Nothing good, of course. Or rather, at the beginning of communication — or while he needs something from you — a sociopath will delight with a good-natured mask. But as soon as he realizes that you are hooked or your «usefulness» has exhausted itself, he will show his true face.
Sociopathy is often referred to as antisocial personality disorder. Its definition according to the International Classification of Diseases: “A personality disorder characterized by disregard for social duties and callous indifference to others. There is a significant discrepancy between the patient’s behavior and basic social norms. Behavior is difficult to change based on experience, including punishment. Patients do not tolerate failure well and easily succumb to aggression, including violence. They tend to blame others or give plausible explanations for their behavior that brings them into conflict with society.”
Do you know people who qualify as sociopaths or sociopathic narcissists? If yes, then you are not alone. Unfortunately, there are many such people around us. It is important to recognize the potential danger posed by them in time, and for this it is worth knowing the main signs of the disorder.
Let’s try to figure out how sociopaths usually behave and how to identify them. In everyday life, it can be very difficult to recognize them.
A sociopath may hide his inclinations under the guise of another psychiatric diagnosis
We usually like open-minded people who show sympathy for us, especially if they are smart and physically attractive and seem kind and caring. Sociopaths know this and skillfully pretend to be so.
When they feel like they’ve won your trust, they’ll show their true nature pretty quickly. There will be vile backstabs, rumors and gossip, envy, jealousy, secret intrigues and endless lies and deceit that endanger the well-being of others. Here are 6 potentially dangerous tendencies of sociopaths:
1. May hide the true essence under the guise of another, less dangerous, mental disorder. Such people control others by persuading them to trust and care for them. A sociopath may hide his tendencies under the guise of another psychiatric diagnosis, such as bipolar, anxiety, or depressive disorder.
These «not so serious» diagnoses hide from others the fact that a person suffers from an almost incurable disorder. Sociopathy is treated worse than anxiety or depression. Sociopaths know this and therefore hide the truth.
2. Their impulsiveness and envy lead to devastating consequences. Envy can be very dangerous if the envious person decides to take action. If you are jealous of someone, but at the same time able to control yourself, this is not scary. But sociopaths (and narcissists) often see the object of envy as a «target» to be eliminated.
3. They manipulate everyone. Once, as a psychotherapist, I had a chance to work with a man. For the first few months, he seemed to be a smart, kind, and open person. But gradually, starting to understand his situation more deeply, I realized that he told me one thing, his wife another, and the psychiatrist a third, as a result, each of us saw a different picture. I stopped working with him and reported everything to his psychiatrist.
Sociopaths are skilled conversationalists but use their conversational skills to control and manipulate
4. Depict a victim who needs help. It is important to emphasize that many people may really need help and support, and they are not trying to draw attention to themselves at all. But these people often play the victim for the purpose of manipulation. For them, it is easy, convenient and profitable in the long run.
5. They get their way by any means necessary. Most are great at using intelligence and charisma to get what they want. If that doesn’t work, they start yelling, arguing, and making a scene, and this tactic is also often successful. And once convinced of its success at least once, sociopaths will use it further, this time against you.
6. Gain acceptance and credibility by using the «right» words and ideas. Have you ever met a person with whom it is interesting to communicate, he always knows how to find the right words, mentioning current events, using current terms and expressing ideas approved by society? Sociopaths are skilled conversationalists, but use their conversational skills to control and manipulate.