Donna Anderson’s important latest post reminds me that one topic which will never be worn out is that of the psychopath’s lies and their impact on others.
This week I want to very briefly introduce yet another take on this inexhaustible topic. Everyone lies, but there’s something else at stake in the case of the psychopath’s lies.
To illustrate: you might say about any regular (non-psychopathic) person, “Things would be better if s/he was to lie less often. Her/his soul or psyche would be healthier as would her relationships.” That’s true. Now try this on for size and notice how wrong it seems: “Things would be better if the psychopath was to lie less often. His soul or psyche would be healthier as would his relationships.”
Weirdly, this is patently not the case. The psychopath will be just as sick/evil no matter how many or how few lies he tells. It’s not a quantitative but a qualitative matter.
It is commonly said that a defining characteristic of psychopaths is that they are pathological liars. This is right if you mean that they are profoundly dishonest and not to be trusted. It does not mean, though, that psychopaths lie a lot. They do lie a lot and those lies cause havoc. But as I hope my illustration above shows, lying less will not make them better people.
So, how does this work? The thing about psychopaths is that even their truths are lies! Or rather, whether or not they happen to be telling the truth or a lie at any particular moment is not what makes them psychopathic. What makes them psychopathic is that they use and destroy people; truth or lies are for them just so many weapons for pursuing their prey.
M.L. Gallagher said a lot when she wrote this:
He is the lie….
From hello to good-bye. I love you to I hate you. You’re beautiful to you’re ugly.
It was all a lie….When friends or my family ask, but what about this, or what about that, I tell them. It was all a lie. There was no truth in him.
If I spend my time trying to figure out fact from fiction, all I am doing is trying to prove I wasn’t so stupid. See, this was true. That’s why I fell in love with him.
Truth is. I fell in love with him because I believed his lie.
When I discovered the truth, I was so enmeshed in his lie, I couldn’t find the truth in me. And so I sank.
Ox,
one Joy said:
“If you want to give only your opinion, don’t haul out your credentials ”“ which will give your opinion authority.”
I think that’s it in a nutshell.
You can have credentials up the arse, but as we have seen with spaths (not saying you are, because I know you’re NOT) it’s what they do too.
And it’s irritating.
LL
((((((((((((((((((((( one J )))))))))))))))))))))))))
HOpe things are going well for you, chica
Hugs!!!!
Love you.
LL
Wow, is it gang up on Oxy night?
I have seen a lot of good advice given here by Oxy and others. I have also disagreed with some of that advice.
To me, each person needs to read as much information on the subject of concern, and then make a wise choice based on ALL of the information gleaned from this blog and any other resource available to them.
I don’t understand why Oxy is being picked on. Hey, I don’t agree with everything that is said here by ANYONE. Sometimes, I don’t even agree with something that I said previously. Opinions do change.
Let me say: I appreciate everyone here at LF. I try to learn and grow everyday with the wisdom I read here. Thank you so much!!
h2h
This is one of many “gang up on Oxy” nights. WTF?
She made a sensible suggestion
and she’s sent out to the cornfield (Twilight Zone reference here).
LL you sound old school, nobody goes to one doctor for everything any more.
I can “glean” a lot from what you write, doesn’t mean I’m right, but thanks for the giggle!
gee if only the spathinator was here. She’d boink you all and make you kiss and make up.
Hey ((Super Chic))!!
That is the freakiest twilight zone episode EVER!! It’s about a spath!! The evil character is portrayed as a kid who has the power to change reality. That’s code for SPATH!
None of us can know what it’s like to be in Near’s position unless we are in his position. (excuse my reference to you in the third person, Near)
I do know what it’s like to not be able to sleep since I was 1 year old. My problem is that I’ve been surrounded by spaths and instinctively knew it. I was afraid 24/7 as a kid. Petrified all the time, up til age 11 or 12. Then I decided not to be scared anymore, but I still couldn’t sleep well. Life with spath at age 17, made it worse, but I didn’t know that was the cause. Ambien was more detrimental to my memory than Lunesta so physiologically, Near, you and I are different. Melatonin did not work AT ALL UNTIL I LEFT THE SPATHS IN MY LIFE. Now melatonin works, but I’m preferring Benedryl since I have allergies as well.
I switch around and take different things since I quickly develop tolerances to all of them, so it’s important to keep rotating them. No more wine though, it makes me fat – I prefer Patron. Magnesium is GREAT for muscle aches and relaxation.
One question Near: do you work out your upper body? Exercise can be very helpful for sleep and to keep the circulation going, so tension doesn’t build up.
Skylar: I do all my own moving, but I am not allowed to do heavy lifting because of some old surgeries. I’m like 80 pounds too. So try not to murder me with weights!! ^_^
skylar, yeah! I love that episode! Spath all the way! 😀