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.
one_step_at_a_time says:
’Not a once of mugging, nothing with the way you walk” the normal aspirations of a decent human being”IS their target. ’
Re: My post above
Chinagirl,
Thanks for sharing and with it validating my thoughts on IQ vs EQ! even down to the fake tears….my ex-S used to whimper and make crying sounds but I never saw real tears. The funny thing is he would “cry” at sentimental movies all the time where the theme was allways the underdog getting recognition. Go figure!
Skylar,
Good point, different predators look for different prey!
which leads me to my thoughts on Victim profiling….I fit the description that Dr. Leadom described….Extravert, Cooperative and Invested in Relationships. I stand streight, do not walk slumped over or look like I need help. On the contrary…I am physically strong, healthy and in shape. I’ve allways been self sufficient and been able to take care of others as well. BUT…I wear my emotions on my sleeve, have tremendous heart and empathy and have at many times gone out of my way to help others…..and so my conclusion……
Spaths look for victims that represent their dis owned self! Victims fall for Spaths that also represent some of their dis-owned self….in my case, it was that smart business savy money making attitude, plus the ability to go gett what he wants without making excuses!
Dear soimnotthecrazee1:
This is the only solution as I see it too.
soimnotthecrazee1 says:
Dancing,
I AGREE!!! I think I have come up with an analogy here..
psychopaths” are genetictically/generationally breed” sick/violent/criminal people and that there is no stoping until they are sterilized at birth in the gene pool somewhere. PLEASE LORD!!! FIND A WAY TO DO THIS!!!!
Sociopaths are their left overs that have been let into our society! They should have never been born if sterilization was in place. They were put in our society to be “normal” and they have (what I call) 50% normalized. They put on the mask”. that’s 50% and the other 50% they know what they are looking for”.. the 100% person! To ridicule, belittle and kill us. Murder by Suicide!
Well guess what??? I didn’t commit suicide you spath idiot!!! (to my ex) You didn’t Win”. I just one upped you there! Didn’t I? He tried to take my mind,body and soul”.. guess what? God has held them for me while I go through this.
Kady.. you are so correct!
Thanks for listening! Let’s all go for “sterilization” of this bloodline!!!!!
soimnotthecrazee1!
Good point about not being able to just walk a certain way, or project a certain confidence, to avoid psychopaths (as opposed to muggers).
“Extraverts.” “Cooperative.” “Invested in relationships.” Sounds like healthy women, psychologically. I mean, if we carry this to its conclusion, it means, be introverted, bitchy and noncommittal in your relationships, and you’ll be OK.
There’s something missing from the list. All of the above healthiness, honesty, capacity for intimacy, PLUS a certain blind spot. I’m trying to get in touch with that in myself, because I am certainly the three things on that list.
I come up with several things: A need for drama, in a way. A need to connect with people on a really deep level, to help, to come to their aid from my perch in a healthy life. To be a mom. It’s a good thing, but also kind of narcissistic — all about me. I need to know I’m a good person. The idea that someone might spread rumors that I’m not, or truly think they’re being hurt by me, cuts deeply.
And that’s exactly where the spath homes in, the target. That little vulnerability that says: I’m OK, . . . aren’t I?
Because it’s not OK to be confident and psychologically healthy as a woman. Not yet. We’re not that far ahead as a species. Women with these qualities are plagued by self-doubt underneath the confidence and outgoing-ness. There’s a need, moment-by-moment, to prove we’re not that horrible, unfeeling “feminist” menacing society like some wayward Macy’s-parade balloon.
Anyone who comes along selling us what we want to buy — true self-acceptance — is going to have our attention.
And, hey girls, get over your guilt. Society is changing, and we’re changing ahead of it. Anyone expecting to feel accepted an appropriate in that situation is going to be disappointed. It’s all in flux. Not your fault.
well said again! and very familiar to me. My term would be ‘intensity’ (for your ‘drama’)’ but the rest of it is spot on.
‘I come up with several things: A need for drama, in a way. A need to connect with people on a really deep level, to help, to come to their aid from my perch in a healthy life. To be a mom.’
i do want to be loved for what i am and what i do. don’t we all? I didn’t know i had the mom thing going on until the spath. and maybe i didn’t have it until the spath; although i was raised to be a caretaker, it didn’t have the ‘mom’ spin on it until the spath – i am sure it was ‘his’ supposed weakness…ohh, i like me some wounded birds – i go blind with compassion. and THAT is probably my greatest vulnerability.
Avoiding a predator is like avoiding cancer…volumes of things provoke it in to action, but not ONE thing causes it on it’s own.
Some people who smoke till their 90 never get cancer; some people who never smoked do.
Some people who are a perfect target for a psychopath never get near one, and some people who have no visible reason to attract one, ends up tangled by the neck.
Like cancer and other diseases, education and awareness (such as this site provides) is the best defense, but not the cure & shield of absolute protection.
To the, ‘dropped-jaw-have-no-clue-its-never-happened-to-me-what-is-wrong-with-you’ SILLY PEOPLE I say:
You need to know because even if you never encounter these people, someone you love, WILL.
Keep it up, Donna and everyone else. Love this site!
“I go blind with compassion”—-PROFOUND! Good point, One!
Dear EWE,
Good points all!
@One: “I go blind with compassion” — exactly, What’s wrong with that?
The compassion part is OK, but the blind part, maybe not so much.
It seems there’s no particular feeling or tendency to avoid if you want to avoid spaths — they’re all healthy feelings and tendencies. We just have to beware that when we go into those behaviors, we could meet creeps as well as good people. Those are the internal psychological “chat rooms” where the predators hang out and smell blood as soon as we walk in.
I had to laugh when I read about the “intensity.” A man I know — definitely not a spath — once scolded me for my interaction with someone as too intense. And he was all apologetic about it, like, he knew he was that way too, just trying to be a friend. I just kind of humored him. There’s just no language for what the world doesn’t get about us women, that what looks “intense” to them is precisely the message we need them to receive, and our intensity is measured and intentional, not a character flaw. This is why any woman without a sense of humor lacks survival skills.
Sister, I think we can have INTENSE COMPASSION without letting it blind us to the psychopath who is using that intense compassion for their own purposes–like a vampire drinks our blood, they drink our compassion, but we have to be UN-blind enough to see their fangs! (I just invented a new word “UN-blind”) LOL