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How to spot a sociopath (aka psychopath)
How to spot a sociopath - 10 red flags that could save you from being swept under the influence of a charismatic nut job -- http://www.naturalnews.com/036112_soc...One of the more offensive duties of being an investigative journalist is taking out the trash -- exposing liars, fraudsters, con artists and scammers for the people they truly are. Each time we investigate a sociopath, we find that they always have a little cult group following of spellbound worshippers who consider that particular sociopath to be a "guru" or "prophet."
Sociopaths are masters at influence and deception. Very little of what they say actually checks out in terms of facts or reality, but they're extremely skillful at making the things they say sound believable, even if they're just making them up out of thin air. Here, I'm going to present quotes and videos of some legendary sociopaths who convinced everyday people to participate in mass suicides. And then I'm going to demonstrate how and why similar sociopaths are operating right now... today.
Why cover this subject? I've seen a lot of people get hoodwinked, scammed or even harmed by sociopaths, and it bewilders me that people are so easily sucked into their destructive influence. I want to share with Natural News readers the warning signs of sociopaths so that you can spot them, avoid them, and save yourself the trouble of being unduly influenced by them.
Much of this information is derived from the fascinating book, The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us, which says that 4% of the population are sociopaths. The book is a fascinating read.
10 signs for spotting a sociopath
#1) Sociopaths are charming. Sociopaths have high charisma and tend to attract a following just because people want to be around them. They have a "glow" about them that attracts people who typically seek guidance or direction. They often appear to be sexy or have a strong sexual attraction. Not all sexy people are sociopaths, obviously, but watch out for over-the-top sexual appetites and weird fetishes.
#2) Sociopaths are more spontaneous and intense than other people. They tend to do bizarre, sometimes erratic things that most regular people wouldn't do. They are unbound by normal social contracts. Their behavior often seems irrational or extremely risky.
#3) Sociopaths are incapable of feeling shame, guilt or remorse. Their brains simply lack the circuitry to process such emotions. This allows them to betray people, threaten people or harm people without giving it a second thought. They pursue any action that serves their own self interest even if it seriously harms others. This is why you will find many very "successful" sociopaths in high levels of government, in any nation.
#4) Sociopaths invent outrageous lies about their experiences. They wildly exaggerate things to the point of absurdity, but when they describe it to you in a storytelling format, for some reason it sounds believable at the time.
#5) Sociopaths seek to dominate others and "win" at all costs. They hate to lose any argument or fight and will viciously defend their web of lies, even to the point of logical absurdity.
#6) Sociopaths tend to be highly intelligent, but they use their brainpower to deceive others rather than empower them. Their high IQs often makes them dangerous. This is why many of the best-known serial killers who successfully evaded law enforcement were sociopaths.
#7) Sociopaths are incapable of love and are entirely self-serving. They may feign love or compassion in order to get what they want, but they don't actually FEEL love in the way that you or I do.
#8) Sociopaths speak poetically. They are master wordsmiths, able to deliver a running "stream of consciousness" monologue that is both intriguing and hypnotic. They are expert storytellers and even poets. As a great example of this in action, watch this interview of Charles Manson on YouTube.
#9) Sociopaths never apologize. They are never wrong. They never feel guilt. They can never apologize. Even if shown proof that they were wrong, they will refuse to apologize and instead go on the attack.
#10) Sociopaths are delusional and literally believe that what they say becomes truth merely because they say it!
How to dispel illusion and get to the truth
Sociopaths are masters at weaving elaborate fictional explanations to justify their actions. When caught red-handed, they respond with anger and threats, then weave new fabrications to explain away whatever they were caught doing.
A sociopath caught red-handed with a suitcase full of cash he just stole, for example, might declare he had actually rescued the money from being stolen by someone else, and that he was attempting to find its rightful owner. He's the hero, see? And yet, in reality, he will simply pocket the money and keep it. If you question him about the money, he will attack you for questioning his honesty.
Sociopaths are masters are presenting themselves as heroes with high morals and philosophy, yet underneath it they are the true criminal minds in society who steal, undermine, deceive, and often incite emotional chaos among entire communities. They are masters at turning one group of people against another group while proclaiming themselves to be the one true savior. Wherever they go, they create strife, argument and hatred, yet they utterly fail to see their own role in creating it. They are delusional at so many levels that their brains defy logical reasoning.
