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Confessions of a Sociopath [fyi]
Psychology Today ^ | May 19, 2013 | M. E. Thomas

Posted on 02/05/2016 6:27:18 AM PST by huldah1776

She's a successful law professor and a Sunday school teacher, with a host of family and friends. But her interpersonal calculus centers on how to manipulate and outmaneuver the many people in her life. Welcome to a world of ruthless cost-benefit analysis, charm, and grandiosity.

I have never killed anyone, but I have certainly wanted to. I may have a disorder, but I am not crazy. In a world filled with gloomy, mediocre nothings populating a go-nowhere rat race, people are attracted to my exceptionalism like moths to a flame. This is my story.

Once while visiting Washington, D.C., I used an escalator that was closed, and a Metro worker tried to shame me about it.

***snip***

Regardless of my laziness and general lack of interest, I was actually a great lawyer when I was trying. At one point, I worked as a prosecutor in the misdemeanor department of the district attorney's office. My sociopathic traits make me a particularly excellent trial lawyer. I'm cool under pressure. I feel no guilt or compunction, which is handy in such a dirty business. Misdemeanor prosecutors almost always have to walk into a trial with cases they've never worked on before. All you can do is bluff and hope that you'll be able to scramble through it. The thing with sociopaths is that we are largely unaffected by fear. Besides, the nature of the crime is of no moral concern to me; I am interested only in winning the legal game.

(Excerpt) Read more at psychologytoday.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: psychology; sociology; sociopath
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"I don't mean to give the impression that you shouldn't worry about sociopaths. Just because I'm high-functioning and nonviolent doesn't mean there aren't a lot of stupid, uninhibited, or dangerous sociopaths out there. I myself try to escape people like that; after all, it's not like all sociopaths give each other hall passes to avoid harassment.

"Despite having imagined it many times, I've never slit anyone's throat. I wonder, though, had I been raised in a more abusive home, whether I would have blood on my hands. People who commit heinous crimes - sociopath or empath - are not more damaged than everyone else, but they seem to have less to lose. It's easy to imagine a 16-year-old version of myself being handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit. If I had no one to love or nothing to achieve, perhaps. It's hard to say.

Diagnosed sociopath M.E. Thomas is an author, law professor, and founder of sociopathworld.com."

Great read, good to know.

1 posted on 02/05/2016 6:27:19 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776

“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” I’ve seen this saying all over the Internet but this is the first person that I’ve seen who fits that saying.


2 posted on 02/05/2016 6:36:02 AM PST by Redcitizen
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To: huldah1776

I think there is no “M.E. Thomas” and the real author just created a composite character.

A true sociopath would never admit to being a sociopath.


3 posted on 02/05/2016 6:40:08 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: huldah1776

Based on her self assessment she sounds like she isn’t a sociopath but has narcissistic personality disorder. Its a common self misdiagnosis, as they tend to look for any excuse for their behavior. She should have gone into politics where most of them have the same disease.


4 posted on 02/05/2016 6:41:25 AM PST by Durus (You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand)
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To: huldah1776
A must-read corollary:

Helps you identify various dangerous people and deal with them - not by colloquial myths of allegedly dangerous behavior, but by real-world systems of classifying & filtering information to understand what is & will happen. Author is regularly hired to deal with crazies threatening anyone from us peons to presidents.

5 posted on 02/05/2016 6:42:19 AM PST by ctdonath2 (History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the week or the timid. - Ike)
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To: huldah1776

A dirty little snot writes a book about being a dirty little snot.


6 posted on 02/05/2016 6:44:18 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: PapaBear3625

Mental issues aren’t binary. There are surely a few genuine sociopaths who would gladly explain their nature to you in great detail - quite possibly because it positions themselves over you, a sort of benevolent threat & manipulation in lieu of opportunity to actually harm you.

I’ve dealt with clear narcissists; while they’re adamant about proving their superiority, and are quick to use mental harm for manipulation & self-affirmation, they’d not actually _hurt_ you. The author clearly had a history of physically harming others and lacking empathy, but learned to stifle it lest society harm (incarcerate) her in response; wouldn’t surprise me if she had neglected to mention a body somewhere with her DNA on it.


