A sociopath is someone who has a pervasive and persistent disregard for the rights and feelings of others. This disregard is manifested in the antisocial behavior sociopaths show. While we usually think of antisocial behavior as criminal, not all antisocial acts are illegal. A person who slips up once is not a sociopath. Sociopathy is a lifestyle.
Since humans are designed to live in society, a healthy personality has prosocial inclinations. Therefore, people who are pervasively antisocial are disordered in the sense that they are not the norm (thank God). Although antisocial behaviors are observable actions like lying, stealing and assault, there are personality traits that cause antisocial behavior. It should come as no surprise that people who have a sense of entitlement, over-rate their own greatness and have poor self-control are more likely to hurt others and show pervasive antisocial behavior.
The American Psychiatric Association has defined a group of personality disorders it calls “cluster B”. According to a recent paper* by German psychiatrist, Christian Huchzermeier, M.D., “ The cluster includes disturbances of personality that go hand in hand with emotional dysregulation phenomena, a tendency towards aggressive—impulsive loss of control, egoistic exploitation of interpersonal relationships, and a tendency to overestimate one’s own importance.”
The disorders of “cluster B” go together because what underlies them is a disturbance in three developmentally acquired abilities I have called The Inner Triangle. These abilities are:
Ability to Love
Impulse Control
Moral Reasoning
These abilities that a child gains during development are a triangle because the development of each depends on the other two. A child begins to acquire ability to love in the first year of life, impulse control begins in the second year of life. At two years of age there is already a link between ability to love and impulse control. Children with the best impulse control also are the most loving/empathetic. Moral reasoning begins in the third year of life and its development depends on a loving nature and impulse control. Similarly the most moral kids are also the most loving and self-controlled.
I think of the cluster B disorders as different manifestations of damage to the inner triangle. I think of sociopaths as individuals who completely lack ability to love and have impaired impulse control and moral reasoning.
Given the Inner Triangle, it should come as no surprise that it can be difficult to find people who have only one cluster B personality disorder. For that reason individuals with antisocial personality, narcissistic personality, borderline personality and histrionic personality often have symptoms of the other disorders. If someone gets a diagnosis of only one of these, it doesn’t mean that the person doesn’t also have one or all of the others. The person making the diagnosis simply thought that the one chosen best described the person. You should know there is a gender bias in diagnosis such that women are often labeled “borderline.” These women can also be sociopaths who leave a trail of victimized friends, lovers and children in their wakes.
A recent study reported in Behavioral Science and the Law, “The Relationship Between DSM-IV Cluster B Personality Disorders and Psychopathy According to Hare’s Criteria: Clarification and Resolution of Previous Contradictions” examines the relationship between psychopathic personality traits as defined by the screening version of the PCL and Cluster B personality disorders. The authors of this study were careful to examine people who had only one cluster B disorder. They found psychopathy to be associated with all cluster B disorders.
The authors conclude:
“One clinical implication of our results, nevertheless, is that in cases where a cluster B personality disorder is diagnosed a high psychopathy value is to be expected, especially where antisocial, borderline or narcissistic personality disorder is involved. The PCL score is a better predictor of subsequent events, such as problems during (criminal) custody or a relapse into delinquency, than a diagnosis of a DSM-IV personality disorder, especially in forensic populations; therefore, an additional investigation with the PCL should be carried out, if a cluster B personality disorder has been diagnosed.”
It is important for Lovefraud readers to be aware of this study especially if there is a divorce/custody proceeding or a cluster B personality disorder has been diagnosed. Many people might think that if the partner has been “diagnosed borderline” or “diagnosed narcissistic” that means the partner is not a psychopath/sociopath. This study suggests otherwise. IF YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS THESE YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THEIR HARMFUL BEHAVIOR AS AN INDICATION OF PSYCHOPATHY/SOCIOPATHY. There are some people with cluster B, histrionic, borderline and narcissistic disorders who are not highly antisocial. But if the person is lying, cheating and manipulating, that is antisocial behavior. This behavior in the context of any cluster B means the person is potentially very dangerous. As the authors state:
“Screening for PCL-based psychopathy can also be important for general psychiatric patients with a DSM-IV personality disorder, so that potential difficulties in the course of their treatment can be anticipated and this comorbidity can be targeted in the planning of therapy. Patients with both a DSM-IV personality disorder and PCL-based psychopathy can exhibit behavior that is particularly dangerous to therapy (Stafford & Cornell, 2003).”
If you have been diagnosed with borderline personality and reading this frightens you, I am sorry. You can improve by working on your inner triangle. Talk to your therapist about DBT a treatment that is very effective in improving the state of the Inner Triangle in people who are motivated to do it.
*The reference for the paper discussed is Behav. Sci. Law 25: 901—911 (2007).