You cannot reason with a sociopath. Attempting to do so only wastes your time and annoys the sociopath.
Tip for exposing sociopaths: Start fact-checking something they claim
One simple method for dispelling sociopathic delusion is to start fact checking their claims. Do any of their claims actually check out? If you start digging, you will usually find a pattern of frequent inconsistencies. Confront the suspected sociopath with an inconsistency and see what happens: Most sociopaths will become angry or aggressive when their integrity is questioned, whereas a sane person would simply be happy to help clear up any misinformation or misunderstanding.
Beware of fact-checking the sociopath by asking other people under his or her influence. A sociopath will usually have a small group of cult-like followers who not only believe their fictional tales, but who actually internalize those fictions to the point where they rewrite their own memories to be consistent with them. If a guru-style sociopath talks about his "levitation sessions" over and over again, some of his believers will sooner or later start to form false memories in which they imagine seeing him levitate off the floor. So if you ask those people, "Did you actually ever see this person levitate?" They will enthusiastically say, "Yes!" Because in their own minds, that illusion has become something indistinguishable from a vivid memory.
Much the same thing is true with sociopathic politicians. If a particularly charismatic politician claims he has "created millions of jobs" even though his economic policies have actually destroyed jobs and caused widespread unemployment, his cult-like followers will repeat his lie and publicly proclaim how many jobs that person has created.
That's why fact-checking a sociopath requires evidence from outside his circle of influence. Does anything he say actually check out in the real world, outside his sphere of direct control? If not, you've probably spotted a sociopath.
Sociopaths never answer facts; they always attack the messenger
Another very valuable red flag to recognize when trying to spot a sociopath is to see how they deal with attacks on their own integrity. If a sociopath is presented with a collection of facts, documents and evidence showing that he lied or deceived, he will refuse to address the evidence and, instead, attack the messenger!
If you really try to nail a sociopath down to answering a documented allegation, they will quickly turn on you, denounce you, and declare that you too are secretly plotting against them. Anyone who does not fall for the brainwashing of the sociopath is sooner or later kicked out of the circle and then wildly disparaged by the remaining members of the cult group.
What is a Sociopath? And how to spot one... 3 minute video: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/8582...p.s. the terms sociopath and psychopath are often used interchangeably, although some say there's a difference. According to my understanding (which could be wrong), I think sociopaths aren't capable of killing whereas psychopaths are. However, I think some researchers just call all these types of people psychopaths as they assume most sociopaths have the potential to kill if the situation demanded it or if they hated someone enough or if they thought they could get away with it.
Apparently only about 5% of the world's population of are sociopaths. However, some thinkers have estimated about 95% of the world's politicians (and military leaders) are sociopathic/psychopathic. They naturally gravitate toward such positions...And of course these industries often demand cold-hearted decision making, or at least encourage it...Plus, the power brokers in politics and the world's militaries are looking to hire and prop up the ones who are completely sociopathic.For example, I've heard a former intelligence insider turned whistleblower say the tests that the CIA and NSA give potential employees are primarily designed to spot which candidates are psychopaths. And these agencies select the ones that are psychopaths as obviously these people without a moral compass will do ANYTHING for the agency in order to gain power...
If this overall theory is true, then this could potentially explain many of the world's problems.
This video does quite a good summary of this theory:
The Nature of a Psychopath and the Global Elite -- https://www.goodreads.com/videos/8582...
I also found it fascinating in this video how they mention that the ancient Gnostics called psychopaths Arkons who were like an infection (and infection of evil) in the world. Not saying I necessarily buy that Gnostic theory, but it's worth considering at least.
There's also another interrelated theory I wanted to mention. And this is surrounding the elite bloodlines and how they seem to breed generation after generation of cruel, elitist, uncharitable individuals who do not care about humanity as a whole. There's a theory that sociopaths can consciously or subconsciously brainwash their children to becoming the same as them. This could also explain the destructive behaviour of the world's ruling families including perhaps royal families.
"The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson is supposedly a very good book regarding this subject.
If you're interested in how Psychopaths/Sociopaths function in daily society, Robert D. Hare actually devised the tests used by psychiatrists to check if someone isn't just 'suffering' from run of the mill Anti-Social Personality Disorder.Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work is about Psychopaths and the corporate structure and co-written with Paul Babiak, and Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us is a culmination of his research.
