thoughts, needs onto one or more victims.
In the Gospel of Luke we can find a description that reflects the essence of the projection: “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the plank that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: brother! Let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself cannot see the beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
The aggressor does not see the identity of the victim behind the beam in his own eye. He draws himself a certain image, which he passes off as the truth about the victim. The bully's unshakable self-confidence and conviction that he is right can lead the victim to believe that his opinion of her is true. Gradually, the victim’s thoughts about herself become more and more negative, and self-contempt grows stronger.
In this state, the victim can even imagine that he is the aggressor, and the aggressor is the victim.
Trapped in a web
The more you agree with the “correctness” of your image constructed by the aggressor, the more entangled you become in his network. They are not easy to break out of because the aggressor involves you emotionally. You feel inferior and conclude that the aggressor’s words are true. If you do not stop the attacks, they continue and become more severe. This type of unhealthy and destructive interaction is especially common in romantic relationships.
A small questionnaire revealing the nature of existing relationships.
Do you think that your partner has the right to know where you are, what you are doing, who you are communicating with at any given time?
Does he or she often mock your judgments and feelings?
Does your partner often react with anger or punish you with silence if your words or actions do not please him/her?
Do you feel nervous and try your best not to irritate him/her?
Do your partner's sudden mood swings confuse you?
Do you often feel confused and upset after communicating with your partner?
Is he/she jealous of everything and everyone?
Do you get blamed for the conflict that arises during an argument or when you have a disagreement?
If you answered “yes” to most of the questions, then you are trapped in a destructive relationship.
It is important to remember that aggressors need to keep the victim in their trap, they are completely dependent on this. If the aggressor sees that the victim wants to free himself, he tightens his grip. Apparently, such individuals need to harass someone in order to feel comfortable. […]
The voice still sounds
If the victim has physically left the aggressor, breaking off relations with him, she may still be captive of psychological dependence for many years. Even if her tormentor was already dead.
The trap is still in effect if the person continues to react emotionally to the aggressor and still “hears” the aggressor’s voice in different situations.
Even ten years after her dismissal, the woman still heard comments from her boss, his reproaches for being slow and disorganized if she was a little late for a business meeting. She always gets nervous when she's in a hurry because that sarcastic voice comes on in her head.
Many victims of psychopaths feel as if their abuser continues to live within them as they adopt his blaming and insulting voice. They themselves become aggressors towards themselves. Some claim that it seriously ruins their lives and have been trying to get rid of the aggressor inside for years.
Who becomes the victim?
Anyone - woman or man, child or adult - can be subject to psychological and physical violence. This happens regardless of social status, level of education and professional affiliation. Encroachments occur among both the rich and the poor.
However, we noticed that adult victims have something in common:
Victims:
Since childhood they have a negative image of “I”;
They underestimate themselves;
They don’t see their strengths;
They differ from others in their kindness and vitality;
Kind to others, but not to yourself;
May behave overly altruistically;
Have a strong need for self-acceptance;
They are not always able to defend their interests and express their needs;
They place high demands on themselves;
They are afraid of conflict situations and the anger of others;
They are afraid of being abandoned and rejected;
Not always able to protect their borders;
They quickly begin to feel responsible for the lives of other people;
They believe that people are essentially kind and disposed towards them.
Many of the items on this list are common to most of us to one degree or another. However, those who have a negative self-image and low self-confidence are especially vulnerable. Psychopathic individuals do not become attached to someone who consistently defends their own boundaries and demonstrates inner strength and determination. published If you have any questions about this topic, ask them to the specialists and readers of our project
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness, we are changing the world together! © econet
Statistics say: one out of a hundred people is a born psychopath. And with such people it is impossible to be friends or do business together. You should not seek an approach to them; the best thing to do is to run away from such people.
