The term ‘psychopath’ was first coined in the late 1800s, and comes from the Greek psykhe and pathos, which mean ‘sick mind’ or ‘suffering soul.’
In those days, psychopathy was considered to be a sort of moral insanity, but of course, nowadays, we know better.
However, are we right to think of psychopaths as lone killers, devoid of humanity, preying on the vulnerable, who find it hard to mix with society? The truth is that you could have one as a friend, boss or even a partner. Psychopaths live among us and manage to blend into society, but you can spot them if you look hard enough.
First, you have to change the way you think about people and how we operate as human beings. It is normal to believe that everyone else on the planet is like us, in that, they think like us, feel the same emotions like us, and understand pain and loss as we do. It is important to understand that for a few percentages of the population, this is not true. These are people that do not have empathy or remorse, cannot feel emotion, whose only goal is to take advantage of others.
These are the psychopaths, and as with any mental disorder, there are characteristics that define it. The most common way of detecting whether a person is a psychopath is by using The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which is a diagnostic tool, set to determine if someone is on the psychopathy spectrum.
To score the test, participants read a series of statements that describe certain traits and rate them accordingly.
0 = does not apply, 1 = applies somewhat, 2 = definitely applies.
The highest score anyone can achieve is 40. In the US, if someone rates over 30 in the test, they are considered to be psychopathic, but in the UK, it is only over 25.
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) categorizes these traits into four factors: interpersonal, emotional, lifestyle and antisocial.
The most common trait of a psychopath is their pathological lying. This is so that they can cover up their behaviour and get their own way.
Psychopaths use glibness and superficial charm to get you hooked in the first place. Once they have you under their spell, you are more likely to be willing to help them.
You’ll find many psychopaths in positions of great power and authority, this is due to their enormous sense of self-worth.
It is their manipulative behaviour that probably got them into these positions in the first place.
The most emotional characteristic is a complete lack of remorse or guilt. This could explain why psychopathic killers get away with their crimes as they simply do not care.
Some psychopaths may feel shallow emotions, in that they might feel sorry that their victim is dead because it no longer holds any pleasure for them.
More often a psychopath will be callous and show a distinct lack of empathy towards their victims. Failure to accept responsibility for their own acts is another common trait for a psychopath.
You can also see psychopathic traits in the lifestyles of psychopaths. A common trait is a parasitic way they will feed off other people to sustain their lifestyle.
Psychopaths also have a need for stimulation which might lead them to behave with impulsivity and acting in an irresponsible way. Typically, a psychopath will have no realistic, long-term goals, instead preferring to live in the moment.
Despite many psychopaths holding down impressive jobs, they do not have good social skills. They find it hard to control their behaviour in public which could lead to a revoking of their parole.
Psychopaths are known to be particularly versatile in many areas of different crimes. This makes it difficult to catch them.
Even if you have the Hare Psychopathy Checklist in your arsenal, diagnosing someone in your life who you think is a psychopath is a very serious step. It has implications either way, whether you are right or wrong. It is better to leave any diagnosing to the professionals who are trained to spot the subtle signs of psychopathy, something that non-professionals might easily miss.
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Holy Shit I'm I psychopath
LMAO!
US has lower standards for diagnosis 30/40. Typical.
UK is woke AF at 25/40
LMAO
What should a person do when their sibling scores a 38 on this scale along with a long term drug abuse habit?
Name me a SINGLE US president who doesn't score 17 out of 20, you can't have a criminal past and be president - at least not one we know about. Ask Ted Kennedy. Otherwise - do you not necessarily HAVE to possess these over the top, arrogant and superiority identity character traits to even WANT to be president? Let alone make it happen? And...what about ANY other famous, I mean ultra famous, people? Is there not a certain sense of intellectual, physical and or intelligence superiority needed from the gate to ever even pursue such social status? And...that doesn't just suddenly happen and then become reality. It all starts in CHILDHOOD. These people must necessarily BELIEVE they are superstars, must believe it is worth the pursuit - at ALL cost, must be capable of cutting throats, telling lies, stepping on people, sacrificing the lifestyle of the "social norms", and embracing a level of arrogant dedication to the self-identity of their own amazingness to the degree that they BELIEVE -LIVE that they NEED to be consumed by the general public - for OUR benefit, that is unseen in their peers. POINT BEING: A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING!! Think before you speak. RESEARCH before you think! KNOW before you apply!!
I've come here because I'm curious about a specific person in my life. I'm already convinced they're, at best, a sociopath and they believe it as well. I haven't told him about the research I've been doing, but that's for myself to feel more confident in speaking to him. I wouldn't mind so much if this person was irrelevant to me, but that's not the case here; he's my boyfriend. We're still young, teenagers, so some might be led to believe that it's all apart of being "edgy" or otherwise. However, I'm genuinely convinced that my boyfriend may be a psychopath for many reasons. I've been looking up other sources such as "Can psychopaths love?" and the feelings that a psychopath can possibly experience. My boyfriend is a bit mentally deranged and I have to be there for him or else I know he'd fail completely. I'm not saying this because I'm egotistical, I say this from experience, as I've left him before. I had enough of the toxic relationship we once had and he became so depressed and distraught and was giving up on life entirely, going to commit suicide. I shrugged it off at first because I've heard the "I'll kill myself if you leave" stories, but this time was different. He seemed all too genuine and I suppose that's when my nurturing side kicked in and I began to help him again. Long story short, we're back together and things are going good but he has so many traits of a sociopath and now a psychopath that I'm beginning to take action by reading and informing myself on these mentalities so I'm prepared for the worse.
Levi, the best thing you could do is have him get a psych evaluation. Psychopathic people are not to be trifled with. A person in the "normal" range of the human spectrum could not comprehend the ways of a psychopath. They cannot be compared in any way to a "normal" person in any situation regarding thoughts, feelings, responses reactions etc. And they are genius at what they do in terms of gaslighting, manipulation, inflicting pain etc. They have no regard for you or anyone except for what they can get from you. They will gaslight you until you lose all natural instinct and then suck the life out of you until they replace you, become bored with you or they can't keep their socially acceptable mask on anymore and the true monster is revealed. They can and will ruin your life. I was married to one for over 2 decades. I developed PTSD from the relationship. Everything I imparted to you here is just the tip of the iceberg. I'll leave you with the warning that you most likely will not know that you are with a psychopath because they will prevent you from knowing through several avenues. Get a psych evaluation or leave. If the eval reveals he is one...run for your life. They cannot be helped or fixed.
Don't bother speaking to them. If you are convinced, just save yourself and your time by walking away, without explanation. I speak as a survivor
Levi, think very carefully about what you're doing. Manipulating people is what psychopaths do best. If he bases his happiness on whether you are his girlfriend or not, that's the wrong reason to be happy. You will be much happier for a longer time with someone who is already happy with themselves. He's playing you and you're allowing it. The "poor me" pity party is a very common technique used to make themselves out to be the victim. You are the victim since you're allowing him to make your decisions for you. Get out of the relationship ASAP and as far away from him as you can, otherwise it will be the same guilt trip until he gets his way. Just my humble opinion.