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "If you're interested in how Psychopaths/Sociopaths function in daily society, Robert D. Hare actually devised the tests used by psychiatrists to check if someone isn't just 'suffering' from run of ..."Thanks for the recommendations, Martyn.
finecat wrote: ""The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson is supposedly a very good book regarding this subject."I like all of Ronson's books so will check it out.
Quite a good summary of this subject in this radio interview: Consciousness Parasites and Psychopathic Society -- https://www.goodreads.com/videos/8626...
Another common way sociopaths operate is by conducting smear campaigns to attempt to tarnish certain (innocent) individuals' reputations.The more I think about it, more I believe the sociopaths amongst us are likely to be one of the biggest, if not THE biggest issue our society faces. The few rotten eggs are ruining things for the public at large.
Interesting!All I can think of write now is BBC's Sherlock Holmes. "I'm not a psychopath, Anderson. I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research!"
Whilst these are great insights on spotting a sociopath, I have to disagree with the "never apologizing" part since a sociopath WILL apologize (albeit falsely) to encourage their selfish agenda, often in regards to power climbing. Since sociopaths are charming individuals who often display seemingly genuine natures, when a sociopath apologizes, it comes off as very sincere which can aid them in their overall goals. Most sociopaths are incredibly introspective and self aware to the point which they have mastered their own illusion, catching them off guard by questioning their delusions with fact doesn't deter them, in fact it presents a challenging situation where they start to use as a game to win. The way around determining if someone is a sociopath is to trust your intuition before getting trapped in their ever evolving web because more often than not, these people will have an"off" vibe about them (that you just CANNOT place) despite their seductive, charming and poetic manner.
St wrote: "Whilst these are great insights on spotting a sociopath, I have to disagree with the "never apologizing" part since a sociopath WILL apologize (albeit falsely) to encourage their selfish agenda, of..."Actually you're right.
It has always been my opinion that Sociopaths are simply people with no empathy for humanity at all, so that everything around them is a complex toy for them to play with. Psychopaths do have an sort of reverse empathy. They empathize enough with other living things to recognize that they can impact them by hurting them. First animals, then people is the usual histories. I think that the two 'pathies' are really broad categories. There are endless variations, just like there are in schizophrenics. I grew up with a Father who was classic Sociopath, and my mother had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic, although I believe that the illness was triggered by my father's actions.
I think there are sociopaths who kill, and psychopaths that only manipulate, usually with emotional and physical violence. There are no clear boundaries.
You allude to an interesting point in the history of your parents, J.D., in that the cruelty of Sociopaths could actually create mental illnesses like Schizophrenia in their victims or long-suffering family members.To my mind the sociopaths really are like an inferior or animalistic sub-species among us. Question is what to do with these "people"??
Are the sociopathic minority amongst us genuinely reformable as more liberal thinkers imply? If not, then how are we in the majority, we who have compassion and would not screw over other honest people just to get ahead in our own lives let alone kill others, supposed to handle this highly disruptive minority who threaten our civilization? Are we supposed to show compassion and love toward those who have none? Or will there come a point where we need to get tough and somehow actively seek out who are the sociopaths amongst us and label them as a separate peoples amongst us?? Sounds a bit like eugenics almost I admit, but then again how much destruction are we supposed to endure or allow from this minority group that's estimated to be only about 5% of humanity?
I don't pretend to have any answers to these questions...All I know is what we refer to is the human spirit or sense of community in people relates to being compassionate and not entirely selfish or ruthless. Without any sense of compassion, these sociopaths are not really human in the deepest sense of the word...
Psychologists/Psychiatrists are also part of the problem. Most of them over-sympathize with such patients of theirs, and not just that, they become obstacles in most of the legal processes. They form unprofessional relationships with their patients, and have this neverending tank of sympathy.
Are they the professionals who keep claiming they can rehabilitate these criminals, Sash?I keep wondering when does the rehabilitation occur?
James Morcan wrote: "Are they the professionals who keep claiming they can rehabilitate these criminals, Sash?I keep wondering when does the rehabilitation occur?"
Can they be rehabilitated? Watch your 3 min video in message 3....probable fwd to the last minute or so.... make it the last minute and 20 sec to be sure ; )
Was that the video where it said they cannot be reformed and if one of these types enter your life, the best policy is to run away?