Who are psychopaths? I’ll try to explain using the example of the book “American Psycho” by Bret Inston Ellis, which turned out to be impossible for me to read without trembling in my hands. Patrick Bateman, the hero of the book, is a charming, wealthy businessman who is popular with girls, has many “friends” with whom he talks in tedious detail about fashion, music and mineral water. He lacks the emotions of an ordinary person, and with amazing composure he tortures and kills animals, homeless people, prostitutes, girls he knows, random people (a taxi driver, a policeman, a boy at the zoo). And he never remains hungry. Cooking minced meat and making meatballs from a beautiful girl is not a problem for him.
The worst thing is that such people exist in reality. And it is important to recognize them at the very beginning of communication, because personal safety comes first.
So what are they, psychopaths? Is everything like in this scary book?
No, not all. There are psychopaths of varying degrees of cruelty. But a number of the qualities listed below are common to all psychopaths.
What to do if such a person gets in your way?
Leave as soon as possible, while you have strength, more or less adequate self-esteem and health. Break off the relationship if your other half turns out to be a psychopath, quit or transfer to another department if you encounter a psychopathic boss. If you notice psychopathic tendencies in a colleague, reduce communication to a minimum and do not tell anything personal about yourself.
- Bret Easton Ellis "American Psycho"
- Patrick Suskind "Perfumer. The story of a killer"
- Anthony Burgess "A Clockwork Orange"
- Natasha Kampusch “Natasha Kampusch. 3096 days"
A psychopath is an individual characterized by an antisocial pattern of behavior, an inability to empathize and remorse for harming others, self-centeredness, deceit, and lack of depth of emotional reactions. Such an individual does not feel guilty about his own behavior. In addition, psychopathic individuals are incapable of establishing adequate relationships with other human subjects. Psychopathic subjects are difficult to corrective influence, but sometimes their state of “inadequacy” improves somewhat as they grow older.
Characteristics and signs of a psychopath
A pronounced antisocial personality disorder that creates serious barriers to adjustment in society. Often, such a character deviation is not acquired and is finally consolidated at the puberty stage, after which it does not persist throughout life.
The described disorder often begins to develop in the pre-pubertal period. Its first manifestations include heartlessness and scarcity of emotions.
According to research, one to two human subjects out of 100 are psychopaths. Along with this, in the criminal environment their prevalence reaches 15-25 criminals per 100. In addition, approximately 10% of the adult population, who are not clinical psychopaths, display psychopathic traits, causing harm to surrounding individuals.
The origin of a psychopath, in addition to social conditioning, is also characterized by a connection with neurobiological dysfunction, due to which the individual suffering from the disorder in question lacks the ability to deeply experience emotions (attachment, joy). However, despite this, such a subject can look “charming” due to the expressed ability to believably imitate emotions.
There is a theory about “beneficial” psychopathy, which claims that a category of subclinical psychopaths can be distinguished, which formally follows the law. Such individuals reach professional heights due to the presence of psychopathic character traits, which others mistakenly mistake for leadership traits. However, this often harms the team in the long term. 
The results of large-scale studies conducted in the previous century in the states, psychopathic traits were found in 1% of women and 5% of the stronger half. The prevalence of men among psychopathic personalities is also evidenced by data from studies of behavioral criminals. At the same time, an excellent hypothesis is widespread among scientists: the extent of female psychopathy is underestimated. It’s just that beautiful women have a different manifestation of psychopathic traits, for example, they are often less clearly expressed and are found in psychological violence rather than physical violence.
Not all psychopathic individuals are predisposed to coercion, pressure, violence, but still such subjects are dangerous for society, especially individuals with a criminal past. Their actions are destructive, especially in relation to human nature. A psychopathic personality exhibits exaggerated demands on the surrounding society. Such individuals are characterized by conflict, falling into rage for no apparent reason, and are often capable of murder.
Psychopaths can be thought of as social predators. This is expressed:
– in the absence of empathy (they feel the pain of other individuals, but do not reciprocate);
– in attempts to manipulate the social environment (they are professional manipulators, crafty and cunning);
- in laziness;
Many people often confuse psychopaths with sociopaths, since these terms mean dissocial personality disorders, and they also have similar manifestations, such as:
– irresponsibility and deceit;
– manipulation of people and their feelings;
– lack of empathy and remorse;
– ignoring the safety of others;
– disregard for social principles and laws.
