The Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy met in New Orleans, LA April 16-18, 2009. There were several hot topics discussed at the meeting including how psychopathy might be different in men and women. The general consensus seemed to be that psychopathy is under-diagnosed in women because in women the symptoms are different.
Dr. Edelyn Verona is a, leader in the Society. Her group presented, “An Examination of Borderline Personality Disorder and Secondary Psychopathy Across Genders.” To understand these research findings look at the list of traits below:
Factor 1 Traits (Primary Psychopathy)
• Glib and superficial
• Egocentric and grandiose
• Lack of remorse or guilt
• Lack of empathy
• Deceitful and manipulative
• Shallow emotions
Factor 2 Traits (Secondary Psychopathy)
• Impulsive
• Poor behavior controls
• Need for excitement
• Lack of responsibility
• Early behavior problems
• Adult antisocial behavior
Dr. Verona’s group looked at the relationship between borderline personality (BPD) traits Factor 1 and Factor 2 in women. They stated, “We hypothesized that gender would moderate the relationship between secondary psychopathic characteristics and features, such that Factor 2 would correlate more strongly with BPD in women than in men. We further expected that primary psychopathic characteristics would be negatively related to BPD.”
The first part of their hypothesis turned out to be supported, that is Factor 2 was associated with BPD in both men and women but more so women.
More important though, is that the second part of their hypothesis was not supported. Primary psychopathic features were positively related to BPD and “F2 was significantly more predictive of BPD in high F1 women relative to low F1 women.”
The authors concluded, “In particular, the combination of F1 and F2 seems predictive of BPD in women, but not men. This suggests that psychopathy (which is typically defined as being high on both F1 and F2) is manifested as BPD in women.”
Their conclusions are supported by other studies showing a positive correlation between psychopathy and BPD scores.
I spoke with Dr. Verona about their findings, commenting that many psychiatrists consider BPD to be a mood or anxiety disorder. She answered that the criteria for BPD are not precise enough. A woman with PTSD and/or mood symptoms can be diagnosed with BPD if she is also impulsive. It does not seem fitting to group these women together with psychopathic women, especially since the treatment may be different for those who have mood/anxiety disorders.
What does this all mean for you who have family members or co-workers with BPD? My advice is consider the degree of harm done by the person in the context of Factor 1 and Factor 2 traits. The more a woman or man has BOTH sets of traits, the more dangerous she/he is likely to be.
zimzoomit:
One of the hallmarks of sociopaths is “precocious sexuality.” Since your S-ex was engaging in sexual behavior by the age of 12, it could be that his activity was a sign of his emerging sociopathy rather than being the result of a sexual experience with his cousin.
my mother is a narcissist and a sociopath and she is insane and brutal”though im 30 years old she thinks she can control me and has already dsetroyed my life”any interaction i have with her, is her trying to put me down abuse me, insult me or piss me off, then she goes around telling people im angry and putting me down”.she is like a demon”im at my wit’s end with her, and another sp ive been dealing with, but when it comes down to it”“my mother has destroyed m ylife in many ways and even trhough the legal system”she is cruel sick and like a criminal”how can you deal with these monsters, esp if they are famiyl members”.this psychopath will demaen me any chance she gets, she is so sick in the head then blame it all on me”.she is also ’obsessed’ with me in some crazy sick way the same way a male is obsessed with a female he’s really into, that’s how this whackjob is with me”.ive never met anyone as sick as he and the way she acts with me”it’s really scary”.they do ’anything’ just to get to you, push your buttons, and anything u say to them they yell scream throw fits”.she is deranged”.but the worst part is, i can’t get this sociopath outof my life”.there are such strong ties”.i feel so tied and trapped”b/c of everything she’s done to me”and whatever she continues to do”and when she leaves my place, after putting me through hell, then she has to knock and bang on the door one last time”so she can ’do something more’ to piss me off”.anything to do something i will object, to so then she can insult/harass me more”.she is a very sick evil person”..and again i cant get her out of my life”.she also does things so im yelling so i look like the bad