It sounds like the way the terms psychopaths or sociopaths are used have a wide variety of definitions... although all seem to follow the same path, they may have either an environmental trigger or they are just born that way. If we accept this generalized criteria, then any question regarding who they are and can they be rehabilitated will not have a proper answer.If a person is numb to emotions due to abuse, then I'm sure they can, with time, be taught how to tap back into emotions.
A sociopath who has the defined signs as his nature, I doubt very much would seek guidance from a psychiatrist, but rather would consider seeing one as a part of a game....
Reminds me of one of a movie I saw that I could see a true sociopath... and a psychopath indulge in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fbTP...
James Morcan wrote: "Was that the video where it said they cannot be reformed and if one of these types enter your life, the best policy is to run away?"No..... it was a lady mental health professional saying that there are certain types... those who went through abuse that triggered the symptoms, are able to be helped.
Problem is, as I believe Sash was alluding to, is that psychiatry is all so experimental. Often (usually?) a psychiatrist will state that their therapy has worked when an inmate goes up for parole and recommend release from prison, then soon after the release the criminal commits the exact same crime again.
Seems like psychiatrists rates of actual reform are very, very low - and that doesn't even include those supposedly reformed criminals released who commit crimes again but never get caught again or never get prosecuted again.
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James Morcan wrote: "Are they the professionals who keep claiming they can rehabilitate these criminals, Sash?I keep wondering when does the rehabilitation occur?"
Yeah, exactly! They're the ones. These 'paths' can't be rehabilitated, but the professionals just keep claiming it. The community of these professionals generally has obsessive-compulsive sympathy with these 'paths', and even the criminals are seen by them like, "It wasn't their fault, they're very very sick."
What makes me sick is sometimes pedophiles are re-released 10-15 times during their lives after raping children. And on each occasion some shrink says they are reformed and ready to be functioning citizens.So how many victims do there need to be of these inhumane "people" before we as a society ask ourselves "you know what, maybe these methods of rehabilitation are not working?"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...This study says that:
"Psychopaths are twenty to twenty-five times more likely than non-psychopaths to be in prison, four to eight times more likely to violently recidivate compared to non-psychopaths, and are resistant to most forms of treatment..."
I also found this statistics also interesting:
"The best current estimate is that just less than 1% of all noninstitutionalized males age 18 and over are psychopaths.1 This translates to approximately 1,150,000 adult males who would meet the criteria for psychopathy in the United States today.2 And of the approximately 6,720,000 adult males that are in prison, jail, parole, or probation,3 16%, or 1,075,000, are psychopaths.4 Thus, approximately 93% of adult male psychopaths in the United States are in prison, jail, parole, or probation."
James Morcan wrote: "What makes me sick is sometimes pedophiles are re-released 10-15 times during their lives after raping children. And on each occasion some shrink says they are reformed and ready to be functioning ..."Just like courts of a jury of 12 members, what if the same was expected for re-evaluating a psychopath for release...
Sash said: , "It wasn't their fault, they're very very sick."
I don't really care if it was their fault or that they were very sick... the crime has been committed, lives have been altered and ruined forever.... normal people suffer the consequences of their actions all the time, why not a poor poor little psychopath? What makes him so special and above the law? And if a health professional says they are this sick, then they definitely should be locked up! Why would we want sick individuals who can't control their behavior, which is of no fault of their own, back into society?
Lisa wrote: "James Morcan wrote: "What makes me sick is sometimes pedophiles are re-released 10-15 times during their lives after raping children. And on each occasion some shrink says they are reformed and rea..."That's exactly the point. Whatever the crime, it's very easy for the professional to say that this criminal was sick and blah blah. Professionals should not be having this notion, which they often do, that this is not who he/she is, it's out of the sickness, this is not his/her reality. Well, the crimes are hell yes, a reality. Many such professionals will go against reason, and hope to reform these criminals, they see their patients as ambitious prospects.
Moreover, sometimes even when these professionals know that this so and so patient poses a serious threat to themselves and to others, they would take them for regular individuals, half the time not even help them properly. They form personal, emotional relations with their patients, and would go on protecting them.
James Morcan wrote: "What makes me sick is sometimes pedophiles are re-released 10-15 times during their lives after raping children. And on each occasion some shrink says they are reformed and ready to be functioning ..."If people are not getting convicted/punished for brutal, heinous crimes, serial offenders as you're saying, what can one expect? Isn't that a green signal for more crimes?
