Psychopaths exude an air of confidence that naturally draws others to them. They probably have a stable job with relative success. They could even have a relationship or a spouse and kids. They are quite good at playing the role of “model citizen. ”
Their inflated sense of self-importance often leads to one crack in their mask of normalcy. They will step on your toes if you don’t have any value or status to offer them.
Psychopaths are self-centered, acting on a whim based on their own emotional state. They do whatever they want, whenever they want to. This may result in them cheating, lying, committing crimes, and stealing—just because. They may be sexually promiscuous with a string of relationships or infidelities. They may even quit jobs out of the blue (because it was beneath them, of course).
Still, others are able to avoid prison while still stepping over laws and not having any hang-ups about doing so.
Check to see if the person you suspect of psychopathy had a troubled youth. This could possibly indicate the presence of psychopathic tendencies in adulthood.
For example, a psychopath is unlikely to live by a “code” like others do. They may see no problem going after a friend’s date or competing with a close pal for a job promotion, and gloating about it.
The difference between psychopathic and typical autistic responses is that while autistic people may seem initially numb, they may melt down in distress later or throw themselves into research and ways to help. [8] X Research source With psychopaths, there are no deep emotions hiding underneath.
For example, they pretend to go into a guilt spiral over hurting their victim, so the victim ends up consoling them instead. Interestingly enough, while psychopathy precludes genuine empathy, people who have this condition are able to fake empathy very well. They cannot spontaneously empathize, but can do so at will (to charm others for example). [9] X Research source
If someone in your life is a psychopath, you probably leave interactions with them questioning your own sanity. Let’s say you’re at work and the psychopath alerts you that one coworker has been insulting you behind your back. They coax you to confront the person. In the aftermath of an ugly confrontation, you eventually realize that the other person was goaded just like you.
For example, you are a high-ranking executive in your company. The psychopath “befriends” you and teases out your weaknesses. One day you arrive at work to hear that news of a scandal is affecting the workplace. It seems sensitive information you told the psychopath was leaked to the media. You are fired. Guess who’s in line to take your position?
The relationship starts off with them idealizing their partners. Over time, they devalue and ultimately discard that partner for a newer, more interesting one. They never truly bond with partners; therefore, walking away from a marriage or relationship is quite effortless. [13] X Research source
Plus, they’ll never appear flabbergasted about a lie. They are calm, relaxed and able to talk their way out of anything. They never seem to get rattled about anything.
You might witness inconsistencies like them saying “Seriously, I never meant to hurt you” with a slight smirk on their face and their tone lacking authenticity. If you seem to have trouble getting over it, they may turn on their wrath. They may even say “You’re so sensitive” or “I thought we were going to move on from this!”
