Psychopaths (aka sociopaths) make up from 1% to 4% of the adult population, but the percentage increases as you move from the general population to positions of control and power, where psychopaths thrive. For example, corporate executive suites may be populated by a far higher percentage of psychopaths.
Basically a psychopath is a person who is able to lie, cheat and/or steal without feeling any guilt, shame or remorse. They have no conscience and only a hole where their heart should be. They are only interested in control and winning.
Psychopaths think they are smarter than the rest of us. They believe that having a conscience is a crippling debility that afflicts the 96% of us who do have a conscience. They believe that NOT having a conscience frees them, and that they are the only fully functioning members of society.
Psychopaths do exactly what they want, regardless of legal, moral or ethical strictures that would limit an ordinary person. They do what they want, and then wait for the legal system to catch up to them. An excellent current (2015) example is Russian president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout
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YouTube Excerpts:
The Psychopath's Enablers
Psychopaths almost always have an enabler, typically a spouse or powerless employee (a minion or lackey) who believes in them totally and completely, and is convinced their detractors are lying.
The Psychopath's Enablers by Joyce Alexander
The Psychopath's Enablers by Joyce Alexander
Fifteen Things You Probably Do Not Know About Psychopaths
Fifteen Things You Probably Do Not Know About Psychopaths
Psychopathy is a common and extremely destructive mental disorder that afflicts not only the psychopath, but whole communities, nations, and the world. We now have the tools to identify and mitigate psychopathy, if we can develop the will to do so.
1. Briefly – A psychopath is a person with a very nasty personality who builds a more attractive and very fake personality to cover his frauds, transgressions, and, sometimes, murders.
2. Rational – Psychopaths are quite rational. Psychopaths' minds work no better and no worse than yours, except that psychopaths have a big void where most people have a conscience and moral values.
3. Mental Disorders – The primary indicators for psychopathy are anti-social personality disorder and malignant narcissism personality disorder, plus tendencies toward criminal behaviors and an inability to establish mature sexual relationships.
4. Measurement – Formal measurement of psychopathy is performed by a trained professional using Dr. Robert Hare's Psychopathy Check List – Revised (PCL-R), consisting of twenty-one items such as pathological dishonesty, parasitic lifestyle, and irresponsibility.
5. Control – Psychopaths want to control you – physically, emotionally, sexually, financially, and politically.
6. Occurrence – Psychopaths are thought to be about one percent of the population. Dr. Hare has noted that the occurrence of corporate psychopaths ranges up to four percent of corporate executives;
7. Masks – There are few overt characteristics to distinguish a psychopath from the general population, within which the psychopath can easily blend.
8. Causes – Neurological defect or injury is often associated with psychopathy, though some cases have no known causative factors. Cases have been reported of identical twins, one psychopathic, the other not.
9. Flavors – By far, most psychopaths operate on a family and community level, destroying family relationships, committing crimes and misdemeanors, and rotating in and out of mental hospitals, jails, and prisons, and then back into the community.
10. Psychopath Enablers and Supporters – Family and local psychopath enablers are well-identified and can be researched on the internet.
11. Creativity – Creative psychopaths are often audacious and leave people surprised and off balance, as when Hitler invaded the Sudetenland or when Putin invaded Crimea. Corporate psychopaths are often credited with being creative even as their organizations suffer massive personnel turnover and financial loss.
12. Tough Reputation – Beyond the items on Dr. Hare's PCL-R, psychopaths cultivate a reputation for toughness, but that does not mean that they get good results. In reality, they are just very nasty personalities who abuse subordinates and may commit crimes. Rahm Emanuel (now failing as mayor of Chicago) and Rod Blagojevich (now in prison) fall in this category.
13. Recognizing Psychopathy – Many psychologists have different interpretations of conditions similar to psychopathy.
14. Failure – In practical terms, psychopaths always fail, and psychopathic failure creates misery for families, communities, and nations.
15. Ending Psychopathic Expression – Dr. Hare and associates are increasingly capable of identifying a psychopath at an early age. Many conditions are medically or legally sanctioned (eyeglasses may be required for a driver's license), and psychopathy should be in this category, with psychopaths limited in their opportunities to control others.
7. Masks – There are few overt characteristics to distinguish a psychopath from the general population, within which the psychopath can easily blend.
8. Causes – Neurological defect or injury is often associated with psychopathy, though some cases have no known causative factors. Cases have been reported of identical twins, one psychopathic, the other not.
9. Flavors – By far, most psychopaths operate on a family and community level, destroying family relationships, committing crimes and misdemeanors, and rotating in and out of mental hospitals, jails, and prisons, and then back into the community.
10. Psychopath Enablers and Supporters – Family and local psychopath enablers are well-identified and can be researched on the internet.
11. Creativity – Creative psychopaths are often audacious and leave people surprised and off balance, as when Hitler invaded the Sudetenland or when Putin invaded Crimea. Corporate psychopaths are often credited with being creative even as their organizations suffer massive personnel turnover and financial loss.
12. Tough Reputation – Beyond the items on Dr. Hare's PCL-R, psychopaths cultivate a reputation for toughness, but that does not mean that they get good results. In reality, they are just very nasty personalities who abuse subordinates and may commit crimes. Rahm Emanuel (now failing as mayor of Chicago) and Rod Blagojevich (now in prison) fall in this category.
13. Recognizing Psychopathy – Many psychologists have different interpretations of conditions similar to psychopathy.
14. Failure – In practical terms, psychopaths always fail, and psychopathic failure creates misery for families, communities, and nations.
15. Ending Psychopathic Expression – Dr. Hare and associates are increasingly capable of identifying a psychopath at an early age. Many conditions are medically or legally sanctioned (eyeglasses may be required for a driver's license), and psychopathy should be in this category, with psychopaths limited in their opportunities to control others.
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