Want to be able to identify a Sociopath?

JUNE 2017

Good Morning Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~

This month we will be talking about many issues that you've probably always wondered about, or had on your mind at one point in time or another.

Last month was Mental Health Awareness Month.  During the month of May, we discussed many mental health issues.  One of those issues was the mental health concern relating to the "Sociopath".

Today, we are going to use our Journals to take some important notes regarding the Sociopath so that you will have them to refer to when needed.  So here is the time to Bookmark the Blog, sign up to follow along by Email so that you won't miss a thing during the month of June.  You'll find the place to sign up to follow by Email in the right-hand column where it says, "Follow by Email".  Just add your email in the appropriate space, and click "Submit".

Now, for your Journal, please grab a nice new Journal for the month of June, because you will be using it for yourself and for your notes when you come to the Blog.  Make this an experience to remember by getting a Journal that you are attracted to.  You'll have to love it, because you'll need to use it and write in it, preferably daily.  Here is a good example of a beautiful Journal . . .

Journal for June

We're going to start the first page of our Journals for June with one very important topic - How are we feeling today?

Make sure that you are honest about how you are feeling.  The reason for this will be for you to do a check on your feelings this month as we discuss various topics here on the Blog.  Some of the topics that we will be discussing with make you think -- either about yourself, a friend, a co-worker, a family member, a neighbor, an associate, or some new person that just sort of pops up into your life out of nowhere.

With that being said, on to our first topic for the month of June . . .

Want to be able to identify a Sociopath?

Do you think you can easily spot a sociopath?  Think again. Sociopaths aren’t always the stereotypical "serial killer type" you might be thinking of.  These individuals come in all shapes and sizes.  In fact, there may be some sociopaths scattered around in your life somewhere.  Since sociopaths are experts at presenting themselves as everyday people, they can be very difficult to identify.  That is, unless you know the signs.

First, let's talk about the definition of a Sociopath: Sociopathy is also known as antisocial personality disorder, a type of chronic mental condition defined by dysfunctional and destructive ways that an individual thinks, perceives situations, and relates to others.  An individual with this personality disorder will typically have no understanding or regard for the distinction between right or wrong.  Their treatment of others can best be characterized by a callous indifference; they will antagonize or manipulate others without guilt or remorse.

Please make a note in your Journal that the causes of personality disorders are not fully understood.  They are thought to be the result of genetic and environmental influences.  Some may have the genes that make them predisposed to developing the disorder, while certain scenarios might trigger its development.  There is no effective form of treatment once the disorder has been diagnosed, as those affected have zero desire to change.  The only treatment is to completely prevent the disorder from developing.  This involves working with children who begin to show early signs of personality or conduct disorder.  If children reach their teenage years without receiving any form of preventative treatment, it’s almost guaranteed that the disorder will be permanent.  Now that is a scary thought!

Let's get into SCARY . . .

Ted Bundy

Portrait of An American Sociopath (Ted Bundy)

The most publicized case of a dangerous sociopath is the American serial killer, Ted Bundy.  Born under the name of Theodore Robert Cowell in a Vermont home for unwed mothers, he was raised by his grandparents.  As was common for illegitimate births in the 1940s, Teddy grew up thinking his grandparents were his parents, and that his mother was just his older sister.  His mother married Johnnie Bundy when he was five years old; but despite his stepfather's attempts to include him into the family, the young Teddy remained aloof from his parents and four other siblings.  He was good-looking, charismatic, and a bright student.  Despite an agonizing breakup in his college years, and thereafter discovering his true parentage, Bundy threw himself into his studies–his chosen field being, not surprisingly, psychology. Fostering a shrewd interest in politics, he became a very financially successful and charismatic Republican campaigner.

When he met up again with his former college love, Stephanie Brooks, he rekindled their romance.  But that came to an abrupt end when Bundy cut off all contact with her, as Brooks had done to him six years earlier.  His rage from their initial breakup manifested into Bundy's subsequent brutal attacks on women, all of whom shared similar physical characteristics to his ex.

