How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Brain Science Part 1: Teenage brains vulnerable to poor judgment

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Editor's note: First in a series of three articles appearing in other publications on what scientists are learning about the brain and behavior through MRI imaging. Teenage brains are still under construction. MRI imaging has found that while the areas of the brain associated with motor control and hand/eye coordination are fully developed, the parts associated with rational thinking and evaluating future consequences are half-baked. The result: Even smart, well-behaved teenagers are motivated by emotion and pleasure, which can lead them to take dangerous risks. Teens' immature brains pose all sorts of dangers, on Philly.com. Tomorrow: Brains of homicidal juveniles appear to be …

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The Cost of a Sociopath

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I've been writing my next book and decided to share a piece of it. Here it is: All my life, I've been surrounded by facts and figures about how many years you lose if you do certain things. Like smoke cigarettes. Or do drugs. Or drink too much alcohol. People like to threaten and motivate each other with scary statistics that encompass not only dangerous behaviors but also self-neglect. Like failing to exercise. Or skipping stress-reduction techniques. “For every year you smoke, you take a year off your life.” Something like that. But I don't think anyone knows how many years you lose to a psychopath. Not even counting the years you spend going crazy before you finally figure out wha …

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Childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders affect our cells

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New research suggests that cells can be affected, and the aging process accelerated, by childhood adversity or psychiatric disorders at any age. "Stress exposure and psychiatirc conditions are associated with inflammation and health conditions like diabetes and heart disease," said the study's author, Audrey Tyrka, M.D., Ph.D., as reported by MedicalExpress.com. Connection between childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders seen at cellular level, on Medical Express.com. Thanks to the Lovefraud reader who recently posted this link in a comment. …

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You can contribute to the research on female psychopaths

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A scientific review published last year summarized the research literature about female psychopaths. But I wonder about the accuracy of the underlying information. Three researchers from Norway, Rolf Wynn, Marita H. Hoiseth, and Gunn Pettersen, recently published the review. They concluded that when compared to male psychopaths, female psychopaths more often seem to show emotional instability, verbal violence and manipulation of social networks, and less criminal behavior and instrumental violence. This study, which is quite readable, it explains how the disorder is defined and diagnosed. If you'd like to be familiar with the scientific community's views of psychopathy, it's a good …

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Forgive or don’t forgive; that is the question

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Peg Streep, a New York City based writer and author or coauthor of nine books, explores the complicated concept of forgiveness Her findings come from concentrating on the psychological point of view of three questions: What is forgiveness, anyway? Is forgiveness an evolutionary step forward? Does forgiving make you a doormat? She also addresses the questions, why do humans forgive and, when they do, how do they hope to benefit? When You Should and Should Not Forgive, from Psychology Today. Link supplied by Lovefraud reader. …

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‘Expert’ explaining psychopath vs. sociopath reveals the truth: He’s clueless

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A Lovefraud reader sent me a link to the following article that appeared on Huffington Post last month: Psychopath Vs. Sociopath: What's the difference? It was written by Robert Siciliano, a speaker on personal security and identity theft, and a corporate media consultant. He's also the author of four books, including 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. I hope Siciliano knows more about identity theft than he knows about psychopaths and sociopaths. Because he knows nothing about these personality disorders. What he has written does more to spread misinformation than educate people. What's wrong with the story? Let me count the errors: 1. "Sociopathy and …

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Research reveals men in domestic violence suffer similar effects as women

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Although most reported domestic abuse is committed by men against women, a growing body of research has picked up on the prevalence and significance of domestic violence perpetrated against men, says research published in  Psychology of Men & Masculinity. Men who are abused by their female partners can suffer significant psychological trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidal thoughts, according to two papers published by the American Psychological Association. British researcher Anna Randle, PsyD, lead author of a paper summarizing two decades of research says that a lack of reliable data has led to some confusion in literature on domestic violence …

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Study reveals possible neurobiological explanation for good and evil

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For decades scientists have been studying the unique characteristics of the psychopathic brain. Abigail Marsh, a Georgetown University psychologist, wanted to study the complete opposite of the psychopaths, what she refers to as the “anti-psychopaths.” For her research, Marsh chose altruistic kidney donors. These people are ultra do-gooders who are extraordinarily compassionate, prosocial, and empathetic so much so that they will give up a perfectly good kidney just because a stranger needs it. Her findings, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that the brains of kidney donors looked structurally different from psychopaths, revealing evidence that th …

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Mary Ann Glynn: Book Review of ‘The Psychopath Inside’

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The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain — by James Fallon Review by Mary Ann Glynn I first came across James Fallon's research on a show about psychopathy and the brain on the Science Channel. I was fascinated by what he found out by mistake about his own brain, which has added an interesting and significant spin to the discussion of nature and nurture in psychopathy. For thirty-five years James Fallon has been a neuroscientist educator and researcher, and has engineered major breakthroughs in stem cell research. His research lab led to the creation of three biotech companies, one of which won a national award from peers. His main areas of s …

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Lovefraud Female Sociopath Survey – please share what you know

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Do you know a woman or girl who you believe may have sociopathic traits? If you do, tell Lovefraud about her. Most experts believe that there are more male sociopaths than female. In fact, experts estimate that there are three times as many disordered males as females. Research about sociopaths is generally done with males. Not much is known about disordered women. So I'd like to gather data about female sociopaths for a new book that explains what they are really like. I'm looking for input from Lovefraud readers who have been involved with female sociopaths in any of the following capacities: Spouse or ex-spouse Romantic partner She is your mother She is your stepmother She is …

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