Frequently Asked Questions
In the video "What is a Psychopath?", Dr. Frank Ochberg explains, "It's potentially deadly to go through life ignorant that these people exist." He also states, "If you cross paths with a psychopath, or you're married to one, or you have one as a brother or a sister... it's going to be a hard life for you. These people don't care about you. If they're smart, they know how to fake caring, and they get very good at it."
1. What is a psychopath?
A psychopath/sociopath is someone who has no conscience. In my educated opinion, it is a birth defect that reduces a person to living by instinct alone, having no ability to be controlled by emotion. The lack of a conscience seems to be the result of having no physical connection to bad feelings - no nausea, no butterflies in the stomach, no goosebumps. The consequences of their misdeeds produce no neurological feedback. "What is a Psychopath? (Sociopath?)" http://ed.ted.com/on/VMwOaVwq via @TED_ED
Q: What is the difference between narcissists and psychopaths?
A: They are similarly self-serving and lack empathy, but the psychopath differs by having no conscience, and by mirroring the personalities of his many victims (many masks)... Whereas the narcissist maintains the one mask.
2. Is psychopathy a mental illness?
No. Psychopathy cannot be treated by mental health practitioners as a Psychological nor Psychiatric Disorder. The absence of neural feedback systems (conscience) manifests personality development that appears disordered or disturbed - psychopaths are likely to exhibit narcissistic (NPD) behavior. Although they can hide it, psychopaths are instinctively selfish and self-centered to the extreme, and they lack the brain function to change it. To protect oneself from potential harm, or to resolve your bewilderment at their bizarre behavior, psychopaths need to be identified in certain circumstances. The emotionally demolished victims of psychopaths are the ones likely to develop mental illnesses (brain chemical imbalances) - PTSD, depression, bipolar, schizophrenic..
3. Why do you say it is birth defect?
After being destroyed by the person who was supposed to be my savior, I started researching and analyzing my whole life (how could I be fooled so completely for nearly 15 years?) I discovered that I was brought up to accept my boundaries being crossed. I can now point out several members of my family who are psychopaths, and tracing my paternal bloodline results in my scientific theory: that psychopathy is genetic. In addition, I gave birth to, and raised to adulthood, one female psychopath, and one male empath, which provided lots of comparative data.
4. Why did you name the blog "Happy Go Lucky"?
That is the term I would use to describe the psychopaths I know personally. They appear to not have a care in the world. They really don't, so be warned.
5. Do psychopaths frequently hurt and kill people?
In contrast to the Hollywood saying, "(somebody)...went psycho", the violent psychopaths don't have emotional triggers, but they do have control issues. Psychopaths, like all other people, are capable of hurting and killing, but the biggest danger lies in the fact that they do not feel bad before, during, or after hurtful incidents. From my experience, the nonviolent psychopaths go about their lives in a quasi-peaceful manner, and have no inclination toward causing physical harm to others, seemingly because of their instinct of self-preservation and childhood upbringing/programming. Victims who are emotionally injured and abused in the wake of the psychopath's secretly masked life are considered insignificant collateral damage.
6. How can I assess someone for psychopathic traits before I trust them?
Do your research. New data is discovered regularly. Here are the combined signs I look for:
A psychopath/sociopath is someone who has no conscience. In my educated opinion, it is a birth defect that reduces a person to living by instinct alone, having no ability to be controlled by emotion. The lack of a conscience seems to be the result of having no physical connection to bad feelings - no nausea, no butterflies in the stomach, no goosebumps. The consequences of their misdeeds produce no neurological feedback. "What is a Psychopath? (Sociopath?)" http://ed.ted.com/on/VMwOaVwq via @TED_ED
Q: What is the difference between narcissists and psychopaths?
A: They are similarly self-serving and lack empathy, but the psychopath differs by having no conscience, and by mirroring the personalities of his many victims (many masks)... Whereas the narcissist maintains the one mask.
