20 Traits Common To Psychopaths How Many Of Them Are There Among Us, And What Is The Danger Of Meeting Them? - Society

2023 Author: Oswald Adamson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 12:13

"Society wants to believe that it can identify evil, bad or dangerous people, but it is not." These words of wisdom belong to one of the most cruel and dangerous criminals, Ted Bundy. Indeed, many of us believe that we are capable of recognizing maniacs and psychopaths. Is it possible? How to protect yourself from such people?

About 1 in 150 people meet the criteria for psychopathy. Imagine, in each subway car at rush hour there are 1-2 such "nice" passengers. Of course, this does not mean that they will pounce on you with a knife in the same place. This is just an example to represent the scale of the problem. In addition, everyone has traits of psychopathy, but fortunately, most people have very few of them. The diagnosis "psychopathy" can only be attributed to those who have these traits to the fullest.

Ted Bundy is an American serial killer, necrophile and kidnapper. He killed at least 30 people. For several years the police have been collecting evidence that such a good-looking person is capable of murder. Ted was described by eyewitnesses as a charming, charming, handsome man.

What are the characteristics of psychopaths?

Doctors and psychologists rely on Hare's Inventory of Psychopathic Traits. It is the main tool for diagnosing psychopaths and includes 20 main personality traits and behaviors.

• 1. Loquacity / superficial charm.
• 2. An exaggerated sense of self-worth.
• 3. The need for mental arousal.
• 4. Pathological deceit.
• 5. Fraud / manipulation.
• 6. Lack of remorse and feelings of guilt.
• 7. Superficiality of affective reactions.
• 8. Heartlessness / lack of empathy.
• 9. Parasitic lifestyle.
• 10. Weak behavioral control.
• 11. Promiscuous sex.
• 12. Problematic behavior in childhood.
• 13. Lack of realistic goals for the future.
• 14. Impulsivity.
• 15. Irresponsibility.
• 16. Failure to take responsibility for your own actions.
• 17. Multiple short marriages.
• 18. Adolescent delinquency (antisocial illegal behavior).
• 19. Cancellation of conditional release.
• 20. Variety of criminal activities.

Consider a few of these characteristics

Chatty / superficial charm

You may be fascinated by a new acquaintance. Streams of information will pour on you. The psychopath's speech is fast, emotionally charged. Sometimes you will not keep up with the interlocutor, you will not be able to comprehend what you hear in real time. But, oddly enough, this will not annoy you. Psychopaths come across as witty, well-read, and generally agreeable. They easily find themselves in the spotlight.

Exaggerated sense of self-worth

Psychopaths constantly dream of future success. Not only that, they are confident that they are capable of achieving a lot. These can be fantasies of political power, great discoveries, or worldwide fame. Central to all these dreams is the psychopath's need for admiration.

The need for mental arousal

Psychopaths are bored. They cannot focus on anything for long. That is why such people often change their place of work, study and place of residence. They grab onto something and soon give up. They constantly need a boost in the form of thrill. The psychopath's soul is empty, so he needs external stimulation. At the beginning of a relationship with a psychopath, you may feel like an eternal holiday - such exciting adventures in your life have never been. This is where you should be on your guard - after all, ordinary people cannot constantly change the scenery. It is impossible to constantly ride the rides. A psychopath lives in an amusement park, only there he can feel alive.

Pathological deceit

There is probably no person who has never cheated. “The ability to lie distinguishes man from animal,” is a popular quote from House Doctor. But although we all had to lie, most often it was a harmless embellishment, or even a simple cover-up of the truth. The psychopath is pathologically deceitful, that is, he lies even when his lies can be easily exposed. His lies are often unreasonable, they do not bring any benefit or benefit to him. If you “catch” a psychopath, do not expect embarrassment or remorse from him. Here we can smoothly move on to the next characteristic - lack of remorse and feelings of guilt.

Lack of remorse and feelings of guilt

The psychopath is indifferent to the problems that other people have because of him. He can borrow money and not give it back for years, he can slander colleagues for the sake of promotion. He can assure that he loves, but immediately betray. It is useless to appeal to his conscience - he does not have it.

Adolescent delinquency (antisocial wrongful behavior)

Many teenagers commit unseemly acts. It can be hooliganism, bullying, petty theft. But the majority of young people “grow up” from the criminal period without serious delinquency. But in the biographies of psychopaths, real crimes are most often present. They did not break the law occasionally, but chronically. Already in their early youth they were arrested, and more than once. By the way, unlike ordinary people, psychopaths are not afraid of the upcoming punishment, their experience does not teach them anything and does not affect their behavior.

Heartlessness / lack of empathy

This is the easiest trait to recognize. The psychopath is happy to talk about himself, his beloved, your problems do not concern him. If you try to share your experiences with him, you will receive a detailed account of his sorrows and sorrows in return.

The dialog might look like this:

- My car was stolen. There was no insurance, I can neither eat nor sleep.

- Yes, yes, I also broke my bicycle last year. But it was a very expensive model, you have no idea how I grieved. And you didn't even support me at that moment.

In general, you may notice that when you talk about yourself, the other person's gaze fades. A person is really not interested in something that does not directly concern him. But when he talks about himself, his eyes burn. The psychopath is ready to broadcast for hours about their experiences, devouring your time and attention.

Why is a meeting with a psychopath dangerous?

Not all psychopaths are inveterate criminals. But even if you're lucky enough to stay alive, dealing with a psychopath will always hurt you. These can be financial losses (unpaid debts, damage from fraudulent transactions, etc.), psychological losses (disturbed emotional state - from disappointment to clinical depression, decreased self-esteem), social losses (a psychopath always seeks to isolate his victim from friends and family, it's easier for him to manipulate and suppress).

What if you recognize a psychopath? There is only one sure way - to stop communicating. If you feel that you are somehow overly fascinated, that your “new best friend” is a real star, he is wise and witty, he is a holiday person, he talks a lot about himself (and seems to be lying) and does not listen to you - run!