Lisa wrote: "Just like courts of a jury of 12 members, what if the same was expected for re-evaluating a psychopath for release......"Sounds like an improvement, Lisa.
But the rules should be really tough. If there's the slightest doubt as to whether the criminal may convict further crimes, I'd be in favor of not releasing them.
I mean how often do you hear on the news that a criminal just murdered or raped again after being released only a short while earlier for "good behaviour"?
It would be interesting to know if sociopathic behavior can be learned rather than be somehow organic. I remember after Enron collapsed in 2001 and all its scandalous, sociopathic corporate behavior was revealed there was a lot of talk about doing away with MBA degrees. The MBA programs were criticized for teaching business students the only thing that mattered were profits and you should do whatever was necessary to maximize profits, including criminal behavior. Enron's emails revealed its executives knew they were engaging in criminal behavior and even joked about stealing the lifesavings of elderly grandmothers, but they thought that was just fine. Of course, the MBA programs never went away; they make too much profit for colleges and universities.
Enron execs joked about stealing the lifesavings of elderly grandmothers?Damn, that is monstrous!
It's one thing to do such crimes, but to joke about it in the process is really sadistic...
James Morcan wrote: "Enron execs joked about stealing the lifesavings of elderly grandmothers?Damn, that is monstrous!
It's one thing to do such crimes, but to joke about it in the process is really sadistic..."
Yeah. This link is about recorded Enron phone calls, but its the same kind of stuff:http://www.cbsnews.com/news/enron-tra...
All of the Enron emails were collected for lawyers and researchers here :https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~./enron/
James Morcan wrote: "You allude to an interesting point in the history of your parents, J.D., in that the cruelty of Sociopaths could actually create mental illnesses like Schizophrenia in their victims or long-sufferi..."I see all of these mental mind sets as being potentially treatable, be they sociopath, psychopath, schizophrenic, bipolar or simple depressive. Each of them have found a mental state that 'works' for them, given their circumstances. It is like having a rabies like but treatable illness in a dog. Invest enough effort, and you can move their mental focus into a state that is socially useful, but where do you say the effort isn't a good investment?
We all partake in some degree of these mental states, especially sociopathic and bipolar mental processes. We all have swings in our emotional states, and we all manage our empathy with the local salesman to ensure that we don't buy that lemon of a used car. Add a little more management to the situation, and we start being the sociopath. Start using it for controlling our world, and we have arrived.
I do not think that the talk of these ill people as subhuman or animals is useful. There but for the grace.... any of us could be these poor people. They will never truly connect with another human being. They are like the pet who bites us. We put them down, but let us not forget that we need to honor any life we control, even theirs. After all, the capacity to understand and empathize is what makes us different from them.
Martin wrote: "It would be interesting to know if sociopathic behavior can be learned rather than be somehow organic. I remember after Enron collapsed in 2001 and all its scandalous, sociopathic corporate behavio..."I consider it absolutely a learned response to the solving of problems, and training from the parents. I see no indication at all that genetics play any part in sociopathy. I think that it is 100% a learned mindstate.
Sociopaths will willingly apologize, or do anything that is expedient in getting what they want. After all, do you worry about lying to your toaster?The bonding process does not work on them, but they will gladly let you bond to them. That happens to their shrinks, who falsely believe that their patient is better, because they have invested emotions in a patient who says whatever the doc wants to hear.
J.D. wrote: "James Morcan wrote: "You allude to an interesting point in the history of your parents, J.D., in that the cruelty of Sociopaths could actually create mental illnesses like Schizophrenia in their vi..."Treatable?... let's look at what it really means to have mental illnesses... meaning that their brain does not function the same way a properly developed brain should function in order to be a mutualistic member of the human race... can we say that all sociopaths... and other pathys are mental illnesses?
As the embryo develops, so do brain cells... each type of cell serves certain purposes... the most specialized ones relay messages.
A genetic code doesn't just tell us what traits we inherit from our parents, it also tells us which proteins (and chemicals) to make.
Every single cell in our body has the same code of DNA... but cells die and new ones are created with the exact same code.... sometimes this process doesn't work out as planned and a mutation occurs.... usually, these mutations don't make any difference in the coding, but other times it can have either a positive or negative effect on us.
Environmental factors, such as stress, can affect the way a gene is expressed or the way the body relays messages. These type of factors do not change the actual genetic code, but they can affect the protein production process.
