Victims have a certain way of walking, and psychopaths can spot it. That’s the conclusion two bloggers for Psychology Today reached, based on a scientific study released last year.
The study, Psychopathic traits and perceptions of victim vulnerability, was authored by Sarah Wheeler, Angela Book and Kimberly Costello of Brock University. The abstract states:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether individuals scoring higher on psychopathic traits would be better able to judge vulnerability to victimization after viewing short clips of targets walking. Participants provided a vulnerability estimate for each target and completed the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale: Version III (SRP-III). Higher SRP-III scores were associated with greater accuracy in assessing targets’ vulnerability to victimization.
Psychology Today blogger Marisa Mauro, Psy.D., explained the study further. A group of male university students were asked to watch video clips of 12 people walking. The videos were shot from behind, and the students were asked to rate the ease at which each could be mugged. Several of the individuals had, in fact, been victimized. The students who scored high in psychopathic traits were better at picking out the people who had already been mugged.
Mauro works as a prison psychologist. Based on her experience and this study, she wrote:
Certain personal characteristics are associated with tendency to be on the receiving end of bullying such as harassment and manipulation. I have found that the demonstration of confidence through body language, speech and affective expression, for example, provides some protection.
Wallflowers
Another Psychology Today blogger, Jeff Wise, also commented on the study and what it says about victims. Wise wrote that he recently came across a guy who seemed to have the traits of a psychopath. The man was charming, good-looking, athletic, financially successful—and he left a trail of destruction in his wake. His victims sounded like wallflowers. Wise wrote:
The women who wound up on the receiving end of his attentions were individuals who, in their own description, were not very worldly, experienced, or outgoing. They were psychologically vulnerable and hence ill-equipped to either resist this fellow’s predations or to deal with them emotionally after they had occurred.
Wise concluded that, “people who are on the receiving end of crime often do mark themselves out, if only subliminally.” Mauro suggested that people can decrease perceived vulnerability by projecting dominance—more eye contact, less movement of the hands and feet.
If only it were that easy.
Traits of targeted women
The research both bloggers quoted described a particular situation—people walking down the street, and how vulnerable they might be to being mugged. It should not be generalized to describe all victims of psychopaths. After all, how many of us were involved with muggers?
Consider the research by Dr. Liane Leedom on women who were targeted by psychopaths. She found that they have three traits in common:
- Extraverts. The women are outgoing, competitive, strong-willed and liked excitement. Sometimes they are free-spirited.
- Cooperative. They are high in empathy, tolerance and compassion. They value getting along with others, and are willing to compromise their own interests for the larger picture.
- Invested in relationships. They like being around people. They are sentimental and focus on special moments.
Dr. Leedom’s research relates to women. But I’ve heard from many Lovefraud readers, both men and women, who were successful, take-charge individuals—until they met the psychopath.
Personally, I don’t think anyone who watched me walk down the street would tag me as timid or vulnerable. I’m an athlete, and my stride is confident. But I was victimized by a psychopath, who took $227,000 from me, and cheated on me incessantly. And the guy started setting his hooks via e-mail, before he ever saw me walk.
Maybe projecting dominance would work to avoid muggers. But it’s not going to stop victimization by a card-carrying psychopath intent on finding a resourceful new supply.
Dear Jeannie,
I hired an attorney to represent me at my son’s parole hearing and the attorney had me write a “long version” and a “short version” and to let it lie over night and then rewrite it, and CUT IT IN HALF. These are some of the suggestions he gave me on my editing of my “letters” and in the end, I ended up rewriting it 100 times, and making it in the end, much shorter, and more like a STORY of the history of the relationship since my son became a criminal at age 16. With examples of letters and documents attached to my letter. “See attached letter #2” etc.
My attorney had me cut it and cut it, and take out my thoughts like — “I am so laid back” (is more an “opinion” and subjective than a fact.) State “facts” —I am not violent, I HAVE NEVER HIT ANYONE.
FACT: Jim is violent: On July 14, 2003, Jim was involved in a bar brawl with John smith and Mr. Smith had 14 stitches in his face after Jim hit him.
I would leave out the SMALLER details and the petty things as much as I can while still leaving a PATTERN OF BEHAVIORS.
The judge is not going to know anything about you or jim so I would tell a story.
Jim and I were married July 15, 1998. We separated the first time in June 2005, because of an affair he had. I did let him come home in August of that same year when he promised not to do it again, but found out he lied and had him removed by court order in December.
He frequently comes to my neighbor John Reids, across the street and will stand there and shout at me. He did this on December 5th this year, and I called the police.
He went to an attorney later that day (or next day) before I could get to the court house and filed a complaint of violence against me alledging that I x, y and z.
The claims that I have done x are so broad that they are unrealistic…for example…yes, I have e mailed some of his friends (who were also MY friends) to inform them we were separated. (Attached copies of e mails.)
I did shout back at him when he would not stop shouting obscenities at me. I regret doing this now and will not repeat this behavior in the future, but will simply call the police if he engages in this kind of behavior.
I have never done Y or Z.
Be specific, be brief, and then sum up with something like.
I am afraid that Jim will actually physically harm me becdause he did A, b and c (along with dates and descriptions of earlier events) and I am having panic attacks and nightmares due to the stress of my fear….(go to a doctor and tell them this and get some sort of treatment or suggestion for treatment)
I am seeing a physician for my inability to sleep soundly at night due to my fear that Jim will come while I am asleep and harm me. He is APPARENTLY very angry at me and threatens to do me harm..ya da ya da.