Dear Oxy – THANK YOU. NOTHING COMES EASY, AND IF IT DOES ITS NOT REALLY WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN.
Great joke. We could use a Joke of the day and or thought for the day here on LF!!
In between my last post and now, I did my first “parent/child” driving lesson… simply around the block… now going to search for driving schools in the area ASAP! Honestly, very lucky to be here right now. She understandably, anxiously, nervously confused the break for the gas — gonna have to repair one of the neighbors track marked lawns! All is well that ends well! unbelievable! And her turns are superb as well as her quick response to correcting her mistake! I was the one who was panicked – lol lol
ENJOY THE JOURNEY…ENJOY THE JOURNEY…. WITH EVERYTHING IN LIFE!! THANKS AGAIN OX-DROVER
PS. OXY, AS LONG AS YOU APPLY EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT RED FLAGS, YOU WILL ALWAYS KEEP YOURSELF SAFE. ITS WHEN YOU IGNORE THEM, THAT YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF CLIMBING THAT UPHILL AND NO-WIN “BATTLE WITHIN” AGAIN. MY GOAL IS TO ALSO ALLOW THE YELLOW FLAGS AND GREEN FLAGS WAVE AGAIN. I MAY LABEL EVERYONE AS A POTENTIAL S/P/N FOR A LONG TIME – CUZ TRUTH IS – THEY ALL ARE POTENTIALS. BUT ITS THE ABILITY TO BALANCE WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE ARE GIVEN FROM OTHERS IN FUTURE FRIENDSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS – THAT WILL ENABLE US TO EXPERIENCE WHAT WE DESIRE.
Dear Panic stricken mother teaching daughter to drive!
WOW! I can only imagine. My step father was a driving instructor in high school for years and I got him to teach my sons to drive rather than me doing it. Much less stress on ME! My ADHD son wrecked every car he had til he was 25, fortunately we kept him in LARGE HEAVY BEATERS that didn’t cost too much money to keep running and you could junk when they got totaled so insurance was liability only and much cheaper.
He is actually an excellent driver now and very careful. No even fender scrapes for a LONG TIME NOW. Right this minute he is driving to NY with a friend to help with the drive there and back and they are going through some of last night’s snow, but his friend is a professional truck driver so I know they will be CAREFUL and park if roads get bad. Just slow for now, but like every mother I “worry” till he comes home safe! LOL (He’s my 39 year old baby!) ha ha
Yes, I do pay great attention to the CAUTION flags and at the first sign of one, I SLOOOOOOW down. I also have my “STOP SIGNS” which are THE FIRST LIE, the FIRST…..etc. and those are absolutely RED FLAGS and I STOP —not a “rolling California stop” —but a FULL STOP and start back peddling.
My best friend is a natural “peroxide” blonde and I know every blonde joke in the world I think and constantly bombard her with blonde jokes, she knows all the MAXINE jokes and sends them to me, she says I remind her of MAXINE! lol
Finding a BALANCE in my life is important and that is what I am working on now. With out that balance and a CORRECT DIAGNOSIS of what our own weak and vulnerable points are, we cant “treat” the problem. A GOOD DIAGNOSIS is important to treating any problem. If you don’t have that, there is no way you can “fix” it.
That was one of the FIRST things I learned about practicing medication was a good diagnosis. Most of the time in family medicine it “isn’t anything anyway” and will fix itself, but you have to be prepared to make sure you didn’t MISS SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT—the doc I worked with for 10+ yers used to call it “plowing up a snake.” (He was a country boy too). Sometimes I would plow up a snake, when someone came into the office and it appeared to be some minor thing, I diagnosed one of my best friends with Acute Leukemia (ALL) and we ended up expecting her to die before the week was out, 9 yrs later she is still kicking! So you never know, chit happens, but being on the look out for something TOXIC and getting a correct diagnosis is very important.
Last year when I went to the doc as sick as a horse, and he found the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, he kept on testing me for other things BESIDES the RMSF because I was SO sick. Turned out I was fine, just weakened by the STRESS and my immune system crapped out, so had a lot of symptoms and weakness. Now I am LISTENING TO MY BODY, which is one of the things a “juicy crone” does—she doesn’t ignore her own illnesses or signals from her body to rest etc.
Does your daughter’s school have a drivers ed course? Or do you have to pay fo ra private one? Good luck and maybe your heart will hold out! LOL
Oxy – I bet they do have that at the school! They must!!
Lets hope if my heart made it through the past several years it can make it through anything! But not gonna chance it – she can get lessons from a driving instructor hopefully for free!!!
And, yes, its very wise for your son to park roadside if the weather gets bad tonight.