The difference between the two deviations under consideration is the complete absence of pangs of conscience in psychopathic individuals, while maintaining the ability to plan. Sociopathic individuals are no longer restrained, impulsive, and therefore cannot “get stuck” in one role for a long time.
Psychopaths are often outgoing, charming, or calculating, but they are also more likely to react aggressively, they are characterized by insolence, they are more likely to become angry, and they are also more inhumane and may experience many more emotional outbursts.
Psychopaths often have a complete lack of emotional experience. They don’t understand why people around them are upset, happy, or feel a whole range of emotions. Psychopathic individuals often have a good education and a permanent job. They may develop family ties or enter into romantic relationships. In this case, the environment will not even suspect that their “neighbor” has psychopathic tendencies. In individuals living, so to speak, a “normal” life, the symptoms of a psychopath can be quite vague and most noticeable only among the immediate environment.
If a psychopath decides to commit a crime, he carefully thinks through all the details of the process. He will carefully think through and plan everything in advance. He will carry out his plans calmly and slowly. If a psychopath becomes a criminal, then all his offenses are organized “high-quality”. That is why, due to calmness, pedantry and innate charm, the described category of people make excellent swindlers.
If psychopaths are neat, pedantic and more detail-oriented, then sociopathic individuals are characterized by carelessness and inconstancy. They often do not think at all about the results and reactions to them.
Typically, sociopaths tend to change jobs frequently; they do not have special knowledge or education; it is easier to find them among the marginal layers of society. A sociopathic person can decide in a second to rob a bank and carry out the robbery without any plan.
How to recognize a psychopath?
Psychopathic disorder is considered a rather complex personality disorder because psychopaths often appear “normal,” even charmingb. Due to the mystery and complexity of psychopathy, it can often be difficult to recognize a psychopath.
However, there is still a universal set of behavioral patterns exhibited by psychopaths. The psychopathic personality is primarily characterized by a lack of impulse control, which, together with any semblance of emotional consciousness, leads to acts of hostility. Psychopaths may not always physically harm someone, but they are almost always verbally abusive and emotional.
Psychopaths are in a relentless search for thrills. They choose actions that stimulate their insatiable desire for danger. And it doesn’t matter to them whether such actions will harm themselves or other individuals. They also care little about the legality of their actions. The described category of people is prone to. They are skilled “jugglers” of human emotions, actions, and deeds. They are also expert deceivers. They often manipulate or deceive individuals for the sole reason of having fun.
Basically, most psychopaths suffer too much. This category of people considers themselves much more intelligent and influential than they actually are. They like to “attach themselves” to successful individuals, to people with power, because this increases their personal status. They are convinced that they deserve better treatment than other human subjects. Their exorbitant sense of personal importance often leads to cracks in the “mask of normality.” When psychopaths feel that people are not giving them the “important” status, the status of proper attention, they seek to deliberately inflict pain.
Psychopathic individuals are impulsive and irresponsible. Both of these qualities are a sign of the disorder in question. Psychopathic individuals do not notice anything worthy of reproach in their own behavior, as well as in their way of existence. They are characterized by a pronounced desire to avoid responsibility for their own decisions or for the consequences of decisions made.
The category of persons under consideration is, therefore, their actions are determined by whims, current mood, desires. They can deceive, steal, offend only because that’s what they want at the moment. Their intimate relationships are often characterized by variability and constant change of partners.
Psychopaths have a deficit of personal ethics. As a rule, they do not adhere to strong moral standards. They act only in ways that are beneficial to them at a particular moment. They have little interest in the fact that others may suffer from their actions.
In addition to the listed signs, a psychopath is characterized by:
– rancor;
– short sleep;
– lack of gratitude;
– inconsistency;
– a lot of unfinished business;
– in minor conflicts, accusing the enemy of vices and lies;
– lack of long-term love affairs;
– extreme hobbies;
– groundless jealousy;
– sexual perversion;
– non-standard thinking.
