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.
I think that anyone can fall victim to a psychopath, except perhaps another psychopath. Every person has their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and can be emotionally exploited in some way. Why else woud so many advertising campaigns work. All a psychopath needs to do is find out where the cracks are and then begin drilling. It may be harder work with some than with others but the motive is the same – that person has something I want.
Many of those that blame the victim would probably be horrified to learn that they themselves have been exploited by psychopath in some way or another and are not even aware of it. The con was just on a much smaller scale thats all.
Swallow
Dear Swallow, it is quite common for two psychopaths to hook up and try to scam each other….it is a CAT FIGHT when it happens and is like “fire and gasoline” meeting, an explosion.
Hello OxDrover,
Yes your right. Nice to know they prey on each other aswell!
To Ox Drover,
How similar it is to a mugging. They fool the victim, but they can’t fool the victim forever. It is a mugging that goes on for years”. instead of a one-time thing. They are just a more discreet mugger.
It is not in a parasite’s interest to kill it’s host when a slow feed will sustain it for years. —- I read this about parasites in the encyclopedia as a kid.
Parasitism
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This article is about a relationship between organisms. For other uses, see Parasite (disambiguation).
Brood parasite is a common form of parasitismParasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that went beyond one host (e.g. Taenia solium), which are now called macroparasites (typically protozoa and helminths). Parasites can now also refer to microparasites, which are typically smaller, such as viruses and bacteria and can be directly transmitted between hosts of one species. Parasites are generally much smaller than their host, show a high degree of specialization for their mode of life, and reproduce at a faster rate than their hosts. Classic examples of parasitism include interactions between vertebrate hosts and diverse animals such as tapeworms, flukes, the Plasmodium species, and fleas. Parasitism is differentiated from parasitoidism, a relationship in which the host is always killed by the parasite such as moths, butterflies, ants, flies and others.
The harm and benefit in parasitic interactions concern the biological fitness of the organisms involved. Parasites reduce host fitness in many ways, ranging from general or specialized pathology (such as castration), impairment of secondary sex characteristics, to the modification of host behaviour. Parasites increase their fitness by exploiting hosts for resources necessary for the parasite’s survival: (i.e. food, water, heat, habitat, and dispersal).
Although the concept of parasitism applies unambiguously to many cases in nature, it is best considered part of a continuum of types of interactions between species, rather than an exclusive category. Particular interactions between species may satisfy some but not all parts of the definition. In many cases, it is difficult to demonstrate that the host is harmed. In others, there may be no apparent specialization on the part of the parasite, or the interaction between the organisms may be short-lived. In medicine, only eukaryotic organisms are considered parasites, with the exclusion of bacteria and viruses. Some branches of biology, however, regard members of these groups as parasitic.
I guess there may be some truth to all of that, but don’t believe that once you’ve been taken you have to stay down. And I guess the converse is also apparent to all of us thanks to work from people like you all here, and that is that we can also tell a psychopath from the way they walk, the way they look with the bug eye stares, the way they gobbly gook talk sweet stuff, the way they say “He hate me” or “she hates me” all over them….
Did they take away all kinds of stuff/crap from you? Well it can be replaced in most cases, and they can be beaten by getting away, living your life like it should with people who care. @.......#$%%^&* them…….
jeannie812,
When I read the definition of a parasite, I laughed. For some reason, it “tickled my funny bone.” I’ve had the thought (this week) that I wish my h-spath would join the Moonies (a cult that we heard a lot about in the 70’s and 80’s), living off of these “enlightened” folk.
Jeannie, I did an article about psychopaths acting like parasites a year or so ago and it is true, they act just like ticks, sucking your blood. Problem is too, that sometimes these blood suckers pass on diseases as well as drain your blood…not just STDS but others as well. Literally, I got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and almost died before I even knew what I had….had it the next summer too, but caught it before it got too far.
Yes, they are parasites on other people, the DSM-V has a class for that called “dependent personality disorder” but I think it shouldn’t be a separate PD because it is just a SUB-type of psychopath, the parasitic phase, though all of them are pretty good at sucking off of someone else’s teat if they can.
I got big problems because of Jim
I thought I had washed my hands of Jim. I haven’t been with him since July 3rd.
Today I was across the street at neighbor’s house. Jim pulled into their driveway as I was leaving. I ignored him and kept walking. He got out of his truck and began yelling stuff at me. I ignored and kept walking. He kept yelling while I walked across the street and up my driveway and into my house. He didn’t follow me. He just stood in neighbors yard yelling at me.
I always hide in my house when Jim is across the street, but today I couldn’t wait that long. I needed firewood (which is outside) I had to get going soon to pick my son up from school at 2:00pm for Dr. appt. So I went into my yard to get the firewood.
Jim saw me from across the street. He began yelling at me from across the street. I ignored at first, but he wouldn’t stop. I finally yelled back. I told him to stop or I will call the police. He didn’t stop. So I called police. The police came and said they can’t do much without a restraining order. I asked them to go across the street to talk to Jim. Tell him he can’t be yelling at me across the street.
I told police I was going to town to get restraining order and my son’s dr. appt. The police went across the street to neighbor’s house to talk to Jim.
I had to wait on filing the restraining order until after the dr’s appt. (not enough time) By the time I got to court house I found out Jim already filed a restraining order on me.
He is starting a smear campaign against me. He said terrible lies about me in his restraining order. All I wrote about him is his yelling at me, and that I want it to stop.
I think Jim is looking to run me out of the county.
Jeannie
jeannie – oh that stupid projection move on the part of spahts!
no reason you can’t file against him, did you?