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Wednesday, February 26, 2020

THE SOCIOPATH BESIDE YOU



"His heart exists inside the dry leaves of a soul." 
- F. Scott Fitgerald ( of Hemingway)



“I could forgive you even your cruelty if it were not for your calm.” 
- G. K. Chesterton 


Psychiatrists have believed that 

psychopaths are defined by qualities of callousness, lack of emotion, and coldness.

 They lack empathy, in other words.

 They start out with barely a moral compass, or don't have one at all, 

while sociopaths tend to develop their skewed moral compass throughout childhood and adulthood.


 These predators, both male and female, haunt our everyday lives at work, at home, and in relationships. 

 This is a class of individuals who have been around forever and who are found in every culture, society and walk of life. 

Everybody has met these people, been deceived and manipulated by them, 

and forced to live with or repair the damage they have wrought. 

These often charming—but always deadly—individuals have a clinical name: psychopaths. 

Their hallmark is a stunning lack of conscience; 

their game is self-gratification at the other person's expense. 

Many spend time in prison, but many more do not. 

All take far more than they give.


QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT THOSE AROUND YOU
1. Do you often feel used by the person?
2. Have you often felt that he (or she, because women can be sociopaths too) doesn't care about you?
3. Does he lie and deceive you?
4. Does he tend to make contradictory statements?
5. Does he tend to take from you and not give back much?
6. Does he often appeal to pity? Does he seem to try to make you feel sorry for him?
7. Does he try to make you feel guilty?
8. Do you sometimes feel he is taking advantage of your good nature?
9. Does he seem easily bored and need constant stimulation?
10. Does he use a lot of flattery? Does he interact with you in a way that makes you feel flattered even if he says nothing overtly complimentary?
11. Does he make you feel worried? Does he do it obviously or more cleverly and sneakily?
12. Does he give you the impression you owe him?
13. Does he chronically fail to take responsibility for harming others? Does he blame everyone and everything but himself?


SURVIVAL GUIDE


1.) MIND YOUR MIND

If in describing a new friend to others, you use 

"charming" and "persuasive" and "he/she says the most outrageous things but you just can't get mad at him/her"  --

You have trouble on your hands.  Disengage quickly.


2.) UNDER THE ICING IS ONLY MORE ICING

 It is easy to get get swept up by the winning smile, the captivating body language, and the fast talk of the typical psychopath.

Step back when you feel pulled in too quickly by someone.  

Ask why that stunning person was unattached before you met them.

Perhaps there is a wake of ruined lives behind that person.


3.)  KEEP YOUR GUARD UP IN HIGH RISK SITUATIONS

The summer season is coming with lots of parties, 

meeting new people when your mind is blunted by the relaxed sunshine days on the beach, laughter and alcohol.  

Lions lurk by the water hole for a reason.

Some situations are tailor-made for psychopaths:

 singles bars, ship cruises, foreign airports, etc.

 In each case, the potential victim is lonely, looking for a good time, excitement, or companionship, 

and there will usually be someone willing to oblige, for a terrible future price. 


4.) KNOW THYSELF

  Psychopaths are skilled at detecting and ruthlessly exploiting your weak spots. 

Your best defense is 

to understand what these spots are, and to be extremely wary of anyone who zeroes in on them.


5.) ONLY ONE REMEDY

There's only one solution for dealing with a sociopath: 

Get him or her completely out of your life for good. 


Enjoy your life
but mind your surroundings 
and those around you.
 “Some werewolves are hairy on the inside.”
―Stephen King, Danse Macabre


6 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, I have a family member who fits these markers. It's a tough deal because this person helped raise me. I have coded reminders in my phone calendar to help me remember to be on guard around the individual, but complete avoidance would mean walking away from other family relationships which are healthier. So, I pray, remind myself not to fall into a codependent mindset, and keep loving the people in my life who are healthy to love.

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    1. That is a tough position to be in, Tyrean. But knowing that person is potentially dangerous helps you to keep your guard up around that individual, not trusting that person's motives. I will pray that you are able to keep your wits about you with that individual.

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  2. Just because you believe a person fits the psychopath/sociopath description doesn't make that literally true about that person, but if you honestly feel that way about a person it is probably better to keep your distance.

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    1. I agree, Nissa. But I fall into what Robert DeNero said in "Ronin" -- when there is doubt ... there is no doubt. Most of us dislike rushing into judgement on folks ... which is what sociopaths count on ... also on our tendency to deny. Sigh.

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  3. I watch crime TV way too much. Lately I've watched series on psychopaths and sociopaths. Super interesting how they appear normal and live normal lives. By normal criteria, people hand themselves over to being killed by these individuals. I was such a naïve and stupid teenager and don't know how I escaped being nabbed by one.

    Teresa

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    Replies
    1. Sorry to take so long to reply but the weekend wiped me out, and I spent most of today sleeping to recover!

      I believe the world has worsened drastically over the years. When I was young, my mother and I could leave for an outing without locking the doors!

      Teresa, take care of yourself this Covid-19 season!

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