How do you know if someone has antisocial personality disorder in your life? You may be surprised, but anyone can have antisocial personality disorder. And they’re more common than you might think.
Have you ever met someone who struck you as being outgoing, outgoing, and seemingly living a great life? Only to discover a few months later that something didn’t seem right about them? You’ve probably just met your first person with antisocial personality disorder.
Antisocial personality disorder is an antisocial disorder characterized by a complete lack of moral respect for society’s rules and boundaries.
The Mayo Clinic defines antisocial personality disorder as “a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and disregards the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate, or treat others with cruelty or callous indifference. They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior.”
According to Harvard psychologist Dr. Martha Stout, about one in 25 Americans has antisocial personality disorder, so its prevalence is much higher than you might think. But how do you spot an antisocial person? As with any mental disorder, there are certain signs that reveal a tendency toward sociopathy.
Here’s how to spot an antisocial person, based on the ten most common characteristics of individuals with the disorder:
- Extremely Charming
The first time you meet an antisocial person, if they think you could be useful to them, they will be extremely charming. Antisocial people seem to have a kind of aura about them that people are naturally drawn to. They’re the life of the party, full of charisma, and they command your attention. In fact, their visibly charming nature is probably why you noticed them in the first place.
- Extremely Intelligent
Antisocial people typically score very high on intelligence tests and seem to be knowledgeable about many subjects. It is rare to find someone with antisocial personality disorder who is not intelligent, as they have to be very intelligent to be able to manipulate people. They use their high IQ to outsmart others and maintain their power over them.
- Intense and Spontaneous
One of the things that attracts people to psychopaths is their seemingly amazing lives. They are always trying new and exciting things and do not care about the rules and boundaries of society. Many of their adventures are risky and dangerous and they seem to have no fear of others.
- Compulsive Liars
How to Spot a Psychopath? Look for the Liar. Psychopaths will tell you the most outrageous stories about themselves and their lives, and at first, thanks to their charming nature, you are likely to believe them. They will exaggerate their accomplishments and lie for the sake of lying.
They become delusional if presented with the truth and can actually begin to believe their own lies. One famous example is Charles Manson, the psychopathic murderer, who when asked about his murders said, “I never killed anyone! I don’t need to kill anyone!”
- Manipulation
Why do psychopaths lie? So they can manipulate you. For a psychopath, the only reason you’re in their life is because they want something from you. They manipulate you in order to control you. It could be because you’re entertaining them and they find it interesting to mess with your mind, or it could be because they want to take something valuable from you.
- Lack of Remorse or Empathy
Remember that famous line in The Terminator where Reese explains to Sarah Connor that a Terminator “simply doesn’t feel compassion or remorse”? You could say the same about psychopaths. They simply don’t understand how their actions affect those around them. They see the consequences, but they don’t care. Since they’re incapable of feeling these emotions, it allows them to pursue any goal, any way, without thinking about others.
- Incapable of Love
Psychopaths can’t fall in love. They don’t know how to, and besides, what would that do for them? They’re incapable of giving themselves to another person, although they’re good at faking feelings of love in order to get what they want.
- Narcissistic Behavior
Psychopaths can’t love others, but they certainly love themselves. In fact, everything they do is selfish and self-serving. They have an inflated ego and a tendency to talk about themselves and their accomplishments in a grandiose way.
- Obsessive Need to Win
Another trait that can help you spot psychopaths is that individuals with this disorder need to win at all costs, and it may be the single most important factor in their lives.
If they don’t, you’ll see their true identities exposed, as they won’t be able to control their anger in an attempt to regain victory. Oh, and don’t expect psychopaths to ever apologize if it looks like they’ve lost an argument.
- They Don’t Have Long-Term Friends
Finally, have you ever noticed that your new charming friend doesn’t have any long-term friends? People who are well-balanced tend to have a diverse group of friends, from school, work, and their social life. Psychopaths have a “revolving door” of friends, alienating people with all of the above behaviors.
