When you hear the word "psychopath", chances are you're thinking of a man wielding a knife, his gaze impassive and completely frightening. This is indeed the usual representation shown to us in popular culture, so it makes sense that this is the definition of the psychopath in the eyes of many people. Except that it is more complex than that, because in fact, you can be in the presence of a psychopath and not know it.
What is a psychopath? Is it the same as a sociopath?
In the early 1800s, doctors working on cases of individuals with mental illnesses noticed that even though they seemed normal on the outside, they had what they called a "mental depravation". These doctors noticed that they did not seem to have any sense of ethics or the rights of others. In the 1900s, the term "psychopath" was applied to these patients. He has been changed to a "sociopath" to reflect the damage they cause to people around them and to society in general.
Researchers have retained the use of the term psychopath to refer to a more serious genetic-related disorder that creates more dangerous individuals, while continuing to use the term "sociopath" to refer to less dangerous people who are more of a product of the environment where they grew up and evolved than anything else. Education has an important contribution to this subject.
Another key difference between the psychopath and the sociopath is the fact that one of them has one consciousness but not the other. You know, that little voice in the head of each of us telling us that we are doing something wrong when it is indeed the case. Psychopaths are devoid of it, they use and manipulate people at will and feel nothing.
A sociopath usually has a conscience, but he is weak and does not stop him from doing what he wants. What is important to remember is that both are sorely lacking in empathy.
As we have already said, when people think of psychopaths, they think of murderers brandishing axes. In reality, psychopaths can look exactly like us. While the number of psychopaths in detention is overrepresented (only 25% of detainees are psychopaths), the study suggests that a significant number of them walk around us each day. It does not mean that you have to lock yourself in your home for fear of being attacked, this is one of the biggest myths about psychopaths is that they are all violent!
Here are 8 signs that will allow you to recognize one:
They feel no guilt: they do not feel guilty for their actions. They will do what they want to get what they want, they never feel bad about it.
They do not feel empathy: The psychopath is not able to put himself in the place of others nor to understand their emotions. He can just imitate the empathy or sympathy he has learned by observing others.
They like people to feel guilty: They play with people's emotions. They use them elsewhere to manipulate them. They earn your trust and do not hesitate to deceive you.
They value only themselves: Psychopaths consider themselves superior to everyone, it is also that which allows them to feel no guilt. They even feel omnipotent.
They are big liars: They lie about everything, even if they do not see any particular interest in it. This gives them a false impression of power that does not satisfy them anyway.
They are generally appreciated: Although this is terrible, the sad reality is that psychopaths are able to get along with almost everyone. They can be friendly and accessible, the perfect camouflage for a harmful person.
They do not take responsibility for their actions: This allows them to be manipulative and to be free of guilt. They do not feel responsible for anything they do!
Now that you know what a psychopath really is, you can put away the cliché in the movies in the closet and see things with a little more realism!