Have a relaxing evening. Expecting winter storm here… 6 – 10 inches Having grown up in Colorado Im the only one in my town that gets excited about snow storms!! Its like massive chaos if theres even an inch on the road here — schools close and markets sell out of basics, and nobody appreciates the beauty. Cant wait! It actually brightens my day! (Jealous StarG is living there:)
OxDrover:
Have to admit those are 2 new ones for me.
Actually, I think my joke for the week was watching Bobby Jindahl giving the Republican response to President Obama’s speech the other night. All I kept thinking was “I miss Edwin Edwards. Okay, so a few bucks slid into his pocket, but it sure beats an idiot in the governor’s office.”
DEar STrong hearted mom,
I think you will get a break on your insurance if they have had a professional driver’s ed course too. Call your school and ask. Same with snow down here, ice/snow causes panic and people with 4-WD think it gives them a license to drive like idiots, so we don’t “do ice and snow” driving because of teh OTHER DRIVERS that play bumper cars. Fortunately, I don’t have to get to a job so is no big deal for me, but even if I did, I would let them fire me before I’d risk life and limb on slick roads. Not worth it. When I worked in hospitals I would go before the snow hit, find a vacant room and hole up til roads cleared, or stay if it snowed while I was there.
Matt, Glad you weren’t offended by those, I just thought with the political situation now and all the crooks that it was too good to pass up passing them on to an attorney! hee hee he hee (snicker) The third one was “what are 25 sky diving lawyers? SKEET!” I do love those “Car Talk” guys on Saturday on NPR.
QUOTE: MATT: “Okay, so a few bucks slid into his pocket, but it sure beats and idiot in the governor’s office.”
BOINK! BOINK! Coooooome on, Matt! WTF, so he was a crook and that makes it OK cause it was “just a few bucks that slid into his pocket” HOW LAWYERLY OF YOU! BOINK!!! The least we could have were honest idiots instead of freaking psychopaths in office! BOINK! one last time for good measure! Consider yourself chastised! LOL
I especially liked the one about “your honor” though cause it seems sometimes to me that judges check their brains in their chambers. Especially when dealing with Ps.
Lawyer jokes:
If you ever find yourself in a room with a murder, a rapist, and a lawyer, and you have a gun with two bullets in it, who should you shoot? A: The lawyer. Twice.
What is the definition of the ultimate waste? A: A bus full of lawyers going over a cliff………with 3 empty seats.
Why do they bury lawyers 26 feet under the ground when they die? A: Cause down deep, they’re really pretty good people.
And my personal favorite:
Why don’t lawyers charge snakes? A: Professional courtesy.
Oldie but goodie:
What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: An excellent start.
LOL (Sorry, Matt, couldn’t resist).
Stargazer: So you really LIKE lawyers! “. . . my personal favorite:
Why don’t lawyers charge snakes? A: Professional courtesy.
I’ll have to copy the lawyer jokes for a friend, or acquaintance…a unique individual who loves to harass the legal system…and wins all the time, as a pro se litigator without a lawyer.
He stopped by with his 11 year-old son a few weeks ago and we talked for an hour or two while the kids had a “reunion” in the living room…three girls, 2 boys. We also “eavedropped” on their conversation. He says, “If you just listen to kids, you’ll understand them.”
His take: “Judges and prosecutors, any attorney on the “public payroll”, probably are from the bottom of their law school class, and aren’t “good enough lawyers” to make it in private practice.”
He is a man either hated or loved, and is widely regarded as crazy. He readily admits to “doing time” in federal prison for income tax evasion in his younger years. As a convicted felon, he can’t own a weapon, but he helps update, with an attorney/author, the recognized authoritative book on Indiana handgun law. He was jailed for “non-support” of his son…and for two years fought in the courts, “passed around” through every judge and three counties.
His case was finally dropped, with no conviction, and he has been “demanding a trial” for over a year. He put a sign in his window at home, accusing the juvenile judge and prosecutor of being facilitators to a child-molesting ring, and was prosecuted for violating a sign ordinance and “rank growth and vegetation” (ordinances passed after the initial events). He was convicted locally and fined $300,000 for “continued daily violations”…a town attorney was specifically hired to prosecute him. The case was moved to another county, and the judge there dismissed the case…after “my friend” read the text of the law to him and cited cases. The judge told the prosecuting attorney: “You need to prosecute based on what the law says, not what you think you’d have liked the law to say. You’d better go back and have legislators do it right, if you expect to enforce it.” (a rare judge)
I’ve read through some of the actual documents and trial transcripts he posts on his website…so it’s not just his “story.” I’ve seen official testimony videos of state legislative hearings where he always shows up, on custody and child support issues. He is hated by part of “the system” and is quietly respected and fed information by police officers and decent people in the system who see the abuse.
I don’t have evidence, just a few reports, that his current journey began when his wife held a pistol aimed at their three year old son, screaming at my friend, “you love him (the child) more than you love me!”. She showed up again with the gun, but fled when my friend called 911. Guess who got “custody” from the court? “Mom”.
