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 hear you growing stronger! It is in your “voice” (your posts) and I know there will probably be days when you don’t feel that way, but your strength is growing. Our strengths are like planted seeds, the growth isn’t visible at first, it is hidden underground, but that gives us strong ROOTS to stand the storms that will come.
Don’t be ashamed of admitting that you had to take disability because of your stress related issues. Don’t let your father’s “programming” or anyone else’s programming about what you SHOULD do, or what they think about this web site or anything else. I have lived my whole life it seems worrying about “what would the neighbors think?” Like what the neighbors thought was THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD, and you know, most of the neighbors could give a big rat’s behind about what is or is not going on at my house—or yours—or anyone else’s. LOL What the neighbors think is the LEAST of what bothers me now! LOL
I think you got a rotten deal in court, but it could have been worse, and—AND—you got a chance to see how that judge is without any really MAJOR problems. At least Jim’s case wasn’t validated, and now you know enough to GET EVIDENCE documented with videos, photos, and witnesses FOR THE FUTURE. If there is more problem. Hopefully, the fact he was not able to get a restraining order against you will make Jim back off a bit. Be prepared if he doesn’t, but maybe he will.
BTW a friend of mine who stayed with her high stress job for 16 years and ended up on disability for PTSD and other stress related issues, is back at work now with a GREAT new job that is MUCH LESS STRESSFUL….so don’t give up on going back to work, or having a “life sentence” of disability and/or poverty. (((Hugs))))
NoLonger:
Get those boots on girly…..a girl can’t be too prepared.
KUDOS to you for speking up.
Don’t take shit from anyone!!!!!!
Glad your moved in and moving on…….you sound great!
no longer,
LOL!
don’t kick him, you’ll just get in trouble,
What we need is a videogame called kick the sociopath.
In this video game you get to identify the socio by the redflags, and then you get to outsmart him and KICK HIM in the balls. I think it would sell!
DONNA!
I just realized the above post is a great idea!
If you want to reach teenagers, a video game is the best way to do it! We know the redflags, we have the story lines, (OMG do we have all the story lines), all we need is someone to write the code.
Jeannie –
I too had a recent, hard-hitting courtroom “loss” (as recounted on the letter I posted on LF “Complaint against the magistrate”) that came hot on the heels of the spath having been convicted 4 weeks earlier of violating the restraining order I had out against him these past 3 years, but only getting a minor penalty from a judicial officer who treated me appallingly at that trial hearing. At the second hearing (last Monday, 6th December) my application to extend the restraining order (which had expired) was dismissed by another magistrate who thought I did not look or sound like I needed protection. I went in strong and determined to out-psyche the spath and it back-fired on me.
For several days afterward, I reeled from the shock, not knowing whether to see it as a win or a loss – which meant more – to out-psyche the spath (who was not expecting me to be so strong) or to win the right to have the restraining order extended? In the end, I decided that it was actually a win. I faced him down and he now knows he can’t play games with me emotionally any more. No more jelly-legs for me; no more puddles on the courtroom floor; I am steel and stone from now on. A cold, hard, blank-faced functioning machine.
You just had a similar thing, even if you think it went badly. You GOT there when it seemed the odds were against you going at all. HIS application was also dismissed; Jim has no psychological or legal advantage over you at this point.
Now – about recording him if he’s hanging around. I have just been through a year with the neighbour from hell (not the spath, just a drug-f****d ex-con former drug-runner who rented next to me in my nice, quiet little country-town street until 2 months ago). He is about to be charged with aggravated stalking (I have spent this past week with police, getting my statement ready for the charges) which carries a jail-term and hefty fines.
All of my audio recording that police will use in court to present the case was made with my mobile telephone (you call them cell phones). Standard mobiles have 2 possible recording features – one is a “voice recorder” and the other is the audio part of the “video recorder” feature (in with the “camera” option. If you have a mobile/cell, test both to see which works best.
In my case, the video recorder actually picked up better from further away and was more clear to play back afterwards. From inside my house, with my doors and windows closed, I have dozens of recordings of the troll who used to live next door to me, abusing me through his kitchen window (which faced my bedroom window). This is an option for recording that I imagine would be available to most people these days – without the added expense of buying new/other recording equipment. The other advantage is that phones are small and are able to be concealed and/or carried wherever you go, so you can be ready to record with a press of a button, no matter where you are or what you are doing. (Believe me, I lived like this for the past year…and although it was a pain in the butt, it paid off)(especially since, in this past week alone, he has tried to run into my car with his car twice outside of the post office (Monday) and then tried to run me off the road outside my doctor’s surgery (Friday) – I was so glad that I had bothered to collect the evidence against him that I had).