Through the 70's, Bundy preyed on college-age women, committing various acts of sexual abuse, homicide, butchery, and necrophilia.  His victim count totals between 26 and 40, though some believe it may be even higher.  After two prison escapes, three trials, and almost two two decades of terrorizing young women, Bundy was executed the morning of June 24, 1989.

Don't be blind ~ Know The Signs

What we can learn from Ted Bundy's case is that sociopaths aren't easily identified because they know how to create an inconspicuous persona.  At least some of us know an actual sociopath, though we may not even be aware of it.  So what indicators can we look for?

Well, we’ve put together a list of tell-tale signs that sociopaths exhibit.  Sociopaths are manipulative, and they’ll suck the life out of you for their own benefit.  In some cases, like that of Ted Bundy, sociopaths can be extremely dangerous; they won’t hesitate to commit a crime to get what they want.  If you know someone that fits the following profile, it would definitely be in your best interest to stay far, far away from them!

Here are 11 Overt Signs Of A Sneaky Sociopath

1.  Superficial Charm

Sociopaths often appear to be very charming on the surface in order to create a facade.  They are very aware of the effect their charm or wit may have on others, as their pretense of likability allows them easily gain people’s trust.

2.  Narcissistic

Sociopaths are extremely egocentric, believing that they’re always right and that everyone should agree with their actions and opinions.

3.  Pathological Lying

Sociopaths will lie, and lie, and lie in order to create a false persona.  Lying comes naturally to them, because they aim to hide their true motives.

4.  Manipulative And Cunning

Sociopaths are extremely manipulative, attempting to find and exploit other people’s weaknesses in order to get what they want.

5.  Shallow Emotions

Sociopaths do not genuinely feel emotions.  All emotions that they exhibit are intended to fulfill an ulterior motive. Although sociopaths don’t feel emotions, many can fake their emotions, fooling the people around them.

6.  Lack Of Remorse, Shame, Or Guilt

Sociopaths are infamous for being devoid of these three emotions.  They do not feel bad about their actions, even if these actions hurt others.

7.  Incapable Of Human Attachment

Sociopaths are unable to form genuine relationships with others.  They will struggle to make friends or establish romantic relationships.  They may form relationships in order to appear normal, but they never experience the feelings that are present in functional, intimate relationships.

8.  Constant Need For Stimulation

Sociopaths get bored very easily, and they need constant stimulation in their lives.  This desire is related to their inherent need for self-gratification.  Their need for stimulation can cause them to take extreme and unnecessary risks that put themselves and others in dangerous situations.

9.  Lack Of Empathy

They are unable to empathize with others.  They are unable to relate to the perspectives or problems of others because they don't understand how the other person feels.  For example, if someone told you a sad story about a family member dying, you would feel empathic to their grief and pain, too.  A sociopath, on the other hand, would feel nothing.  In fact, lack of empathy exhibited by children could be an indicator of their later onset of antisocial personality disorder.

10.  Poor Behavioral Controls / Impulsive Nature

Sociopaths will exhibit very short tempers, as well as hostility, irritability, and aggression.  They’ll act on their impulses without thinking or caring about any potential consequences.  They may behave violently or impulsively, and also may have problems with drug and alcohol use.  These characteristics typically make people with antisocial personality disorder unable to fulfill responsibilities related to family, work or school.

11.  Promiscuous Sexual Behavior / Infidelity

Sociopaths are likely to be unfaithful and promiscuous, which is connected to their tendency to get bored easily.  Like we said earlier, they need constant stimulation.

IMPORTANT JOURNAL NOTATION:

Avoid Sociopaths At All Costs

Nothing good can come from having a sociopath in your life, especially in regards to a romantic relationship.  The best solution is to simply avoid these people at all costs.  Don’t let them con you into thinking that they’re nice and sweet, because they are only embodying a persona.  Whoever they are trying to portray does not actually exist.  If you suspect someone of being a sociopath, run your own sociopath test and look to see if they have any of the 11 traits listed.

Deep down, these people are extremely cold-hearted, and they completely lack the full spectrum of human emotion. The only person they care about is themselves.  No one else is important to them, and they see all other people as potential targets for their own selfish, deviant actions.

