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.
Lostnconfused
yes i deff have the list.
BUT that question literally haunts me candy!
Thats why i was looking for some answers here… because clearly, theres no other place to look!
lesson learned
Lost,
What would be really helpful to me is answering a question or two for me to clarify your situation? If you’re comfortable doing that?
I must have missed some of your posts about your situation, I think…
What brought you here in the first place?
What signs when you got here, did you recognize in this person?
What about her makes you believe she’s disordered?
Create your list as Candy says. I would love to hear what you come up with. Maybe that would be helpful to you in sorting all of this through.
Hugs!!
Lostnconfused
You can read my postings here.
Scroll down… start from the beginning from when you see my name..
http://www.lovefraud.com/blog/2010/12/03/1001-things-i-did-wrong-in-dealing-with-a-psychopath/
lesson learned
I have a few questions of my own for the more “seasoned” post Spath’s here.
One of the things that was glaringly obvious during my relationship with Spath, was RAGE and ANGER and CONTEMPT. If I showed ANY signs of being happy, he would be instantly angry! He would bitch piss and moan about his ex wife and how unfair she was and how rotten his life is. He would complain about work, his boss, his employees in how they don’t “like” him (with good reason I’m sure!). If we are going on the premise that they have no emotions, or empathy, what is the explanation for the rage attacks and random anger attacks, particularly if he was “jealous” about anything I did for self improvement? He would often randomly accuse me of not supporting him, when I would sit there with that WTF look or thought goign through my head. SOOOOOO many of those WTF moments and flat out “Where did THAT come from, Spath?” The accusations were incredibly endless.
The one thing that was always consistent was this sentence “You’re happy, you’ll be fine. Go be happy, my life is a bitch and it’s just the way it is for me, go be happy”. ANYTIME i tried to be supportive or encouraging, it was met with INSTANT RAGE!!
If they feel nothing, what was that about? Was it fake too? Truthfully, I don’t WANT him to be happy! I know that sounds horrible, but there is that anger there for all the crap he did to me, but what he also did to his other victims.
How can a person be “happy” with all that RAGE, SEETHING JEALOUSY AND ANGER ALWAYS AT THE SURFACE????
lesson learned
Wow!!Thanks Lost. It’s going to take me a bit to familiarize myself. Thanks for the link! I’ll catch up with your situation!
skylar
Lesson,
he doesn’t feel happy, he feels schaudenfraude.
Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
They do feel pleasure, just not happiness. And they are obsessed with that inability to feel happiness.
bluejay
lesson learned,
When I was happy, my spath was not enraged. He only became angry when I confronted him about some of his shenanigans, in my opinion, not wanting to be challenged about anything (he should be able to do whatever he wanted to). When I expressed displeasure at his choices, that’s when the rage (on his end) would kick in. The man doesn’t care if he does right or wrong, the end justifying the means. I was dealing with a juvenile delinquent in a man’s body.
lesson learned
Sky
could those rages at me about my happiness derived from an intense jealousy that I had achieved, or was about too, something he could not? I’m not suggesting he would be AWARE of that, but people who were/are happy, pissed him off royally! Sort of like a five year old having a tantrum. He would also accusing me of me not wanting him to be happy when he was trollling other women lol!
What a mess these people are!!
Blue, definitely that too. DEFINITELY that. Many times over. And I totally agree in having dealt with a juvenile delinquent in a man’s body.
bluejay
lesson learned,
You said it – they are a mess, infecting others with their messy ways. It could be that your ex was jealous that you could be happy, contented, not struggling with unhappiness. He probably was frustrated at not being able to reach that “nirvana”, not having a clue how to get there.
Ox Drover
It isn’t that they have NO emotions, in my opinion, they DO have “emotions,” if you count RAGE, ANGER, GREED, LUST, etc. They have desires and wants, and they can be jealous, but not because they “love” you but because they OWN YOU (or whoever) the other person is their PROPERTY.
The being upset or angry because you were happy, is just a typical “dog in the manger” thing, “I can’t eat the straw, but I sure as hell don’t want you to have any, the Dog said to the Ox.”
Sometimes they DO enjoy the down fall or pain of others in a sort of GLEEFUL kind of way. Sort of like Satan in the Garden of Eden. He didnt’ gain anything by Eve’s downfall except the GLEEFUL enjoyment of seeing her in trouble with God.
The word Sky used sounds like German and maybe it is, but I think the definition is a part of what some psychopaths do feel.