When you say the word Sociopath it sounds like, and many think it is like Psychopath and that is because it is in a way.
Sociopaths get around in the community and are sons and daughters, husbands and wives sometimes, but there are ways to recognise them and when you see all the things they do and put them together they're not that hard to spot.
The main character aspects that distinguish the Sociopath are
Their utter lack of conscience
Their inability to love or be loved
Their ability to turn mean in an instant and be sadistic.
Their ability to follow the rules and use them against you.
Many who encounter a Sociopath in the workplace will find that they are prepared, have spent time undermining you in both your position and credibility and once they begin a campaign against you they have the support of your boss and fellow workers who will see them as the victim, yes they have already been planting the seeds in small comments, manipulation, and even sabotage ; and you will rarely get a good outcome in an encounter with a sociopath because they are prepared to go to any length to get what they want, they know what they want and they will have it.
The sociopath will always find someone to blame and you really don't have to have even done anything to them to earn their ire, They never take responsibility for their own actions and will even go so far as to manufacture proof, mostly circumstantial to bolster their excuse and put the onus of blame onto someone else.
They lie, sometimes by omission, but are shameless about it and clever too, they will wrap their lies seamlessly around a morsel of fact which they will point to if questioned and argue indignantly about if fronted on the original lie.
Sociopaths are on the surface very nice to you, assessing your worth in terms of what you can do for them, what you can give them or how you can take a bullet for them, they are charming and charismatic, sometimes sickeningly so.
They are also conceited, they genuinely think they are the centre of attention and that the world revolves around them and they show it with an arrogance and an attitude, and are prone to create drama to generate interest in themselves all the time.
Sociopaths, like psychopaths, are experts at masking their anger when it suits them, they don't like to mix their worlds and will hold back rather than reveal their nasty side to those who they are in the process of charming. That does not mean they will not retaliate, in fact it means they will retaliate later and it will be with all of their capability, they will try to crush you.
They don't take to criticism or personal insults well, they see criticism in almost everything except for glowing praise and see insults where there are none intended and even see insult toward them at a personal level in things that are not even directed at them, said to them or written. They demand respect and will react against any who show insufficient respect to their position or their perceived authority.
Sociopaths are power hungry, they want to dominate others, they want to have a hold over people, they Will have people in fear of them happily and believe that it is respect for them not fear. They often become lawyers, Judges, Politicians, Psychologists, even school principles but it must be a position of power over others.
They are parasites, they will live off the work of others, take credit for the work of others, and see others unrewarded for their efforts unashamed by it. If they can't find someone to do the work for them they will use their charm to try to get someone to give it to them.
They are manipulative, emotional puppeteers, they love to make people jump, they will spend weeks, months, even years if they have to, planting seeds and setting people up so they can get what they want or just for the pleasure they get from seeing people crushed under their heel.
They are victims; they constantly paint a picture that someone is out to get them, someone is hurting them, they have been picked on or bullied but always to get pity and to get something from you.
Unfortunately this is a character flaw, a mental problem that cannot be cured and in most cases is not recognised until your life has been torn apart by them; perhaps this will have been a bit of help to those readers out there who may now recognise a sociopath among us or even to those who may have been in denial about how their Friend, the nicest person they ever knew is getting so many people upset with them for apparently no reason.
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4 comments:
I have always been aware of people like this but usually one would find a single sociopath in a 'crowd'. Now it seems that there a small colonies [packs] to be found in communities.
Perhaps the disorder has mutated and is spreading.
What an amazing and informative article, I never realised that there was an actual name for people like this, and yes i do recognise some in my community, I just used to call them bastards!
Thanks to those who have contacted me; you have no reason to fear making comments as long as you make them generic, do not name people and do not make insinuations of a defamitory nature where people can make an assumption about to whom you're referring.
I know that a sociopath will see you comments as a personal attack even if they are absolutely about someone else, but that's the nature of the beast.
Yes we have them in our midst, yes they are dangerous and yes, they are ruining our community with their manipulation and power hunger at the expense of some very decent folk who usually back down rather than have their name dragged through the mud by a public allegation or campaign against them. At the end of the day, if no one ever stands against a sociopath in the community, there won't be a community, it's up to you.
We certainly have seen how names and reputations have been dragged through the mud in recent times.
It is so sad that innocent people have to suffer at the hands of sociopaths.
As you mention there is no cure for this affliction, however people need to speak out and stand together against such tyrany.
One wonders why others in power have not stepped in to protect the vulnerable?
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