Characteristics of a Sociopath
Manipulating
Sociopaths believe that much can be achieved by conning and manipulating others. In that direction, they waste no time in convincing others about their malicious ideas. They do so by putting on their charm and using clever wordplay. They victimize the other person as though he is an object to be used for implementing their plans.
Incapacity for Feelings or Emotions
Sociopaths do not possess normal emotions or feelings. They only make a superficial exhibition of their emotions. Even though they laugh, cry, get angry and depressed momentarily, the underlying reason for this superficiality is that they live in their own world and have their own set of morals. They are often ruled by a belief that their actions bear no consequence whatsoever, and they are not accountable to anyone. Incapacity for feelings and emotions allow a sociopath to elude responsibility for actions by placing the blame on others.
Compulsive Liars
Sociopaths have a boundless capacity to lie. It all begins when they lie to hide something and then continue lying to cover their web of lies. Since they are incapacitated to feelings and emotions, they do not understand the impact of compulsive lying. If they are caught lying, sociopaths are clever at changing the subject by blaming someone else and escaping the situation. In fact, most sociopaths are so clever at lying that they pass lie detector tests too. Which is why, criminals who are sociopaths rarely end up in prisons.
Shallow Emotions
A sociopath has shallow emotions. Shallow emotions refers to faking warmth, joy, appreciation and motivation towards others to satisfy one’s ulterior motives. Though these traits make them seem emotionally strong, they remain cold and do not exhibit emotions like a normal person would. They are known to make promises to others to get their job done. However, once their job is accomplished, they almost never fulfill the promises made.
Impulsive Nature
The logic of thinking twice before doing or saying something is missing in a sociopath. They get so overwhelmed by a certain idea that they react impulsively to it. These actions are always driven by a devious acumen such as cheating, stealing and lying. In fact, the excitement of carrying through the act is so great that they never think of the consequences or whether the act is wrong.
Parasitic Living
A sociopath’s parasitic nature is highly evident in everything that they do. They act like leeches who cling on to others for their own benefit. They find people who are closest to them and make them an accomplice in their actions. Once their plan is successfully through, they conveniently slip out of the act and place the blame on the other.
Radiating Charm
Sociopaths have a highly charming personality and they know how to use it perfectly to cover up all their manipulative ways. They can be very amusing, carefree and lively when they want to be, and it is these traits that draws people to them. Once people are drawn to them and they can influence them, they use these ‘friends’ for varied acts.
Egocentric
Sociopaths indulge in bragging about themselves like there’s no tomorrow. They firmly believe that what they are doing is absolutely right and there’s no way they can do anything wrong. They are highly self-assured and this leads them to making highly preposterous and unrealistic plans about life, marriage, earning money and general living. Sociopaths fail to understand why others around them are so against them.
No Guilt or Remorse
Whether it’s a murder, robbery, lie, or any other criminal act, sociopaths feel no guilt whatsoever. They live in an amoral world of their own where they can never empathize with others and neither do they feel guilt for blaming others. They are known to be compulsive liars and they lie to an extent where room for guilt gets occupied by self-made reality. They often believe that the pain inflicted on the other person is deserved by them. Many criminal sociopaths are often seen giving such explanations for when their crime is caught.
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