In the sons of Adam, the violation in question manifests itself in the form of a well-thought-out strategy of behavior in society, masking real facts, success in the professional field, and high activity.
In women, this disorder is manifested in emotional imbalance and incontinence, and depressive moods. They are characterized by callousness and disregard for the feelings of loved ones. Since psychopathic women are dominated by cold calculation based on personal aspirations over other emotions, lack understanding and a sense of love, and are developed, they arouse the interest of many men.
Classification of psychopathic personalities
The disease in question is considered a borderline mental state. They occupy a position between character accentuations and progressive mental disorders.
In order to classify psychopaths, various aspects and approaches can be used. There are constitutional or nuclear psychopathy, which combine types of disorders caused by hereditary pathology, and regional psychopathy, caused primarily by improper upbringing.
In the post-Soviet space, the most popular classification was proposed by P. Gannushkin in 33 years of the previous century.
The constitutionally stupid variety of psychopaths is manifested by limitations and mental insufficiency. They study well. This is the difference from oligophrenia. However, after entering “adult” life, they encounter difficulties due to the need to use the acquired knowledge in practical activities and take initiative.
How to remove a psychopathic man from your life
Today, psychopathic traits are not uncommon among the sons of Adam. When the symptoms of the disorder in question manifest themselves in family relationships, then you will not envy the psychopath’s wife.
In relationships, the psychopathic man is often the despot. It’s normal for him to play with his partner’s feelings. It is quite difficult to remove such men from your life. After all, they always eloquently and repentantly beg for forgiveness, looking sincerely into the eyes, like a skillful actor, or they threaten. Staring intently at a frightened wife is a real pleasure for them. You need to understand that in such tense moments you should not shed tears of resentment, make excuses or insult your husband. 
The most sensible solution is to break off the relationship with the domestic psychopath. Since the category of men in question achieves what they want only when they emotionally destroy their victim. Therefore, you need to learn how to behave competently with a psychopathic man:
– in case of any attacks of a psychological nature on the part of the faithful, it is necessary to distance oneself from him, for example, to do something important;
– when breaking up a relationship, you need to be careful, since an unexpected breakup often provokes an outburst of rage and aggressiveness, because in a relationship a psychopathic man is often prone to violence. Therefore, the ideal option for breaking up is to report this remotely, via telephone or using the capabilities of the World Wide Web;
– there is no need to blame yourself, since this is not only a break in relationships, but also saving oneself and loved ones from real danger;
– the plan to break off the relationship with the abusive spouse must be kept secret from him, since he will take all kinds of actions in order to prevent him from doing this.
How to recognize a psychopathic woman
The manifestations of the analyzed disorder in the sons of Adam are clearly noticeable. These are threats, aggressiveness, physical violence. Female psychopaths act more subtly, mainly through psychological violence.
The signs of this disorder in women are determined by differences in the behavioral model, caused by emotional experiences and an unusual idea of society and one’s own place in it. The main difference between female psychopaths is their immersion in their own reality and personal experiences. They are often characterized by inappropriate actions and emotional assessment of events. 
Also, the disorder in question in the weaker half manifests itself in an asthenic, unstable and excitable type. Psychopathic symptoms in women determine their behavioral manifestations.
Asthenic women are characterized by weakness and defenselessness. Everything constantly falls out of their hands, and as a result they are unsuitable for work. They get tired easily, both from mental work and physical activity. The considered category of feminis is subject to the influence of others, they do not have their own opinion. They are often made an object of manipulation.
The excitable psychopath is the antipode of the previous type. Such women are stubborn and unyielding, scandalous. They can argue endlessly, defending their opinion. At the same time, this category of the weaker half is considered to be good workers, since they are not devoid of creative potential and responsibility.
The desire for adventures, various kinds of adventures, a beautiful life, unusual actions, and shocking behavior characterizes the unstable type. Women of this type prefer men whose relationship will be full of vivid emotions and an adventure. However, long-term relationships are not included in their plans.
Psychopathy is one of the most complex disorders. A psychopath may appear normal, even charming. He sometimes lacks a sense of conscience and empathy, which makes him manipulative, unstable, and often (but by no means always) a criminal.