7 posted on 02/05/2016 6:50:07 AM PST by ctdonath2 (History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the week or the timid. - Ike)
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To: huldah1776

Sociopathic behavior is an act of the will. There is no brain or metabolic disfunction. The ignore their conscience. Simple as that.


8 posted on 02/05/2016 6:50:24 AM PST by Slyfox (Ted Cruz does not need the presidency - the presidency needs Ted Cruz)
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To: Redcitizen

Sociopaths know this innately.
The rest of us have to be told.


9 posted on 02/05/2016 6:50:41 AM PST by ctdonath2 (History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the week or the timid. - Ike)
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To: huldah1776
The whole article is "me, me, me."

Yeah--he's a sociopath. His writing style proves it.

Doesn't make me like him any more, don't care to understand him, or socialize with him. Don't care that he's never killed anyone.

10 posted on 02/05/2016 6:51:58 AM PST by ShadowAce (Linux - The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: huldah1776
In a world filled with gloomy, mediocre nothings populating a go-nowhere rat race, people are attracted to my exceptionalism like moths to a flame.

Uh-huh.

11 posted on 02/05/2016 6:52:06 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: Slyfox
Near as I can tell, they don't actually have a conscience. It's not ignored, it's not there.

"Well, I wish you'd just tell me rather than try to engage my enthusiasm," said Marvin, "because I haven't got one." - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

12 posted on 02/05/2016 6:55:51 AM PST by ctdonath2 (History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the week or the timid. - Ike)
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To: huldah1776

Just sounds like too much anger and weird upbringing to necessarily be a sociopath. It’s a long tedious article which I found difficult to read because it wasn’t very interesting, maybe as someone said this is a narcissist more than a sociopath. Also, I think with the current self centered generations we are bringing up, it’s hard to identify illegitimate sociopath from everybody else not caring about other people.


13 posted on 02/05/2016 7:01:48 AM PST by Williams (Dear God, please save us from the Democrats. And the Republicans.)
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To: Redcitizen

Attributed to General Mattis, but he may have just personified it.

He did say, “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f... with me, I’ll kill you all.”


14 posted on 02/05/2016 7:04:02 AM PST by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: All

Am I the only one who couldn’t tell if this was a guy or gal writing?


15 posted on 02/05/2016 7:07:31 AM PST by Squidpup ("Fight the Good Fight of Faith")
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To: ctdonath2
Everyone has a conscience, we would not be human without one.

A number of years ago I was driving down the highway with a car with a broken speedometer. I could not gauge how fast I was going accept by the other cars' speed.

I thought, ''I could go as fast as I want and if a cop stopped me I could just say my speedometer was not working.''

I essentially could just ignore that thing in my car that reminded me of my speed.

Now if my speedometer was operational, I could still use the excuse of my speedometer not working.

Psychopaths and sociopaths ignore their speedometer and just glide through life creating car wrecks and have no concern about how their behavior affects everyone around them.

16 posted on 02/05/2016 7:10:35 AM PST by Slyfox (Ted Cruz does not need the presidency - the presidency needs Ted Cruz)
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To: huldah1776

Hmmm, he sounds a bit narcissistic too.


17 posted on 02/05/2016 7:11:10 AM PST by dragonblustar
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To: huldah1776
...people are attracted to my exceptionalism like moths to a flame.

There is a major problem with society. People are not moths, and should not act like them.

18 posted on 02/05/2016 7:12:02 AM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: dragonblustar

sociopaths are extreme narcissists with more issues.


19 posted on 02/05/2016 7:17:02 AM PST by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: Slyfox

More like: a sociopath is someone who doesn’t have a speedometer in their car and never did, and learned thru various consequences (like being frequently ticketed or skidding off the road) to keep his speed “legal” - still doesn’t understand the concept of speed limits as we with speedometers do, but does adhere to the limit by deduction and has no qualms about flooring it when reasonably sure nothing will come of it.

You know what a speedometer is, expect everyone has one, and behaves accordingly even if it’s broken.
Sociopaths don’t know what speedometers are, they’ve just learned to go “flow of traffic” to not get pulled over.


20 posted on 02/05/2016 7:18:15 AM PST by ctdonath2 (History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the week or the timid. - Ike)
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