Explaining the sociopath

My sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, considered himself to be an entrepreneur, the equal of any man who ever built a commercial empire. As he was seducing me, painting a glimmering picture of how successful and rich we would become, he proclaimed that he would be "the next Walt Disney."When Montgomery went to business meetings, he wore a jacket, trousers, and a polo shirt. He refused to wear ties, but he always had a silk square in his jacket pocket. He told me that even when he was young, he always dressed up in jackets and cravats, eschewing the psychedelic fashions of the 60s. (For more about my story, it's all in my book, Love Fraud.)So you can imagine my surprise when I heard …

Sociopaths as chameleons — they become whatever they need to be for their latest scamRead More

Most of us grow up believing that all people are created equal, that human beings are basically good, and everybody wants to be loved. These are the messages we learn in school, in church, and in the age of political correctness, from the media. These beliefs are the lenses through which we view the world and the people in it. Our beliefs influence how we perceive and understand the behavior of those we meet. And, for 84 percent of the population, the beliefs work just fine. Bad treatment Then we realize that someone in our life isn't treating us well. We may think this person is reacting to our behavior, that we're doing something to provoke anger or elicit criticism — after all, t …

Sociopaths leave us totally disoriented — here’s whyRead More

The question was asked on Quora, and self-described psychopaths and sociopaths are responding. If you want to get a better understanding of how they think, read it in their own words. Here are some gems: "I see a world drowned by an emotional sea which I can observe, and recognize, but never feel. I watch this current sweep over the neurotypical world, causing all sorts of thoughts and behaviors which make so little sense to me that I might as well be an alien. I am able to predict some of the resulting repercussions, but for the most part, the reactions people have to this world of emotional illusion is well beyond reason. It is mass delusion and insanity, and because the majority rules, …

Quora: How psychopaths/sociopaths view the worldRead More

By Dr. Robert Moran It’s very important to know the difference between someone acting like a sociopath and someone who is a sociopath but also happens to suffer from addiction too. They are two different types of conditions. During childhood a sociopath has a condition known as conduct disorder. This is a condition in which the child does not follow rules, is aggressive toward others and toward animals, starts fights, uses weapons, is cruel, steals, destroys property, starts fires, lies, defies authority, is truant from school, etc. Throughout adolescence, this may develop into antisocial personality disorder, which is a pattern of disregard for the rights of others, along with t …

Are Addicts Sociopaths?Read More

The following question was posed on Quora: "What's it like for a sociopath to meet another sociopath?" The woman who asked the question included commentary about sociopaths, some of which I disagree with. For example, she said, "Sometimes you see even the most terrifying sociopaths get out of prison and go on to have their own children who they do not mistreat, and actually like." Actually, sociopaths are incapable of loving anyone, including their children, so even if they don't beat their kids, they'll probably inflict psychological and emotional abuse. But what makes this Quora thread really interesting is not the question, but the answers. Several people who identified themselves …

Quora: What’s it like for a sociopath to meet another sociopath?Read More

If you want to know how sociopaths behave, just watch any TV show on the Investigation Discovery channel. All the stories are true. They're all about sociopaths. All the stories will enlighten you about disordered behavior — if you know what to look for. In fact, I found a page on the ID website with helpful information: 5 Signs you share your home with a psychopath. The descriptions are reasonably accurate. I often turn on ID while I'm cleaning the house. Because of the reality show format — narration, interviews and reenactments — I find that I can listen to the shows while I work, and still follow the whole story. Time and time again, I hear perfect descriptions of sociopaths seduc …

The Sociopath Channel: Investigation DiscoveryRead More

One of the defining characteristics of a sociopath is that they never take responsibility for anything. Nothing is ever their fault. Any problem they face is always caused by someone else, or circumstances beyond their control. I'll bet that a young sociopath invented the excuse, "The dog ate my homework." Early in my relationship with my sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, he explained that his innovative business venture wasn't built because "the government took his land." Of course, he never mentioned the fact that he never owned the land, and never raised the money to buy the land. He just blamed the government for his business failure. Since I launched Lovefraud, I've …

12 ways sociopaths say, ‘It’s not my fault’ — what have you heard?Read More

Perhaps the biggest question asked by people who have been targeted by psychopaths is, "Why?" 1. Why did he work so hard to win me, proclaiming his love and promising a beautiful future together, and then suddenly dump me? 2. Why does she intentionally scare, upset, demean and embarrass her own children? 3. Why does he lie about stupid things, even when he'd be better off telling the truth? 4. Why doesn't she care that she's hurting me? I'm sure you have your own list of "why?" questions. We try to make sense of the psychopath's unfathomable behavior. We look for explanations that we can understand: Perhaps he was abused or felt abandoned as a child. Perhaps she has low …

The answer: Why psychopaths do what they doRead More