one”so she or my family can make me look bad to others and badmouth me and say “oh she’s this adn that she has problems—..how do you deal with these dysfunctional sociopathic people”.they seem so skilled at their evils”like u cant fight their tactics”.ive never met monsters who are so skilled at destroying another person”.its like in their blood to ruin/destroy/upset/piss off, their targets or victims and u cant imagine what kind of tactics they use”then they play victim and throw the blame on you”.ive been dealing with this bitch and wench for 12 years now and everything she has done to my life”.and the worst part is”u cant get these nutjobs out of your life”.they remain there just to destroy/attack/abuse you anyway they can”..and they do so in ways that leave them victorious you furious and you crippled and traumatized from all the abuse you have to deal with”they also just seem to ’know’ how/when to abuse you at what timse”and what will ruin you the most”it’s almost like some kind of system ingrained in them”.which leaves you powerless, upset, furious, confused, hopeless”.they go out of their way to destroy your life and soul in any way possible”worse people think that because the fat cow is your ’mother’ that she loves you and that you should respect her”.when she is your worst enemy and not only has ruined your life, but continues to ruin you any chance she gets and every interaction she has”is about dominating/controlling/abusing terrorizing and taking control over you”.how can u deal with/fight these monsters”..i cant figure out how”.as they do not allow you your own opinions, rights anything”they fight to dominate/destroy”any way they can”.no matter what”till the end and they have no remorse, no conscience for their evil sick behavior”.and it is shocking to witness, a monster in action out to ruin someone and how sick they are in the head”.i watched my own mother destroy her own daughters life for several years, for no reason go around claiming she’s a ’doctor’ jsut to ruin her own child”.do horrid things to her daughter”..and continue to abuse her any chance she gets”.and even control her”i had a sadistic ex sociopath who called my mother and tried to tell her, that i had ’oral sex’ with him”(big deal)”well my mother is now furious that i had ’oral sex’ with a male”.(how crazy as im 30) and is being more abusive as if i did something wrong and acts as if she needs to ’become strict’ with me”im not sure how to relay to this nutjob that im an adult”and when i explain to this mentally deranged maniac that im an adult”and i can do what i want”she will start yelling “OH YOURE AN ADULT U DONT NEED MY HELP THEN HUH”UR AN ADULT U CAN DO THAT ON YOUR OWN”.oh “YOURE AN ADUL”T HUH”?????’ trying to bully me into telling me that im not an adult”..and that i ened to ’prove to her that im an adult’”.i still try to explain to this loud mouthed witch that she can’t do that ot me or treat me that way she gets more furious and abusive”.and violent and will start throwing things if she’s around me or even throwing things near me”.she is crazy and sick”.and people always side with her for some reason and will put me down”.im quiet nice but even if i try to stand up for myself this psychopath gets belligerent and abusive”.how can someone deal with a sick monster like this”..and she will even threaten to call the police on me if i argue back with her”.she seems to think that she’s my ’mother’ and can do ’anything she wants’ to me and im a ’child’..its really scary”..she also seems mentally ill and off in her thinking”.and im not sure how to react to the situation”..she has also gotten me involved in things legally and taken control of my life so that i really dont have many rights”.she is ruthless and sick”..and im not sure how to deal with aggressive belligerent psychos like that”.or how to protect myself from a monster ie ’parent’”who thinks they can do that to anyone much less their own offspring”..
Dear Melanie,
THE ONLY WAY unfortunately is to get them OUT OF YOUR LIFE. This takes back bone and resolve. Believe me it took me to 60+ years to finally say ENOUGH to my manipulative asnd abusvie and controlling “mother”—actually I call her my eggt donor because the term MOTHER must be EARNED not by just giving a DNA sample.
Through all the pain I never eventy thought I could “divorce Her” I kept thinkg she must love me, and I had big time community and family pressure give her her way, but I finally did it and it HURT, but I am INDEPENDENT OF HER. I ask nothing of her and I give nothing to her. She is OUT of my life, out of my heart, and I am my own persoln. I hope you can free yourselfj before you reach my age (twice yours) because I “wasted” a great deal of time, but you will do it when you are ready! God bless you.
