Although many people think that psychopaths are serial killers and mass murderers, it is actually a term used for a personality type that meets basic non-violent criteria.
Psychopaths are all around us, including politicians, local businessmen and businesswomen, and the person I sat next to on the bus this morning. Anyone can be a psychopath. But this does not mean that they will commit serious crimes any time soon.
In fact, only 20-25% of prisoners are mentally ill. This means that the term has nothing to do with a violent or criminal nature.
So what makes someone mentally ill? Well, traits like being extremely attractive and charming, having little or no empathy, and a great sense of self-worth are clues that someone is a psychopath. But in general, they can be very difficult to detect.
The best way to explain a psychopath is to say that they are a master manipulator and can modify their personalities and behaviors to become exactly the person they want them to be.
Here are some things psychopaths often say to manipulate you into thinking you’re going crazy:
- “You read too much into everything.”
If you have certain doubts and someone tells you that you’re reading too much into it, they might be right. However, if you are right about a psychopath and he tells you that you are overanalyzing something, more often than not, he is manipulating you into believing that you are the wrong person so that he can get away. With all that you doubted them.
For example, they may deliberately flirt with someone in front of you. Then, when you react the way they knew you would, they tell you you’re overreacting and reading too much into the situation. Whether they do it intentionally or not, psychopaths often make you feel insecure about things, and then blame you for that anxiety.
- “I hate drama, you’re always arguing.”
Psychopaths are always bored, so they create drama and problems within relationships just to spice things up a bit. Then, once you react to certain things they’ve caused, they accuse you of starting drama and/or always wanting to argue. Again, they may not be doing this consciously, but it is a pattern of behavior that will be repeated throughout the relationship. - “You’re crazy”
A psychopath will often do things to cause problems, plant seeds of doubt in your mind, and leave you feeling insecure about yourself and your relationship. Then they will call you crazy for your reaction to it.
A good example of this is that they will plant seeds of suspicion that they are texting other people. So when you take a look at their text messages to reassure yourself, they notice and call you. They will claim that you are crazy and/or controlling. Pay close attention to the way they talk about their exes in this scenario, as it can give you a big hint as to the way they act.
