20 Warning Signs You’re Dealing With A Psychopath

January 8, 2018January 15, 2018 admin Abnormal Psychology, Mental Health, Mental Health Disorder, Personality Disorder, Psychological Disorder, Psychopath, Psychopath Symptoms, Psychopath Warning Signs, Psychopathic Personality, Psychopathic Personality Disorder, Psychopathy

Psychopaths account for 1% of the general population
Psychopaths eluded the fields of psychology & psychiatry well into the 18th century
Psychopaths are skilled at hiding in plain view (unless you’re aware of their behavior & personality traits)

Hidden In Plain Sight

The psychology of psychopaths is something that has been widely researched in the field of mental health and abnormal psychology for decades. While the exact nature of psychopaths is an ever-evolving area of study in psychology, some common characteristics have been identified. A Canadian psychologist, Dr. Robert D. Hare, pioneered the Psychopathy Checklist to help mental health professionals establish a diagnostic standard.

Know The Signs of Psychopathy

Once you know the following behavioral and personality characteristics, you will be able to recognize if you are dealing with a psychopath. You may know a person living with psychopathic personality disorder, and not even realize it. While this is a useful tool, please always consult with a mental health professional.

Here are 20 warnings signs you may be dealing with a psychopath:

1. Superficial Charm & Glibness

Psychopaths are skilled at exhibiting behaviors that resonate with people on a superficial level. They understand how a charismatic person behaves, and they imitate that behavior in order to achieve their objectives. You shouldn’t broadly distrust charismatic people, but the key differentiator with psychopaths is their insincerity. Yes, this can be difficult to detect, but this is why psychopaths are good at blending in. (Continues On Page 2)

Self-Centered, With An Inflated Sense of Self-Worth

Psychopathic personalities are exclusively concerned with their own needs. As humans, we all have moments of selfishness – it’s part of our nature and a survival mechanism to account for our own needs. Psychopaths take these tendencies to the extreme and are able to do so without concern for how their actions may affect those in their path. This is further justified in their minds by their inflated sense of self-worth.

Habitual Lying

While lying is a very general behavior that we’ve all been guilty of at one time or another, it is also considered a major red flag in identifying psychopaths. The way in which psychopaths lie is slightly different than the rest of us, however. In particular, it relates to their ability to lie. It is believed that due to their lack of remorse and impulsivity, psychopaths have a much higher ability to become skilled, convincing liars.

Stimulation Seeking

One of the defining characteristics of a psychopath is that they do not experience sensations and emotions as others do. As a result, it isn’t uncommon for psychopaths to seek extreme forms of stimulation in order to fulfill this emotional deficit. This may manifest in the form of extreme activities or risky behavior. (Continues On Page 3)

Manipulation and Conning

Psychopaths are particularly skilled at manipulation. Their manipulative tendencies are enhanced by their above-average ability to lie. Additionally, their inflated sense of self-worth makes them more inclined to be manipulative in order to achieve their objectives.

Lack of Guilt & Remorse

As previously referenced, psychopaths do not feel guilt and remorse to the extent that other people do (if at all). Guilt and remorse are forms of learning – they teach us to function as members of society. Psychopaths, on the other hand, are less inhibited in their manipulative, lying, and otherwise destructive behavior because they do not feel remorseful afterward.

Shallow, Superficial Feelings

While psychopaths may be convincing at appearing to experience feelings in the same was as we do, they do not. This can be especially difficult to detect, but psychopaths simply do not feel emotional pain, love, guilt, grief, or other emotions as other people do.

Lack of Empathy

Psychopaths, in addition having overall muted feelings, also have difficulty empathizing with the feelings of others. This further enhances their inclination to lie, manipulate and con because they do not feel the pain of others they inflict pain upon.

Promiscuity

Psychopaths will often exhibit high levels of promiscuity. This is an interesting behavioral trait because it is arguably a manifestation of stimulation-seeking and parasitic relationship behavior. A psychopath may seek these types of shallow encounters as a form of stimulation. Additionally, this can be a form of using other people as resources.

Parasitic Relationship Behavior

To a psychopath, people they have relationships represent resources more so than human beings. Because of their lack of empathy and inflated sense of self-worth, psychopaths will often befriend people primarily based on whether or not that person fulfills some sort of resource-based need.

Childhood Behavioral Problems

Psychopaths frequently exhibited severe behavioral problems during childhood. This may have manifested in various ways, including lack of regard for authority or an inability to socialize. It is important to note that under the current standards of psychology and psychiatry, children cannot be diagnosed as psychopaths.

Difficulty Creating Long-Term & Realistic Goals

Psychopaths will often struggle to create and adhere to long-term goals. Additionally, they may display signs of grandiosity and inflated self-worth. As a result, they will often set goals that are unachievable and unrealistic.

Lack of Impulse Control

Impulse control tends to be deficient in people with psychopathic personality disorder. Since the vast majority of psychopaths are not violent, this lack of impulse control can sometimes be advantageous in social situations. Deficits of fear, guilt, and remorse contribute to impulsivity, as these are mechanisms that restrain peoples’ actions in many cases.

Difficulty Fulfilling Responsibilities

Repeated tendencies to default on responsibilities are common among psychopaths. Certainly, this doesn’t in and of itself indicate someone is a psychopath, but not paying bills, performing poor work or no work at all, defaulting on loans are common.

Refusing to Accept Responsibility

Psychopaths have difficulty accepting responsibility for their actions. With an inflated sense of self-worth and lack of remorse, they are disinclined to accept accountability for negative outcomes.

Lack of Meaningful Relationships

Psychopaths often have a very thin history of longstanding, deep friendships and romantic relationships. This can be for various reasons, but is often because they are unable to function and contribute emotionally in an affective capacity. It may also be because they don’t reap a sense of reward from emotions they do not feel.

Poor Control Over Behavior

Impulse control, remorse, and guilt deficits often culminate in overall poor control over their behavior.

History of Juvenile Delinquency

While we have already addressed childhood behavioral issues, juvenile delinquency refers specifically to behavior as it pertains to legality and disregard for authority.

In Cases of Breaking The Law, Revocation of Parole

For psychopaths that have a history of illegal criminal behavior, it’s not uncommon for an offender to be released on parole, only to immediately commit another act that lands them right back in jail. This is contributed to by impulsivity and stimulation-seeking behavior.

Criminal Behavior In Different Areas of Life

Criminal behavior, for some people living with psychopathic personality disorder, becomes a way of life. It isn’t a matter of necessity, confined to a particular illegal activity. Rather, it seems to be a criteria for their lifestyle choices. As a result, they may have an inclination to engage in activities predicated on illegality, perhaps because they believe they are above the law.