Interesting, thank you. What would you say are the quickest ways to spot a sociopath?
The quickest way to spot a sociopath is to trust your gut.
Most of the time, there’s no “there” there. It’s missing in the eyes.
They don’t come with a blinking “S” on their foreheads.
A book, “The Gift of Fear” discusses this.
The reason they seek control over others is because they cannot control themselves. They are dominated and subsumed by compulsion.
We’ve come a long way from our founding. Great men served out of a sense of duty, “payback” for the great and free land that was recently won.
Now, a gubmint job is for “me” (excepting our fine FReepers who possess courage and character - your posts make me sad).
It’s all about the bennies and the perks. Cushy retirement.
It’s magical thinking -
where no moral duty is owed to the payor(s), money is just magically “there”.
The signs that Casey wrote of are a good place to start...
the infowarrior
Corbett Thigpen (The Three Faces of Eve) once said that his secretary could spot them faster than he could. Her first tip-off was if she saw Thigpen lending someone money.
They tend to be highly manipulative.
I recognized one I knew well when I realized that this person inspired fanatical loyalty--mine!
I recognized one in my extended family. Her youngest child treated her very badly--spoke abusively to her--aroused the horror of all family and friends. When I finally realized that she was sociopathic, I asked him about this. He replied: "I figured her out when I was a child. She didn't give a damn about any of us." He had no respect for her, and for good reason.
Some people consider sociopaths to be fun, amusing, and charming. I've heard so-called experts say that they're lots of fun at a party. They're not. They are shallow, boring, predictable, unlikeable, and uninteresting.
Another tip-off is if I say: "I do not understand this person. I never have, and I never will." If I conclude that the person is sociopathic and I'm correct, the person immediately becomes easily understandable. As an excellent clinical psychologist once said to me: "Sociopaths are easy to understand." However, unless you know what's going on, their behavior can be confusing and hard to understand.
Another characteristic is emotional shallowness. The way a sociopath speaks of his/her children (or anyone else) tends to be odd (though some are good actors). One I knew well, in speaking of her son, clutched her throat, filled her eyes with tears, and announced dramatically (like a lousy actress in a grade-D movie): "He's mine. He's mine. He'll always me mine." Her entire affect, emotions, and everything else were utterly unlike any normal mother speaking of her child.
Shapeshifters. Often they are charming,, that is hw they rope people in, but have no real beliefs. Yhey will support whatever they think benefits them the most. They have no conscience, so if you try to appeal to that, you will get no response. They always believe they are smarter than others and if they fail at something, pay it no mind. It only failed because of someone lesser who screwed it up.
They are arrogant and believe the world revolves around them. They can get pretty nasty and resort to scorched earth if they think they have been wronged or disrespected.
I knew one a while back. He had no ability for compassion or self introspection. He had to get some books to see how a person was supposed to act in given situations. Unreal. It just wasn’t there. (think Casey Anthony)