Melanie-my mother is NC and out of my life too. She has many NPD traits and there is something really wrong with her. I used to get anxiety attacks when she would ring my cell phone. My stress levels are SO much better since I dropped her!
Hi, everyone! Its my Spath daughters 46 th Birthday today, and no, Oxy, I DIDNT send her a B day card!As you pointed out she has sh–t on me and sh–t on me and sh–t on me relentlessly for 30 plus years! So why do I still have a residue of guilt for not sending a card and pressie? Your so right, shed only see this as “IVE WON AGAIN OVER MUM.”Her life is unravelling fast, but NOT MY PROBLEM any more, shes just like her Dad, always looking for suckers to bale her out financially from her own messes.I got preggers to a complete strangerer in Singapore, married him 4 months later,already 3 months pregnant with spath D.Knowing now what I didnt have a clue about then, maybe I should have flushed her down the toilet. But I didnt believe in abortion. Anyway, itsa ll been a learning curve!I wouldnt have had my 3 lovely GKDS but I havent seen them in a year, and have never seen the other spath Ds kids.Je ne regrette rien! As Edith Piaf used to sing.
Onwards and upwrds, to a spath free life! TOWANDA to all of us! Love, mamaGem.XX
Dear Gem,
Sweetie, I HAPPILY even forgot the day of my P-son’s BD this year, and have done so before too…..and wasn’t even reminded of egg donor’s BD until a few days later.
Heck, you know, I think about them less and less as real people and more and more as abstractions. The things they did to me, etc are more like the script of amovie I saw once but am not really “feeling” the emotions of the plot any more.
It’s almost like it is a “tale” that is just a story I memorized, a story with a moral maybe, but not one that actually happened to ME.
We sure need rain here, I went to town and then drove on to get some llama wool for a friend of mine who spins from a lady who raises them and was offering to give away the wool to anyone who went to get it. Each area in US has a “free cycle” grup that offers to give away things we don’t need (NO sales) so you advert it on the e mail list and people who want it come get it and haul it away. Good group and I’ve used it some before.
Enjoyed meeting the lady, and seeing her farm and llamas. Stopped by the flea market and bought guess what—BOOKS of course! Then came on home. Have another trip on Thursday so will do shopping that day.
Did drive through some rain though but none here yet, just keeping fingers crossed. E72 Inoticed you have a big storm over your area todcay and maybe some of it will come my way. Grass is CRUNCHY and trees look wilted! Well, off to read my books—history of course! Nite nite~!
Mama Gem I dont know if I should laugh or cry at you above post. But I understand kinda, I went no contact with my mom years ago and I felt so guilty for years afterwards on mothers day -b days etc..but when I think of the life long torment she put my sis and I through there is no guilt..sometime’s we must save ourselves from evil kin..I guess I shud be happy she didnt flush me..My dad always said I was a mistake because there was a hole in his rubber..
Oxy-you can have some of my rain anytime you want it but I don’t know where to send it. A tropical something is also about to come in. It started pouring down three times today while the sun was beating down. NOLA is the only place I know where you need to take your umbrella and sunglasses with you at all times! It rains cats and dogs, stops suddenly and then there is steam coming off the ground and the sun is so bright you can’t hardly see.
#1 for my list: I QUIT SMOKING TWO YEARS AGO. I did it so the spath would date me. I told myself I would get fat when I did it but it was better than being smoker. Now I can’t even STAND to be around the smell-and when spath left, he said-“I guess you’re going to start smoking again since I’m leaving”! HAHAHAHAHA BIG LOSER-NEGATIVE!!!!!! I love myself for quitting!!
HENS-that’s awful-you’re not a mistake! We all love you!
Erin Your so sweet – hey that’s one of the nicer thing’s my Dad said too me. I am happy to see your progress Erin – it does my heart good when peeps come here and I see them get their life headed in a good direction..