Dear Aussiegirl,
TOWANDA!!!! good for you.
My mobile telephone (why haven’t you aussies contracted it to “mo-tellie” or something? You seem to contract everything else like Bar B Que is “Barbie” etc. LOL
Any way my “mo-tellie: (hee hee) makes calls—that’s it. NO camera no recorder of any kind. When my fancy one quit I got a “throw away” one for $20 and put my sim chip in it and presto!, have a new “mo-tellie” that will make phone calls, and that is all I do anyway, as I don’t text etc.
But if anyone’s “mo-tellie” doesn’t do more tricks than mine does, the digital audio recorders are CHEAP…the cameras are a bit more for video, but even my still camera will take short bursts of video and it was only about $100 new, and the later ones are cheaper $ for more and better tricks. That was my Christmas present to myself last year.
Skylar
‘In this video game you get to identify the socio by the redflags, and then you get to outsmart him and KICK HIM in the balls’.
I’m loving this idea (((((((chuckling merrily)))))))
Could we have a ladies football team? Put spath in goal. Get the lines woman to wave her red flag every 30 seconds throughout the 90 minute game.
Will this game be available soon on Nintendo Wii?! Maybe you should patent it.
Hi Ox Drover,
Thank you for the input. It got me rethinking how to look at things.
I get what your are saying about not worrying about what people think.
There was a new incident today. My son got off the bus today. Jim stopped him and offered him a ride. My son said no. Jim said “tell your mom I will be in touch” My son went off on him. Jim drove off.
I told my son don’t engage again. Jim is so treacherous.
AussieGirl! I feel for you! How awful for you.
OMG you got a crazy man pervert next door. You seem so strong while I crumble over less.
I get what your saying about a loss actually being a win.
I gotta get busy to get into open court records to get any dirt on Jim. If you saw my post to Oxy…Jim stopped my son today on road. My son told him off. I gotta get ahead of the punch on this.
Jeannie –
It’s easy enough for me to sound strong several days after the fact – believe you me, I was a shivering, shaking puddle on both Monday (when he drove at my car) and Friday (when he ambushed me at the hospital). I was a mess when I first spoke to the police each time, too. I only began to calm down once a plan was in place to have him charged with aggravated stalking (it’s “aggravated” by the fact that I took a Misconduct Restraining order (MRO) out against him 6 months ago when he would not leave me alone or listen to any of the warnings given him by police). The police just need to finish getting statements from several witnesses and then they are going to interview him. Stalking is a much more serious charge here than violation of the MRO is, and I’ve documented and diarised everything over the past year, so the troll should land in jail, if the courts do their job (she holds her breath….)(knowing that even THAT is not necessarily a “given”…)
There I was, with PTSD after the spath had been here in December in violation of the terms of the Violence Restraining order (VRO) I have against him; and then I was put off work in April after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and the doctors are saying to me that I “need to rest and remove the stress from my life in order to improve enough to go back to work” – only I have my ex-husband spath continually dragging me through the Family court, multiple hearings in the local Magistrates’ court to deal with the spath’s VRO violations and then on top off all that, I can’t rest or relax because I have had a nut-job next door who is screaming abuse at me day and night, throwing things over my fence, trying to poison my dogs and creeping around my yard at night damaging my vehicles and other stuff….
2010 was not one of my better years….(to put it mildly)
The nut-job has moved (2 months back) but he is still in my small town and he now rents in the same street as the school I work at – 4 houses down the road from my job. So – If he doesn’t go to jail soon, next year (when I hope to be well enough to go back to work) could also end up being a bit of a shamozzle…..(grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!)
Oxy –
We actually have contracted “mobile telephone”, but I didn’t think anyone (apart from Gem!) would know what I was talking about. We call them “mobiles”. I am surprised that yours is more basic than mine (and only functions as a ‘phone) – I would have expected the US to have more advanced technology than Oz. My mobile is a telephone, a camera, a voice recorder, a video camera and I can also access the internet on it (but I don’t use it for that). I can check my emails on it and I can take photos and send them by text messaging or by email anywhere in the world. Oh – it also has a GPS system and a navigator (like the talking cars have, where the robot tells you where to turn and how far to go, when you are driving)(I have never used those functions either). It’s all a bit “out there” for little old me!