Are you dating a psychopath? It’s not easy to spot the signs initially, but as some time goes by, you will soon notice psychopathic traits. The psychopathological person can’t keep up the façade for long, as their true colors will come shining through.
You hear the term used often in the media and mental health, but how do you know if a person has psychopathic traits? The medical community diagnosed people suffering from their mind or soul as a psychopath in the early 1800s. There are some apparent signs that indicate psychopathy, and you should be careful should you see any of these red flags.
Fifteen Common Psychopathic Traits
The challenging part about this person is their ability to blend into the background like a chameleon. They become undetectable and can go unnoticed for years. Consequently, when you’re in an intimate relationship, it’s easier to see the discrepancies in their façade as they can’t keep up this game for long. Here are some signs that your partner has psychopathic traits.
1. Superficial Charm One of the Most Common Psychopathic Traits
Someone with sociopathic traits is very charming, but this appeal only goes skin deep. They turn on the charm to allure a partner, as they know how to use the correct vocabulary to make you go weak at the knees. Sadly, this is a common trait of someone who is psychopathic and playing games with you.
2. Disengaged, Cold and Callous Behavior
This person is so caught up in themselves and their needs that they can’t look beyond to see others. Your partner may come across as cold or callus if you’ve had a bad day, a death in the family, or suffered a major upset.
They’re not very comforting and probably would never hold you or try to comfort you in your time of need. However, when their world is crashing around them, they will expect you to drop everything to be there for them.
3. Habitual or Pathological Lying
Lying can fall into three separate categories. Those who lie to keep themselves from trouble are pretty different from habitual or pathological liars. Most people will tell a little white lie to keep from getting reprimanded, but a pathological liar is someone who lies to manipulate others.
If they want someone to feel sorry for them or appear more critical than they are, they will be deceptive. According to the National Library of Medicine, a habitual liar tells stories compulsively and without any apparent benefit to them or others. They are tricky because they can find emotional satisfaction in their tales that reality doesn’t provide.
Experts believe that pathological and habitual liars fall into the same mental illness category: borderline personality, sociopath, or narcissist.
4. Lack of Conscience
It’s always someone else’s fault when dealing with someone with psychopathic traits. They don’t accept responsibility for their actions even if they’re caught red-handed. They prefer to blame shift and make someone else take the fall for their deeds.
5. Masters of Deception
This person is out for number one, and they don’t care who they hurt in the process. The underlying mental illness is the real driving force here, and if you’re dealing with someone who is a narcist, they will use and abuse you to get their way. They are incapable of having any sincere, long-term relationships.
6. Broken Relationships
A big red flag that someone has psychopathic traits is that they have no friends or family members in their inner circle. These people can’t develop any relationship that lasts long, as their devious ways always ruin things between family and friends. This person will usually lack romantic relationships as people can generally see through their smoke and mirrors pretty quickly.
7. Grandiose Views of Themselves
People who think so highly of themselves don’t need anyone else to be their cheerleader. A constant opinion categorizes this person’s impractical sense of superiority: they’re better than everyone else. They criticize people, embellish their capabilities, and make others feel inferior.
8. Inability to Control Behavior
This person can become forceful, harmful, or violent actions they can’t control. When they’re angry, they will turn to threats and verbal and physical abuse. They don’t think before they act, which comes with severe consequences. Their temper is out of control.
9. Unrealistic Long-Term Goals
The person with psychopathic traits often sets unrealistic goals for themselves. However, it doesn’t mean that you have a mental illness because your goals are unreasonable. Setting unrealistic goals is commonplace in the narcissistic crowd as they are not practical or attainable.
They can’t focus too long on one thing, and they will burn out before they even get halfway. This person also doesn’t hold down jobs very well because of their short-term attention span, though some use their positions to manipulate others.
10. Irresponsible Behavior Goes Along With Psychopathic Traits
You can count on a person who has psychopathic traits. They will tell you one thing and do the other. They will make date plans and never show up. Indeed, they function much like a teenager in an adult’s body, as their level of responsibility is lackluster at best.
11. Thrill-Seeking Behaviors
Their impulsive nature will get them into trouble, especially in relationships. They have no qualms about cheating, engaging in illegal activities, and doing whatever feels good. Their impulsive nature is much like a person with ADHD but to a more severe degree. They don’t think through their actions, which causes them great trouble in life.
12. Freeloading Lifestyle
Many sociopaths like to freeload because they can’t hold down jobs for long and don’t like to be accountable. Remember, they can’t set or achieve long-term goals, so they would rather sponge off the kindness of others. They’re very frustrating in a relationship because they won’t work but expect things to be handed to them.
13. Need for Power, Control, and Dominance
It’s common for this person to desire positions that give them power and authority. Since they like to dominate and control others, it gives them a platform to do so. Their immoral and manipulative tendencies are often used in corporate situations where they have the power to carry out their wishes. They have a hunger for power and control that can’t be quenched.
14. Contempt for Policies, Laws, and Social Norms
People generally have a code of ethics to get through the world. However, the sociopath doesn’t go by the same compass, as they do immoral things and have no problem doing criminal activities. While not every sociopath is a violent criminal, they don’t fear the consequences of their actions or learn from them.
15. Psychopathic Traits Often Experienced Childhood Behavior Problems
Most personality disorders are present in the teen years, and the signs and symptoms are apparent. These adults may have shown signs of an antisocial personality or conduct disorder before they reached sixteen. Some folks who have a more severe case might be able to trace troublesome behaviors back to their elementary days.
Children with these tendencies were often a handful in school and engaged in bullying, cruelty to animals, fistfights, and a total disregard for any authority figure.
Understanding the Psychopathic Traits in a Person
Most sociopaths see each individual they interact with as a means to an end. They will feel no remorse for their actions, as they don’t believe what they’re doing is wrong. They lie with ease, and the way they relate to other folks is very distorted.
This person may be unpredictable, impulsive, and aggressive in interpersonal relationships. They don’t follow social rules and feel like they don’t fit in, so they must put on a façade. According to the National Library of Medicine, experts believe that this disorder is the only way the mind can cope with past events.
Most of these folks have experienced a traumatic upbringing, becoming vulnerable. Perhaps they grew up in the foster care system, had an abusive parent, or their parent had substance abuse issues. Being neglected, abused, or tossed from home to home has a profound effect on a child, likely behind the mental disturbances you observe.
Final Thoughts on Psychopathic Traits
Abnormal psychology can be present in many ways. A person with psychopathic traits might be selfish or have an antisocial or borderline personality disorder. The severity of the symptoms and the trauma the person experiences can dictate a lot.
Some are more likely to be involved in crime and violence, while others are just manipulative and have a hard time with relationships. It will not be easy, no matter which version you face with a partner. These people don’t usually respond well to treatment, so you should steer clear if you don’t want to be their next victim.
You need to take care of yourself. Suppose you’ve had interactions or intimate relations with a sociopath. In that case, you need to find a therapist who can help you overcome the poison they ingested into your mind and the abuse you likely suffered.
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