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Article Info Credit:  Ed Smith

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See you back here on the Blog for more exciting conversation!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - JUNE 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Why Psychopaths Will Harm You,

and Why They Don't Care

Mental Health Awareness Month ~ May 2017

Good Afternoon Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors!

We're back for our next Blog Session concerning mental health.  In our last Blog Session we discussed the topic of Psychopaths.  The definition of a Psychopath, as well as background information concerning the research conducted on the mental illness relative to both psychopaths and sociopaths was provided.

If you had your Journal on hand to take notes, then you will have plenty of background information that should open your eyes to what a psychopath is, as well as what a sociopath is.  We also talked about how some researchers make a distinction between “primary psychopaths,” who are thought to be genetically caused, and “secondary psychopaths,” seen as more a product of their environments.

In addition, we discussed a mental health category for something called  "antisocial personality disorder"  (APD), while the World Health Organization delineates a similar category it calls "dissocial personality disorder." 

At this point, please grab your Journals, because you'll want to take notes about "Why Psychopaths Will Harm You, and Why They Don't Care."

JOURNAL NOTES

One of the key features of psychopathy is insensitivity to causing harm in others.  Researchers have long attempted to understand why people high in psychopathy have this emotional blindspot.  A new investigation by University of Padova (Italy) psychologist Carolina Pletti and colleagues (2017) tested a new model to provide insights into the reasons behind the failure to care about the suffering of their fellow humans by those high in this trait.

As we discussed in our last Blog Session, and for further confirmation, according to Pletti and her fellow Researchers, it is a well-established finding that people with high levels of psychopathy are less able to recognize distress cues, including facial and vocal expressions of fear and sadness by people in need of immediate help.  The potential relationship between emotions and morality is addressed in the Integrated Emotion System Model (IES).  Most of us, according to the IES, learn early in our lives to avoid making other people sad or afraid.  Those who are psychopathic, though, do not and therefore are less likely to base moral decisions on their potential to cause suffering to others.

The reasoning behind the IES model involves simple reinforcement.  We've learned over our lives that it is bad to cause pain and suffering in others.  Consider what happens when an ordinary toddler pushes a playmate, causing the playmate to burst into tears.  Toddler #1 will feel sad at having hurt Toddler #2, and may even start crying too.  Such encounters teach children to avoid causing negative emotions in other people.  Individuals with psychopathy, though, don’t make this connection and go on to become adults who aren’t deterred from harming other people.  Neuroscientists trace this lack of empathy in part to a deficit in the amygdala, a part of the subcortex which processes emotional stimuli.  The other deficit occurs in a part of the cerebral cortex involved in decision-making that would utilize this emotional information.

Research Discoveries

As other researchers have noted, the high-psychopathic individuals were less distressed in the life-or-death sacrificial situations compared to their low-psychopathic counterparts. The highly psychopathic also were equally likely to lie in the harmful vs. harmless everyday situations, and they were also less emotionally distressed at the prospect of causing harm through their lies.  Interestingly, the highly psychopathic seemed able to judge whether it was morally right or wrong to deceive others, but this judgement didn't deter them from making the harmful choice.  As the authors concluded, “psychopathic individuals are less inclined to refrain from pursuing a personal advantage involving harm to others because of their emotional hypoactivity” (p. 364).

In summary, people high in psychopathy are able to distinguish between right and wrong, but don’t let this distinction affect their decision-making.  They also will pursue choices that benefit them, even if they know they’re morally wrong, because they don’t have the same negative emotions associated with those choices that non-psychopathic individuals do.  We can’t say that people high in psychopathy are unable to make moral choices, then, but it does appear to be justified to say that they will feel less anguish when they have to do so.  The rest of us don’t want to cause harm to others and feel very stressed when forced to do so, but those high in psychopathy seem to be able to make the “utilitarian” or logic-based choice without feeling particularly distraught.

If you’re in a relationship with someone you believe is high in psychopathy, the Italian study shows the dangers that you may run into if that individual would need to make a sacrifice on your behalf.  All other things being equal, you’re far better off being in relationships with people who both know, and care about, what’s best for you.