In everything we do, we are dependent on the neurons communicating with each other.... this communication occurs between the central nervous system and not just to various parts of the brain, but also in between brain structures.
Neuron is activated by ions and it is now ready to travel along the axon. When the neuron has reached the end of the axon, it most often releases chemical messages, which is then received on the other side. There, it can stimulate another cell or relay a message.
Depression occurs when some chemicals in the brain hinder the process, like the serotonin uptake.......
Decrease in dopamine can play a role in schizophrenia.
Glutamate is probably the most interesting of them all, and is also linked to many disorders.
Then there is the brain region factor... amygdala (fear hub), the flight-or-fight center...pre-frontal cortex, the brain executive... Anterior cingulate cortex, how to have proper emotional reaction... Hippocampus, where new memories are made.
Do we really know what it is that makes a sociopath a sociopath? Is it during neuron transmission or is it a variation in brain structure? If it is the first, then surely medication would help (as long as they take them), but if it is in fact the latter, that their brain does not have the proper structure to allow a change in behavior, surely it is not fixable? Unless we go figure out a way to restructure their brain....
Is sociopathy a mental illness or a form of brain damage?I've read conflicting reports about whether it's a mental illness, although people tell me it is.
What's the truth?
Lisa wrote: "J.D. wrote: "James Morcan wrote: "You allude to an interesting point in the history of your parents, J.D., in that the cruelty of Sociopaths could actually create mental illnesses like Schizophreni..."I think that development of a human brain is a very complex and interactive process, and the core personality is formed early, and is very hard to change. I agree that neurotransmitters and genetic propensities are a part of the equation, but experiences and environment are a larger part. I think that we all think in very different ways to each other, but because we are socialized to accept certain normal commonalities, we think that we think in more or less the same ways. I see our development as mostly feral growth, with some standard concepts and processes trained into us. Our genetics offer us certain instincts and needs to nudge us towards humanity, but there is still a lot of room for 'abnormal' mental activity. I don't think that there is any actual brain damage involved with sociopathy, but there might be some really strange variations on the neural wiring that grows during the brain formation.
Lisa wrote: "J.D. wrote: "James Morcan wrote: "You allude to an interesting point in the history of your parents, J.D., in that the cruelty of Sociopaths could actually create mental illnesses like Schizophreni..."I think sociopathy is a core component of the person's personality development. All his experiences are filtered through this filter, and it is not a matter of emotion, but rather, it is how he interprets the world around him. The drugs generally treat the emotional state, or the level of excitation. What drugs change someone's thoughts instead of their emotions.
I heard someone once say that 5% of the public are sociopaths, but the bigger problem is 95% of politicians are sociopaths...
James Morcan wrote: "I heard someone once say that 5% of the public are sociopaths, but the bigger problem is 95% of politicians are sociopaths..."I think the numbers are low. Most of those people in our lives that would allow us to hurt if it gave them a slight advantage are somewhere on the sociopathy scale. I think that anyone who voluntarily runs for office are likely to be a sociopath. I think the numbers are more like 20% and 99%. No one should ever be allowed to hold office that did not have to drafted, and dragged kicking and screaming into office.
The Ancient Greeks said the exact same thing, J.D. - their conclusion was the only person suitable to become a politician was the one who would never want to be.Occasionally, somewhere in the world, a person enters politics not because they are suited to it or due to personal ambitions, but because they need to represent those who do not have voices in society. On those rare occasions, positive changes thru the political system are still possible.
James Morcan wrote: "The Ancient Greeks said the exact same thing, J.D. - their conclusion was the only person suitable to become a politician was the one who would never want to be.Occasionally, somewhere in the wor..."
Agreed. The helper of the unvoiced is why I said Politicians were only 99% sociopathic. But seriously, how often do you see a politician that you honestly think sought the job to help other people? Do you think that any one of the current Democratic or Republican crop in the US are really humanitarian? Maybe a couple of the ones that got squeezed out already have a smidgen of this altruistic urge, but the winners are willing to knife the competition to get to the food bag, politically speaking.
I am not really a cynical guy. I just play one on the computer.
I don't think you're cynical at all J.D. - just realistically assessing the situation.The US political scene is more corrupt than most others not because America is some lowlife nation (on the contrary its foundations were amazing with the Constitution and the Founding Fathers' vision) but rather because there is soooo much money at stake with US politics - much more than any other nation. The Military Industrial Complex and its war machine is at stake so that virtually discounts anyone with a heart getting anywhere near the Presidency.