2. Is psychopathy a mental illness?
No. Psychopathy cannot be treated by mental health practitioners as a Psychological nor Psychiatric Disorder. The absence of neural feedback systems (conscience) manifests personality development that appears disordered or disturbed - psychopaths are likely to exhibit narcissistic (NPD) behavior. Although they can hide it, psychopaths are instinctively selfish and self-centered to the extreme, and they lack the brain function to change it. To protect oneself from potential harm, or to resolve your bewilderment at their bizarre behavior, psychopaths need to be identified in certain circumstances. The emotionally demolished victims of psychopaths are the ones likely to develop mental illnesses (brain chemical imbalances) - PTSD, depression, bipolar, schizophrenic..
3. Why do you say it is birth defect?
After being destroyed by the person who was supposed to be my savior, I started researching and analyzing my whole life (how could I be fooled so completely for nearly 15 years?) I discovered that I was brought up to accept my boundaries being crossed. I can now point out several members of my family who are psychopaths, and tracing my paternal bloodline results in my scientific theory: that psychopathy is genetic. In addition, I gave birth to, and raised to adulthood, one female psychopath, and one male empath, which provided lots of comparative data.
4. Why did you name the blog "Happy Go Lucky"?
That is the term I would use to describe the psychopaths I know personally. They appear to not have a care in the world. They really don't, so be warned.
5. Do psychopaths frequently hurt and kill people?
In contrast to the Hollywood saying, "(somebody)...went psycho", the violent psychopaths don't have emotional triggers, but they do have control issues. Psychopaths, like all other people, are capable of hurting and killing, but the biggest danger lies in the fact that they do not feel bad before, during, or after hurtful incidents. From my experience, the nonviolent psychopaths go about their lives in a quasi-peaceful manner, and have no inclination toward causing physical harm to others, seemingly because of their instinct of self-preservation and childhood upbringing/programming. Victims who are emotionally injured and abused in the wake of the psychopath's secretly masked life are considered insignificant collateral damage.
6. How can I assess someone for psychopathic traits before I trust them?
Do your research. New data is discovered regularly. Here are the combined signs I look for:
- Be sensitive to contradictions. They talk about the problems of the world like a good citizen, yet break the rules without apology, and are just so happy go lucky. Also, they end a conversation with a statement that opposes what they said at the beginning.
- Double-check their stories. No one is off limits so they lie about their children.
- Pay attention to the quick lane changes in conversation.
- Look for cold, "robotic" reactions to what should be emotionally troublesome events. Ex: They will state verbally their disappointment, but it's just words, no show of emotion nor corresponding action. Their feelings don't get hurt. This also makes them incredibly easy to live with.
- Track each time they bug you with questions about how you would act in certain (off the wall) situations: "What would you do if I...fill in the blank". Ex: "What would you do if you came out of your apartment and saw me hiding in the bushes?" *This is something a normal person would not need to ask.* If you respond like they are idiots for asking, then they act like it was a joke. But, they will ask you another odd thing later, and again and again...
- Take note of their scapegoating. Scapegoating is a term that's usually associated with assigning blame, but psychopaths also expertly assign credit where little or none is due. This gives them a saintly aura, but the reality is that it's all lies regardless.
- Analyze their desire to move quickly into a close relationship; calling you endearing terms right away, insisting that you should freely bring them into your circle of trust, wanting you to share living quarters very soon after meeting... all very seductive.
- Observe the "Poor Me, I'm the Victim" tone and words that they use to get your sympathy, which can fool you into being controlled/manipulated by them and giving them stuff (time, special favors, gifts...). They also use this tactic when they need an excuse as to why they didn't act responsibly, or didn't give you a birthday present.
- Notice a pattern of hot-cold-hot-cold-hot attraction and attention to you. When they give you the cold shoulder, they leave you inwardly begging for more attention. When they finally bring the heat back, you experience maximum elation and feel high from the boost of endorphins. They manipulate you into pretty much being addicted to them, so you repeatedly forgive whatever transgressions they perpetrated against you.
- Be wary of their number of claims that "There was a misunderstanding", because they know that phrase restores your trust, and eases their way past you catching them in a lie.