According to a scientist who has spent years studying their behavior: “We think of psychopaths as murderers, alien to society.”
Words such as “crazy,” “crazy,” etc. are somewhat vague and have virtually no relation to the actual state of a person’s soul. We may even feel comfortable and this will be enough to characterize us on this issue.
Sometimes we even forget that in fact, people who meet the clinical standards of psychopathy, or “psychos” as they are called, actually exist. Before we go any further, let's look at the American Psychiatric Association's definition of psychopathy, as reported in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5):
“A pervasive pattern or neglect and violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” The guide lists seven evidence-based behavior points for psychopaths, with three points standing out in particular because they occur regularly from age 15 onwards.
The phrase “a pervasive pattern or disregard for and violation of the rights of others” is psychopathy as defined by these words.
Professor Robert Hare, psychologist and creator of the PCL-R, a diagnostic measure of psychopathy, is a leading authority on psychopathy. He states the following: "It stuns me, just as it did 40 years ago, especially that people who are so emotionally disconnected that they can function as if other people can manipulate and destroy objects without any concern."
Perhaps more overwhelming and frightening at the same time is the possibility of being intimately involved with a psychopath. Because psychopathy is a mysterious mental disorder, it is often very difficult to "know" if someone does not fit the given diagnosis.
However, there is a common set of behaviors that psychopaths exhibit.
So, here are 11 manifestations of the behavior of psychopaths:
1. Frequent acts of aggression
Lack of impulse control combined with any semblance of emotional awareness often leads to violent acts of aggression. Psychopaths may or may not physically harm someone, but they are almost always emotional and verbally abusive.
2. Constantly seeking thrills
By “thrill” we should take into account the usual adrenaline for which people love to jump with a parachute. Psychopaths are prone to actions that stimulate their insatiable desire for danger. Even if such actions may harm yourself, others or be illegal.
3. Manipulative tendencies
This is not surprising, but psychopaths have a well-deserved reputation for being skilled manipulators and deceivers. Without an "inner voice" to guide them towards the right or wrong path, they often manipulate and deceive someone for no other reason than for personal amusement.
4. They lack genuine emotion.
Anger, jealousy, frustration and rage are typical psychopathic behavioral traits. Psychopaths avoid deeper emotions (eg, kindness, compassion, empathy, love) for the more easily accessible and superficial variety.
5. They want to get value out of people.
Some psychopaths don't see "personal gain" the way others do - they simply get the thrill of their manipulation. Others will use kindness and goodwill to get something. It can be anything: money, power, fame, temporarily satisfying a moment-to-moment need.
6. They don't feel empathy.
A psychopath is characterized by shallow, chaotic relationships because they lack one important quality - empathy. In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, researchers examined brain images of 121 prisoners, including individuals classified as "highly psychopathic." The study concluded with the following findings: People with psychopathy failed to show neural networks that may contribute to empathetic anxiety.”
7. They are irresponsible
As expected, psychopaths do not take responsibility for their behavior. Instead, they try to instill guilt in their victims. That's right. They not only evade responsibility, but also humiliate the victim.
8. They exalt their sense of self-worth.
Psychopaths often have arrogant, dominant, and narcissistic tendencies. Thus, they have a heightened sense of self-importance and self-worth. They are also characterized by an extreme, inappropriate sense of entitlement.
9. They don't have real friends.
True friendship requires a mutual and honest exchange of emotions, interests and support. While psychopaths can fake other people's emotions, they cannot create positive emotions associated with other people. Therefore, any “friendship” associated with a psychopath is not real in any form.
10. They're scary adorable
When a psychopath wants to “turn on his charm” and appear funny and outgoing, he can deceive almost anyone. This “talent” is especially tragic when we consider the trail of human devastation they leave behind after receiving something they so desire.
11. They are common criminals
Psychopaths make up up to 25 percent of all male offenders in federal prisons, although they account for less than one percent of the total population. Impulsivity, aggression, disregard for the law and lack of empathy certainly contribute to this rate.