James Morcan wrote: "I don't think you're cynical at all J.D. - just realistically assessing the situation.The US political scene is more corrupt than most others not because America is some lowlife nation (on the co..."
We are absolutely on the same page. I fear that my country does not have many more 'free' years. Sooner or later, the powers that be will declare openly what the American people are too bedazzled to realize, that we have been enslaved for more than a decade, and it gets worse, year by year.
When it comes to dealing with sociopathic behavior in the employment sector, employers tend to think of things like dealing with bullying once it has already occurred. But what if there are ways of stopping bullies or sociopaths from being recruited in the first place?For example, during recruitment, might it be possible to spot certain personalities who are likely to inflict harm on others?
Obviously sociopaths are very cunning and can conceal their worst traits, but might it be possible to at least recognize some of their tell-tale signs? Signs like callousness, social malevolence, manipulative behaviour, lack of empathy, narcissism and a tendency towards over-the-top self-promotion or exaggeration. Might there be a clever way of devising interview methods that reveal sociopaths' true natures and therefore avoid recruiting them in the first place?
Given that corporations get sued for billions of dollars every year by employees who suffer extreme bullying while employed, and given sociopaths are often so dysfunctional they destroy team work, might it be in the best interests of Big Business to invest in psychological testing to weed out sociopaths at the interview stage?
I'm keen to hear others thoughts.
I'm wondering if the topic really is more about psychopaths. From what I understand, sociopaths are less able to get it together enough to be hiring someone or running a country. "Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated. They are volatile and prone to emotional outbursts, including fits of rage. They are likely to be uneducated and live on the fringes of society, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place for very long. It is difficult but not impossible for sociopaths to form attachments with others. Many sociopaths are able to form an attachment to a particular individual or group, although they have no regard for society in general or its rules. In the eyes of others, sociopaths will appear to be very disturbed. Any crimes committed by a sociopath, including murder, will tend to be haphazard, disorganized and spontaneous rather than planned."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...
I think conversely the people who are really deceptive and manipulative that we need to worry about are very smart about how they go about it, without a conscience to hold them back.
I've had a experiences with a couple people who might be diagnosed as psychopaths and have seen how easy it can be to fall under their sway and believe what they say is true. Without having empathy as a resource, they invent creative ways to get to know a mark well enough to manipulate her.
So that's one way to identify some of them them is by their elaborate method of getting to know you. They might study and categorize body language in order to mentally understand you, for example. If you see they have an eccentric scheme to read people, dramatic ways of testing them to see how they react, etc., that could be a warning sign.
This book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work could hold some answers.Here's the synopsis:
Let's say you're about to hire somebody for a position in your company. Your corporation wants someone who's fearless, charismatic, and full of new ideas. Candidate X is charming, smart, and has all the right answers to your questions. Problem solved, right? Maybe not.
We'd like to think that if we met someone who was completely without conscience -- someone who was capable of doing anything at all if it served his or her purposes -- we would recognize it. In popular culture, the image of the psychopath is of someone like Hannibal Lecter or the BTK Killer. But in reality, many psychopaths just want money, or power, or fame, or simply a nice car. Where do these psychopaths go? Often, it's to the corporate world.
Researchers Paul Babiak and Robert Hare have long studied psychopaths. Hare, the author of Without Conscience, is a world-renowned expert on psychopathy, and Babiak is an industrial-organizational psychologist. Recently the two came together to study how psychopaths operate in corporations, and the results were surprising. They found that it's exactly the modern, open, more flexible corporate world, in which high risks can equal high profits, that attracts psychopaths. They may enter as rising stars and corporate saviors, but all too soon they're abusing the trust of colleagues, manipulating supervisors, and leaving the workplace in shambles.
Snakes in Suits is a compelling, frightening, and scientifically sound look at exactly how psychopaths work in the corporate environment: what kind of companies attract them, how they negotiate the hiring process, and how they function day by day. You'll learn how they apply their "instinctive" manipulation techniques -- assessing potential targets, controlling influential victims, and abandoning those no longer useful -- to business processes such as hiring, political command and control, and executive succession, all while hiding within the corporate culture. It's a must read for anyone in the business world, because whatever level you're at, you'll learn the subtle warning signs of psychopathic behavior and be able to protect yourself and your company -- before it's too late.
