Therapist Clueless About Sociopaths

[Pencil]

All part of the bigger plan. These people only make themselves vulnerable so they can get the better of you in the end.

Yes, I learned that the hard way. It was only a 'Please forgive me' that could have pulled me back in at that point, and that's why she used it. I have learned that she / they (yes, all of them) will do whatever works. They are also masters at expedience. Their instinct / knowledge / insight is astounding, and they are always one step ahead. It is the 'one step ahead' that is more frightening than anything else.

@Dana1010 I also find it fascinating to see how my sister instinctively knows who she can talk to. She had a useful function in my life for a while: I'm not a good judge of character, and I learned that those who gave her an audience were people I initially overestimated. Then there were people with whom I wasn't friends, and some did not particularly like me, who told her to go to hell right away. Then there are few she never approached. She did a lot of weeding for me.

 

[shimmerz]

There are some really enlightening sociopath boards out there. The individuals are upfront as to what they are, they acknowledge what they are, they ask each other how they were put in a position to be diagnosed and the reasons are interesting, they speak about their 'knowing' what they are doing when getting what they want and how they discard afterwards, some humiliating the victim, others just leaving them to wonder what happened - forever. Very strategic, thought out, habitual and very conscious of what they are doing to others.

Here where we normally extend a helping hand to each other, there they banter back and forth, using past issues against the other and degrading each other. They many times call each other liars. Really interesting to read. Not a complete picture, but enough that I can put many pieces together for myself. If any of you are interested google sociopath forum of anti-social personality disorder forum.

 

[anthony]

There are some really enlightening sociopath boards out there.

I think that would be a highly dysfunctional community unless strictly moderated by someone who was a sociopath, yet overrode such desires to want to better themselves, thus coming in-between such negative behaviour.

 

[Ed Norton]

@anthony and @shimmerz It is a highly disfunctional forum. I just couldn't resist. It's pretty scary that those people are amongst us. But it's a fact of life and, of course, then facts must be faced.

 

[Pencil]

@shimmerz - just the idea sent shivers down my spine - literally. I'll go over there when I have a bit more courage.

 

[Pencil]

From Craig, M., Catani, M., Deeley, Q., Latham, R., Daly, E., Kanaan, R., Picchioni, M., McGuire, P., Fahy, T., & Murphy, D. (2009). Altered connections on the road to psychopathy Molecular Psychiatry, 14 (10), 946-953 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2009.40

"The manipulative con-man. The guy who lies to your face, even when he doesn’t have to. The child who tortures animals. The cold-blooded killer. Psychopaths are characterised by an absence of empathy and poor impulse control, with a total lack of conscience. About 1% of the total population can be defined as psychopaths, according to a detailed psychological profile checklist. They tend to be egocentric, callous, manipulative, deceptive, superficial, irresponsible and parasitic, even predatory. The majority of psychopaths are not violent and many do very well in jobs where their personality traits are advantageous and their social tendencies tolerated. However, some have a predisposition to calculated, “instrumental” violence; violence that is cold-blooded, planned and goal-directed. Psychopaths are vastly over-represented among criminals; it is estimated they make up about 20% of the inmates of most prisons. They commit over half of all violent crimes and are 3-4 times more likely to re-offend. They are almost entirely refractory to rehabilitation. These are not nice people."

Yes, I know there is a difference between between sociopaths and psychopaths, so let's just call them anti-social.

 

[shimmerz]

These are not nice people.

Then why do I think they are when I meet them? Rhetorical question. Figured that one out all by my little ol' self.:confused::confused::confused::hungover:

 

[Pencil]

Then why do I think they are when I meet them?

I'm going to supply an answer anyway, just to serve as a reminder to myself. And the answer is that they learn to act nice in order not to be chased with stout sticks into the wilderness. Pedophiles offer kids sweeties or puppies to lure them, not spinach and hidings. Same story, we're just not very bright. (I hope this post does not elicit an avalanche of 'Some pedophiles are actually very nice'.)

 

[greenleaf]

Here where we normally extend a helping hand to each other, there they banter back and forth, using past issues against the other and degrading each other.

Maybe I believe in hell now...

 

[shimmerz]

(I hope this post does not elicit an avalanche of 'Some pedophiles are actually very nice'.)

lol lol lol lol - sorry - in bad taste but that was great. Can't stop laughing. And yes, I was molested as a toddler. Can I press like 100 times for this posting????

 

[Dana1010]

There are some really enlightening sociopath boards out there.

I admit I haven't been to them, but I wonder if these people are really sociopaths, and not just screwballs who like to fancy themselves dangerous. I mean if I were a psychopath, I wouldn't be supplying the public with information about psychopaths.

Yes, I know there is a difference between between sociopaths and psychopaths, so let's just call them anti-social.

Anti-social is archaic, I think. I also think it really misleads people into thinking these people are grumpy, snarling loners because that's how the term anti-social is used in everyday parlance. I have no problem using "psychopath" and "sociopath" interchangeably. I'm only interested in the people who were born that way and can't change. I'm not worried about people who just act like sociopaths for whatever reason (wouldn't want to meet one, though). "Psychopath" is probably preferable to "sociopath" for purity, but Hollywood has really fouled up the connotation. Also, a lot of people conflate it with "psychotic" which has a totally different meaning.

 

[Pencil]

As far as I know the DSM 5 has now lumped both socio- and psychopaths under Antisocial Personality Disorder. I'm too lazy to check.