Psychopaths Don’t Come with a Warning Label on Their Foreheads…
1 Confidence Is Key
I’m not talking about normal levels; psychopaths have another level of confidence. Often unwavering over-confidence that despite the facts, remains in place.
One thing psychopaths leverage is the fact that humans flock to confident people…
2 You Can Charm the Birds Out of a Tree
This confidence comes with oodles of suaveness. Charm that is almost hypnotic. The problem is that it’s not at all genuine.
This charm is just part of the show to gain adoration to achieve what they are there to accomplish. If you are able to turn on and off charm like a tap when you want something, then you might be a psychopath.
3 You Are Impulsive
If you take spontaneous to another level, then you could be displaying traits of a psychopath. They are well known for “leap before you look” behavior that doesn’t have a lot of thought put into it. It’s this thrill-seeking behavior but with no fear of the consequences that can be a tell-tale sign you’re in the danger zone of psychopathy.
You might find that your life would have a lot less drama if you could get your impulses under control.
4 Lying Is Second Nature to You
Along with crazy behavior comes having to duck and dive from the truth. Of course, this makes sense that you will have to come up with some “alternative facts” when you spent your rent money on a wild night out!
After a while, you struggle to remember the true facts because you are so convincing in the lie that you even fool yourself!
5 Emotions Feel like a Foreign Concept
You understand that emotions happen, but you just don’t quite get them. Why anyone would feel devastated over your comment on their outfit, or why would you be overjoyed over the news of someone else’s baby?
Psychopaths can discern emotions, and know them on an intellectual level, but the only way they come into their lives is for gain. Guilt trips, flattery, declaring themselves victims, these are all excellent ways for psychopaths to manipulate people to get what they want.
6 Sorry Ain’t a Thing
If you find Welsh town names easier to say than a simple sorry, then you might be in psychopath territory. Psychopaths don’t apologize for shit. This stems from a disregard for personal responsibility but I’ll get into that later.
What is most interesting is that psychopaths will happily squawk off a lengthy justification of their actions, but don’t hold your breath for an apology. If backed into a corner, psychopaths might offer a smirky assed “sorry”, or defend further with a “sorry you are so sensitive” type of remark.
7 You Can’t Empathize with Other People
Back to the feelings… as well as being unable to have any true emotions of their own, psychopaths also think other people have way too many emotions and are weak because of it. Psychopaths wont share someone’s joy about a promotion, or their sorrow over a breakup.
Of course, there is always an exception, and in this case the exception is that psychopaths will not acknowledge emotions if there is something in it for them. More on this in a bit.
8 You Don’t Respect Rules or the Law
I’m sure by now you have realized that psychopaths don’t fall into the “rule followers” category. This behavior is anti-social, which doesn’t equal introvert.
When I say anti-social, it means someone who goes against society, rules, and other behaviors that are more commonplace.
Trying to curb the actions of a psychopath by appealing to rule following, is like trying to catch a rainbow.
9 You Find It Hard to Tell Right from Wrong
Along with the idea that rules are flexible, psychopaths feel that there is more grey between right and wrong than black and white. They might justify an affair because of an unhappy marriage or stealing something because someone left it lying around.
Basically, if you can always find a reason to bend the rules, or find a way around the law, you’re in the psychopath camp.
10 You’re Good at Controlling People
I’ve mentioned before that psychopaths are only interested in other people’s emotions when it is in their favor. That’s because psychopaths have unlocked the superpower of using emotions to control people.
From charming them with flattery or guilting them with another sob story where they are the victim, psychopaths are inherently good at controlling people to do their bidding.
11 You Get Bored Easily
It’s hard to really wow a psychopath. If you bore easily and aren’t easily impressed, this could be a psychopathic trait. These impulse junkies need constant dopamine hits and outside stimulation to satiate their need for pleasure.
According to recoveryways.com “by some estimates, 90 percent of people with antisocial personality disorder will develop a substance use disorder. Unfortunately, these people are also the least likely to seek help, and when they do enter treatment, they rarely complete it.”
Ironically, you know what does get boring fast? Drug addiction!
12 You Always Have an Excuse
How often do you hear yourself say “It’s not my fault because…” and then deviate the blame to someone or something else as long as it’s not you?
If you find yourself always concocting an excuse, then you might be displaying some psychopathic traits. More about where these excuses come from coming up.
13 Your Relationships Are Kinda Shallow
If you believe that people are purely for a reason or a season, then you could be a psychopath. If you think of people more as placeholders than persons of interest and affection, then you are missing out on the deep relationships everyone else experiences.
14 You’re Irresponsible
When you don’t take responsibility it’s easy to be irresponsible. Why look after your equipment, others or yourself if you see everything as replaceable?
Psychopaths find it easier to take what they want and hurt people and property in the process because they don’t feel bad about it. They feel like people who don’t act like they do are just saps.
15 It’s Never Your Fault
The main reason that psychopaths find it so easy to lie, dodge the rules or come up with an excuse is that they don’t know how to take responsibility.
They don’t feel bad about passing the blame, but they will also never give up an opportunity to take the credit for something whether they deserve it or not. Whatever the situation, they can’t take responsibility for their mistakes if they don’t see them.
The irony of everything I just listed is that, just based on these very facts, hardly any psychopaths will actually recognize themselves in these traits.
About the Author
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.