There are many experts who claim there is no difference at all between sociopath and psychopath and the two terms actually mean the same thing. For example, this article by a forensic shrink says: "From the earliest days in my career as a criminal forensic psychologist, I have encountered treatises and learned discussions about the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths. Still, to this day, I have never had reason to use the terms, other as than synonyms." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-g-...
And the same article contradicts some who claim the difference between sociopaths and psychopaths is simply genetics vs environment, by saying: ""In the science and the literature, when it comes to psychopaths, there is no essential distinction to be found between the influence of heredity versus the environment, or between nature and nurture. The consensus understanding is that biology and experience are both involved in shaping psychosocial development. The Bad Seed theory of criminality has never been a sufficient or sufficiently general explanation."
And this article casts more debate on whether there actually is a difference or not between the two terms http://www.decision-making-confidence...
"Long-standing sociopath psychopath debate - It seems there has been debate about the difference between sociopath vs psychopath from the time the terms were coined. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists psychopathy and sociology under antisocial personality. Indeed, they share more similarities than there are differences."
HERE ARE SOME OTHER RELEVANT EXCERPTS FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLES:
One professional can diagnose a person as a sociopath and another may diagnose him as a psychopath.
Sociopath vs psychopath: personal preference
Some people prefer one term to another for a variety of reasons.
Some people fear that 'psychopath' will be confused with 'psychotic' and prefer to use the term sociopath. (Psychopaths and sociopaths are not considered mentally ill in legal terms and are held responsible for their actions.)
Some talk about psychopathic personality and sociopathic behavior
The word sociopath may be used to describe someone socialized in an antisocial subculture such as a gang.
Some people think a psychopath is an extreme sociopath
Some people think a sociopath is an extreme psychopath
Sociopath vs psychopath: a psychopaths view
Robert Hare gives this amusing example in his book "Without Conscience".
A psychologist (P) is interviewing an offender (O) who is a psychopath:
P: "Did you get any feedback from the prison psychiatrist who assessed you?"
O: "She told me I was a… not a sociopath… a psychopath. This was comical. She said not to worry about it because you can have a doctor or lawyer who is a psychopath. I said, 'Yeah, I understand that. If you were sitting on a plane that was hijacked would you rather be sitting next to me or some sociopath or neurotic who shits his pants and gets us all killed?' She just about fell off her chair. If someone wants to diagnose me I'd rather be a psychopath than a sociopath."
P: "Aren't they the same thing?"
O: "No, they're not. You see, a sociopath misbehaves because he's been brought up wrong. Maybe he's got a beef with society. I'm not harboring hostility. It's just the way I am. Yeah, I guess I'd be a psychopath."
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry Jon RonsonThis is a story about madness. It all starts when journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness.
Jon meets a Broadmoor inmate who swears he faked a mental disorder to get a lighter sentence but is now stuck there, with nobody believing he’s sane. He meets some of the people who catalogue mental illness, and those who vehemently oppose them. He meets the influential psychologist who developed the industry standard Psychopath Test and who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are in fact psychopaths. Jon learns from him how to ferret out these high-flying psychopaths and, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, heads into the corridors of power...
Combining Jon’s trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is a deeply honest book unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.
Underground Knowledge — A discussion group
Books mentioned in this topic
Dodging Energy Vampires: An Empath’s Guide to Evading Relationships That Drain You and Restoring Your Health and Power (other topics)Puzzling People: The Labyrinth of the Psychopath (other topics)
Defeated Demons: Freedom from Consciousness Parasites in Psychopathic Society (other topics)
Defeated Demons: Freedom from Consciousness Parasites in Psychopathic Society (other topics)
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Thomas Sheridan (other topics)Philip G. Zimbardo (other topics)
Jon Ronson (other topics)
M.E. Thomas (other topics)
Sociopathic behavior, which is not always as obvious to recognize as one might imagine (at least when assessing new people who come into our lives), should be taught to young people - especially young women who are obviously the most vulnerable.
Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight, written under the pen-name M.E. Thomas (to protect her real identity), is perhaps a good read in this regard:
She's a successful law professor and a Sunday school teacher, with a host of family and friends. But her interpersonal calculus centers on how to manipulate and outmaneuver the many people in her life. Welcome to a world of ruthless cost-benefit analysis, charm, and grandiosity.
Here's a revealing article written by this sociopath: https://www.psychologytoday.com/artic...