WHAT IS A PSYCHOPATH?
https://psychopathsandlove.com/what-is-a-psychopath/Self-gratification is the only thing that motivates them. Psychopaths are bold, confident liars who will say anything to get what they want, no matter the cost to anyone else. Manipulating, using and exploiting others not only gets them what they want, but fulfills their needs for power and control.
With traits like these youd never expect a psychopath to be charming, but they are often extraordinarily so.
I apply the label predatory aggressive to the most severely disturbed of all characters, the psychopath: These individuals are first and foremost characterized by their senseless, remorseless, and completely empathy-devoid use, abuse, manipulation, and exploitation of others being devoid of any empathy-based sense of bonding to others, having virtually no conscience, having such a pathological sense of superiority that they feel entitled to prey on those they see as weaker and remorselessly engaging in predatory aggression. Its important to remember also that predatory aggression is not rooted in anger, but in pure and heartless desire.
~ George Simon, PhD, an internationally-recognized expert on manipulators and other problem characters and the author of In Sheeps Clothing
~snip~
Psychopaths have severely blunted emotions. Because they dont experience them, they feel contempt (one of the few things they can feel) for normal human emotions. We show our humanness in the form of love, insecurity, fear, remorse, trust and anxiety, and they consider these emotions weaknesses, vulnerabilities that make us easy targets for manipulation, and deserving of it. They lack emotional empathy, which leaves them unable to form an emotional connection with another person. This leads them to view others as mere objects, which exist for their own use. This objectification goes hand-in-hand with dehumanization, which is the psychological process of depriving another of their humanity and individuality, making them seem less than human and thus not worthy of dignity, value or respect. Objectification and dehumanization in relationships can manifest as invalidation, domination, control, humiliation, ridicule, disrespecting sexual boundaries, and all other forms of emotional, verbal and physical abuse.
More at the link. Posted because this article fits someone I know like a glove. It was a narrow escape.
Karadeniz
(23,359 posts)Bluethroughu
(5,682 posts)If you're lucky enough to have nothing they are interested in, they won't bother to know you.
Consider yourself very lucky.
Response to bucolic_frolic (Original post)
Beastly Boy This message was self-deleted by its author.
Skittles
(158,413 posts)"Self-gratification is the only thing that motivates them. Psychopaths are bold, confident liars who will say anything to get what they want, no matter the cost to anyone else. Manipulating, using and exploiting others not only gets them what they want, but fulfills their needs for power and control."
bucolic_frolic
(46,736 posts)They have the drive and strength to rise to the top of most professions, even helping, caregiving, and social/political ones. Their facade and false persona masks the inner beast. They hide in plain sight.
Model35mech
(2,047 posts)psychologists do not use it.
It's a good word to know as it can often indicate the 'theoretical' perspective of an anti-mental health author.