Page 26 - June July 2017

Inside the Mind of a Sociopath
are vengeful and will exact severe retribution if they and insensitive. They are cold, calculating, greedy and
feel thwarted or attacked. overly-entitled.

A sociopath will rarely take “No” for an answer. Sociopaths have no qualms about breaking society’s
They are relentless in the pursuit of their goals. They rules or using others as stepping-stones on their way up
become enraged when frustrated and will behave the ladder of success. Still, many are able to cultivate a
punitively toward anyone who they believe has benign or even sweet demeanor, which enables them to
gotten in their way. ingratiate themselves to potential victims.
C
This type of person can be highly impulsive and On the extreme end of the sociopathy range are the A
unconstrained by the usual human self-preservation rapists, sadists and serial killers who take pleasure P
instincts. If we expect that they won’t do something in causing humiliation and pain. Then there are the I
because it’s risky or foolhardy, we’ll be wrong. pimps, blackmailers and members of motorcycle gangs
There’s very little to stop them from putting and other types of organized crime. They employ T
themselves in harm’s way in the pursuit of their either charm and seduction or bribery, coercion and A
goals. intimidation to entrap their victims. L

The sociopath in our midst can be the charming con- The more intelligent the sociopath, the more dangerous
artist; the married celebrity with a pristine public they are. These people are the predators of the human P
persona but multiple secret mistresses; the ultra- race, and just as a great cat is able to identify the U
charismatic, corrupt politician or the evangelical weaker animal within a group and to sneak up on it, the
minister with an enormous, generous congregation. sociopath will recognize the needy, the vulnerable and N
the naive. The intelligent sociopath is more successful in I
A sociopath strongly craves a position of power, part because they’re that much better at disguising their S
and will frequently seek out jobs where they can true intentions.
dominate, control or oppress others. Lawyers, police H
officers, doctors, teachers, coaches, clergy, therapists, The antisocial individual exploits the emotional M
CEOs and politicians will always have a certain weakness in their prey in the same way a lion or a E
number of sociopaths in their ranks. leopard takes advantage of a lame or diseased gazelle.
The cleverer they are, the easier it is for them to N
In their roles as leaders of industry and society, recognize and exploit the weak areas in someone’s T
sociopaths can do a lot of harm. Examples of this personality.
are big corporate polluters, CFOs who steal millions
from their share-holders; police officers who abuse Children are sitting ducks for sociopaths because
the citizens they’re honor-bound to protect; and they are defenseless against them. That’s why it’s so
coaches who take advantage of their young charges. important for them to have good supervision. For adults,
holding on to any child-like traits, such as being overly-
Other examples are therapists who sleep with trusting or credulous is never wise.
troubled clients; politicians who make billions for
their own private companies through war-mongering; An attitude of healthy skepticism is far safer. Those who
modern-day spiritual leaders whose true goal is to insist on believing that everyone is “nice” and has good
sexually or financially exploit naive followers and intentions will be as vulnerable to being preyed upon as
investment gurus who promote Ponzi schemes and any actual child.
later blame their victims for their “greed.”
When it comes to our dealings with politicians,
Sociopathy, like any other psychological disorder, financial advisors or CEOs, to be well-informed is to be
has a range of severity. People who merely have empowered. Along with being skeptical, knowledge and
antisocial traits tend to be thoughtless and understanding of a given situation makes it that
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