Be aware of the people in your life, and understand when you are involved with someone who is either a psychopath or a sociopath.  Point that person in the direction of getting needed psychological help.

Our discussions this month on mental health have been very interesting, and very informative for all of us . . .

Until our next Blog Session, keep your Journals on hand to continue taking daily notes concerning your emotions, feelings, thoughts, activities, and any important information that you find that you would like to make a note of.

See you back here on the Blog for more exciting conversation!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

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References:  Pletti, C., Lotto, L., Buodo, G., & Sarlo, M. (2017). It's immoral, but I'd do it! Psychopathy traits affect decision‐making in sacrificial dilemmas and in everyday moral situations. British Journal of Psychology, 108(2), 351-368. doi:10.1111/bjop.12205 

Dealing with a Psychopath

Mental Health Awareness Month

MAY 2017

Good Evening Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~

We are back once again to discuss another mental health issue.  If you have been following the Blog, then you will have your trusty Journal to take notes.  If you are new to the Blog, please take a moment now to Bookmark us, and add your email so that you may follow along by email.  In the right-hand column, you will see an area that says, "Follow by Email" ... just add your Email address, and click "Submit".

For everyone who does not have a Journal and pen ready to take notes, just grab some paper, or a Notebook.  You'll really want to take notes on tonight's subject matter.

Time to Journal

What is a Psychopath?

A Psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.

First, before we talk about this mental condition, lets take a moment to go over a bit of terminological history so that we may clear up any confusion about the meanings of “sociopath” and “psychopath”,  and related terms...

In the early 1800s, doctors who worked with mental patients began to notice that some of their patients who appeared outwardly normal had what they termed a “moral depravity” or “moral insanity,” in that they seemed to possess no sense of ethics or concern for the rights of other people.  The term “psychopath” was first applied to these people around 1900.  The term was changed to “sociopath” in the 1930s to emphasize the damage they do to society.  Currently researchers have returned to using the term “psychopath.” Some of them use that term to refer to a more serious disorder, linked to genetic traits, producing more dangerous individuals, while continuing to use “sociopath” to refer to less dangerous people who are seen more as products of their environment, including their upbringing.  Other researchers make a distinction between “primary psychopaths,” who are thought to be genetically caused, and “secondary psychopaths,” seen as more a product of their environments.

Criteria Used to define sociopathy

The current approach to defining sociopathy and the related concepts is to use a list of criteria.  The first such list was developed by Hervey Cleckley (1941), who is known as the first person to describe the condition in detail.  Anyone fitting enough of these criteria counts as a psychopath or sociopath.  There are several such lists in use.  The most commonly used is called the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), developed by Robert Hare and his colleagues.  An alternative version was developed in 1996 by Lilienfeld and Andrews, called the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI).  The book that psychologists and psychiatrists use to categorize and diagnose mental illness, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM IV) contains a category for something called  "antisocial personality disorder"  (APD), while the World Health Organization delineates a similar category it calls "dissocial personality disorder."  These are much broader categories than that of psychopathy.  The category of psychopath is seen as included within this category but considerably smaller so that only roughly 1 in 5 people with APD is a psychopath (Kiehl and Buckholtz, 2010).

If we overlay all of these lists of criteria, we can see them coalescing into the following core set:

Uncaring

The PCL describes psychopaths as being callous and showing a lack of empathy (traits which the PPI describes as “coldheartedness”).  The criteria for dissocial personality disorder include a “callous unconcern for the feelings of others.”  There are now several lines of evidence that point to the biological grounding for the uncaring nature of the psychopath.  For us, caring is a largely emotion-driven enterprise.  The brains of psychopaths have been found to have weak connections among the components of the brain's emotional systems.  These disconnects are responsible for the psychopath’s inability to feel emotions deeply.  Psychopaths are also not good at detecting fear in the faces of other people (Blair et al., 2004).  The emotion of disgust also plays an important role on our ethical sense.  We find certain types of unethical actions disgusting, and thus work to keep from engaging in them.  We also express disapproval of unethical actions.  But psychopaths have extremely high thresholds for disgust, as measured by their reactions when shown disgusting photos of mutilated faces and when exposed to foul odors.