Until she moved with her new husband out of state within the last year (still being fought in court, of course), I had the chance to spend some time with the boy (a friend of my daughter) and interacted with both parents. I reached my own decision about who was the “real” parent…before I even knew the background. It’s “dad.”
Oh, and “my friend” just started college again…aiming for a law degree. (this one also fits well in the “legal abuse” thread).
Dear Jim,
Your “friend” is definitely an “interesting” person! Not many people would go to that extent to “win” in court. He sounds very bright, too. I’m not sure though that he CAN be an attorney with a past criminal record on a felony. Yea, I know they will NOT disbar some guy who has been an attorney already, but they won’t let one in if he has a “jay walking” ticket. He will obviously have a LOT OF LEGAL ENEMIES if he tries to become an attorney and be approved by the bar. At least he will have the knowledge though.
It may ust be my paranoia talking but I have a BIG YELLOW CAUTION SIGN for the past federal felony conviction for “tax evasion.” Many people who have a past criminal record will “TELL YOU” it was for “tax evasion” because most people are “okay” with tax evasion and don’t really see it as a “crime” but the FEds do NOT put some guy in PRISON for a “petty tax case” it has got to be a BIG SWINDLE and/or something else BESIDES TAX EVASION and even then it has to be on a MASSIVE SCALE for that to be the ONLY reason he was incarcerated.
If you want to check this out, you can contact the closest state office of the federal courts and get records of his conviction and sentences. We had a guy in our living history group who went to federal prison for KIDDIE PORN and then got out on parole and came back to our club. Most folks didn’t know he had even been in prison much less for WHAT and here he was in our group WORKING WITH KIDS. So, I found out how to get the reocrds of his conviction and sentencing, called his parole officer and got him kicked out of our club, fired from his contract job working with kids at our state museum, and SEND COPIES OF HIS CONVICTION AND SENTENCING (public information, not illegal to do) to every place I can find out he is working with kids.
Can you tell I don’t like people who molest kids or even look at pictures of kids being molested!
Your friend may “win” in court on all the petty crap that thelocal folks throw at him, but somehow me-thinks that he sounds a bit narcissistic more than “crazy”—anyway, doesn’t mean his X didn’t do the gun pointing thing or that she is a good mother and he isn’t a good father. Ii can also see him not wanting to pay support for her taking the kid away from him.
Just my “knee jerk” response to crusaders and to ex-Federal felons who were in for “tax evasion.” But easy enough to prove what the OTHER crimes he was in for were with just a BIT of digging at a federal court house, the records are public, Will only cost you 25 cents for a copy unless they have raised the rates!
Yeah, Oxy…he’s a bit narcissistic, too, I guess. And probably close to off the charts in intelligence. And here, they’d moved his son up two grades in a “gifted program” in math…and he still hadn’t reached the limit.
But before I knew him, I’d heard a lot of bad stuff about him…weapons charges, child molesting accusations (he spends a lot of time around them, etc).
And then, I ran into him…bowling alley with his son, playing soccer with his son…
Oh, and the “child molesting ring”: he said a local church-run home for “troubled teens” (some placed there on court order), was a “problem”. He was villified for that one…within the last year, a runaway 15 year old girl from the home was found at the home of one of the “employees” of the institution.
Lesbian “relationship”…charges have been filed. The Director….pillar of the community… found opportunity elsewhere, was honored and feted for his years of service to the community…and skated out of town. The much-adored juvenile judge took a National Guard JAG leave…has “overstayed” it by about 6 months, and hasn’t come back…rumor has it he went into private practice in DC.
I’ve gotten federal court records in the past…know how to do it…if I feel the need.
There’s a current local case…murder of a disabled child, 14, by her mother…hearing on a motion to dismiss today. She refused to cop a plea to murder, with a two-year sentence of home detention offered by the prosecutor, revealed at a bail hearing in December…and is still in jail. Trial now moved from March to April or May…prosecutor has a vacation scheduled…
All reported in local and metro papers….interesting…..
He doesn’t affect me directly…first time he’s ever been in my house…I usually run into him at the post office or grocery store….and I have the Indiana sheriffs convicted child molester site in my “favorites” and look at it every few months…to see the nice young man at the pet store, the local junk dealer….I have a 13 year-old daughter…I don’t much care for them either.
I’ll see if I can verify your “yellow flags” anyway.
I also can access the Indiana Department of Corrections website..and have before….but it has limits as to history.
Have done that in the past, too. Lists the ones in the state system. Can’t remember if I looked for him there, before.
I know some local police…I would guess they know his history…and then follow up if I find the right direction.
I’ll let you know.
I’ve been a “crusader” before myself. LOL