Good luck! (((hugs)))) you are on the way! Don’t be afraid of telling the truth! God bless.
Dear Jeannie, yea we were all posting over each other! LOL
Yea, the oven cleaner is LEGAL TO OWN just fell out of your grocery bag….and must have had it in your hand when you went to bed, that is why you had it on the bedside table…and the fact you had 10 cans of it everywhere—you are just so forgetful and lose things and had to get another can….LOL.
Wasp spray is good too, shoots a nice stream about 8 to 10 feet or more, nasty stuff. The oven cleaner is for more close up stuff.
Well, I AM going to bed now….got to get some rest! (((hugs)))
Ox Drover, you make perfect sense.
My neighbor Barbara told me to forget the script and just tell it like it is….. I ended it with Jim months ago. He can’t accept that I moved on. He tries to drag me back into his drama by putting his slant on events.
I still plan to bring the long version so I can skim through it for rebuttals if needed.
Jeannie –
It’s great that you wrote it all down and got it out of your system. Very important and you should keep it to remind yourself of all he has put you through so that you never weaken or feel sorry for him again. Having said that, I’m going to agree with onestep and Oxy –
Make another copy for court; gut it and strip it down to the bare, unemotional facts, no opinion, no “he said, she said”, no mention of your nightmares, drinking etc. You will just play right into his hands – remember, this guy KNOWS you, he has STUDIED you, he knows you are honest and forthcoming with your own mistakes and/or flaws – don’t serve it up to him on a plate honey! Sure he’s going to slander you – but he should at least have to work for it, don’t make it any easier for him.
Do exactly as onestep said. Use her examples. Cold, logical, chronological and clinical. Use your poker face and don’t show any emotion. If questioned in court about “mental health issues”, just confirm that you suffer from a panic disorder and that contact with him makes it worse for you and you are seeking medical treatment for it and feel it will improve if they will just get him away from you and keep him away, because his stalking of you is affecting your health. Objective, calm facts only.
What you wrote here just now is fabulous for a number of reasons – first, you spewed it all out over the blog; we can’t hold crap like that inside of us, it festers and makes us more ill; GOOD GIRL!! BRAVELY DONE!! Secondly, you TRUSTED people who will not let you down, use it against you or hurt you with it; remember we are all either still there or else we have been there and have come out of it; we will not leave you and we will not encourage you to make any of the same mistakes we have made; we will tell you (from our own experiences) what has worked and the best ways to approach things. So – it was not a waste, it was a very worthwhile endeavour.
Now – USE it to work from. Sit back down with it and remove all of the emotion and all of the conjecture. What you are left with will be your best shot in court. It will NOT be what the spath is expecting from you either – he is used to pressing all of your emotional buttons. It will throw him when you show him they are jammed off. You can do this girl. I just did (and I’m a chicken). x
Thank you Aussie Girl,
I will do ok at court. The support I get here makes me feel so much better. He can knock me down but I get up again. He will get bored and move on to the next woman.
I am wishing Tuesday (court day) away so I can get back on track. I was doing so much better! People were noticing and pointing out I was happy and productive. And then this! I believe Jim is so jealous. Well, too bad for that sorry sap. I will do well at court and there is nothing his lies can do about it.
Last night I recorded a movie. Today I watched the movie. A weather alert scrolled at the bottom of screen. A blizzard warning. I said to my son “NOT again!” We just got hit with all that snow and I had to pay for a plowing. I can’t pay twice. Then I remembered that this was recorded yesterday — and it is yesterdays weather report….. I gotta snap out of this funk (Jim funk) cause it is turning me into a scatter brain.
jeannie – stress will do this to you. be gentle with your expectations of yourself right now.
I’ve done very similar things. If only I hadn’t felt so rotten about it at the time, I might have written it all down for posterity!
Without minimising how sad and disgusting it is that we get this way through chronic exposure to absolute trauma and cruelty……some of the things I have done and said in the throes of anxiety disorderment have actually become quite funny in the retelling of them, some years later. In a way, being able to laugh at some things down the track (usually quite a way down the track) is a testament to the ability of our brains to eventually self-repair, given the right conditions. It gives us the assurance that once we escape and mend our damaged selves, we have every reason to hope.
File it away; one day, it might give you a good giggle. x
Jeannie, LOL Yea, been there and done that! LOL Some days I am not sure what day of the week it is! It is cold here but Thank God it is not snowing like it is in other places….I did notice that the natural gas pressure is down due to folks turning on their heaters and I had to “crank” the knobs to the on position more to get fire on the gas stove top! (I keep a 5 gallon pot of water simmering on the stove top all the time to keep the humidity up for comfort)
Young men all gone home and house is quiet! Dogs not even barking in the distance and coyotes quiet! I guess most critters are inside their holes where it is warm. Think I will take a pistol and go check on my chickens, the guys got a possum last night about to get a chicken dinner! The boys said he just stood there and looked stupid at them, like “who, ME?”
You all have a good night! You will do fine in court Jeannie, just rehearse your story in front of the mirror a time or two, and try to hit a middle ground of sounding terrified out of your mind and sounding too calm (and I know that is hard to do) maybe get a friend to come over tomorrow night and practice to them. You know we are pulling for you, and win, lose or draw, you are going to be okay! Okay everyone! Raise your WASP SPRAY! Aim, and FIRE!!!!! Gott’him right between the eyes! ((((hugs))))
No, right IN the eyes, god darnit!!
AWWW What a shame!!
Didnt mean to do that! {fingers crossed here!!}
Love and good luck!!
Mama gemXX