Brain of a Psychopath

One promising new line of research is based on the recent discovery of a brain network responsible for understanding the minds of others.  Called the default mode network (because it also performs other tasks and is operating most of the time when we are awake) it involves a cluster of several different areas in the brain’s cortex.  The first studies have been done on the function of this network in psychopaths and as expected there are problems there.  Different studies have noted “aberrant functional connectivity” among the parts of the network, along with reduced volume in some of the networks crucial areas.

Shallow emotions

Psychopaths, and to a degree, sociopaths, show a lack of emotion, especially the social emotions, such as shame, guilt, and embarrassment.  Cleckley said that the psychopaths he came into contact with showed a “general poverty in major affective reactions,” and a “lack of remorse or shame.”  The PCL describes psychopaths as “emotionally shallow” and showing a lack of guilt.  Psychopaths are notorious for their lack of fear.  When normal people are put into an experimental situation where they anticipate that something painful will happen, such as a mild electric shock, or a mildly aversive pressure applied to a limb, a brain network activates. Normal people will also show a clear skin conductance response produced by sweat gland activity.  In psychopathic subjects, however, this brain network showed no activity and no skin conductance responses were emitted (Birbaumer et al., 2012).

Irresponsibility

According to Cleckley psychopaths show unreliability, while the PCL mentions “irresponsibility” and the PPI describes psychopaths as showing “blame externalization,” i.e. they blame others for events that are actually their fault.  They may admit blame when forced into a corner, but these admissions are not accompanied by a sense of shame or remorse, and they have no power to change the sociopath’s future behavior.

Insincere speech

Ranging from what the PCL describes as “glibness” and “superficial charm” to Cleckley’s “untruthfulness” and “insincerity,” to outright “pathological lying,” there is a trend toward devaluing speech among psychopaths by inflating and distorting it toward selfish ends.  The criteria for APD include “conning others for personal profit or pleasure.”  One concerned father of a young sociopathic woman said, “I can't understand the girl, no matter how hard I try.  “It's not that she seems bad or exactly that she means to do wrong.  She can lie with the straightest face, and after she's found in the most outlandish lies she still seems perfectly easy in her own mind” (Cleckley, 1941, p. 47).  This casual use of words may be attributable to what some researchers call a shallow sense of word meaning.  Psychopaths do not show a differential brain response to emotional terms over neutral terms that normal people do (Williamson et al., 1991).  They also have trouble understanding metaphors and abstract words.

Overconfidence

The PCL describes sociopaths as possessing a “grandiose sense of self worth.”  Cleckley speaks frequently of the boastfulness of his patients.  Hare (1993) describes an imprisoned sociopath who believed he was a world class swimmer.

Narrowing of attention

According to Newman and his colleagues the core deficit in psychopathy is a failure of what they call response modulation (Hiatt and Newman, 2006).  When normal people engage in a task we are able to alter our activity, or modulate our responses, depending on relevant peripheral information that appears after the task has begun. Psychopaths are specifically deficient in this ability, and according to Newman, this explains the impulsivity of psychopaths, a trait which shows up in several of the lists of criteria, as well as their problems with passive avoidance and with processing emotions.

Selfishness

Cleckley spoke of his psychopaths showing a “pathologic egocentricity [and incapacity for love],” which is affirmed in the PPI by its inclusion of egocentricity among its criteria. The PCL also mentions a “parasitic lifestyle.”

Inability to plan for the future

Cleckley said that his psychopaths showed a “failure to follow any life plan.”  According to the PCL, psychopaths have a “lack of realistic long-term goals,” while the PPI describes them as showing a “carefree nonplanness.”

Violence

The criteria for dissocial personality include, a “very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence.”  The criteria for antisocial personality disorder include, "irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.”

Questions to Ponder

What steps can we take to “correct” psychopaths and which of these is the most ethical?  If it is true that psychopaths have damaged or abnormal brains, can we hold them responsible for what they do?  Are there degrees of psychopathy, so that normal people may possess psychopathic traits?

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Why Psychopaths Will Harm You,

and Why They Don't Care

Friends ~ See you back here with your Journal!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved