According to Merck's Diagnostic and Treatment Manual, up to 3% of the U.S. population meets criteria for antisocial personality disorder. So, we've probably all had the unfortunate experience of encountering a high-functioning sociopath.
Dating or falling in love with someone whose personality traits are truly distorted enough to suggest that they have antisocial personality disorder can deeply damage your self-esteem and ability to trust, and may even cause you to doubt yourself. not. perception of reality.
What is a sociopath?
As defined by the Merck Manual, “Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for consequences and the rights of others.” A person who embodies at least three of the seven antisocial personality traits People who are oriented can be classified as sociopaths.
Most of us encounter men and women on the antisocial spectrum at some point in our lives, and those who get deeply involved in romantic relationships with these people are never the same again.
Attempting to build a supportive bond, a healthy relationship, whether professional or personal, is a futile effort. I never have cooperate. Sure, it may seem like they're working together, but a closer look assures you that's not the case.
People who tend to be empathetic by nature are easily drawn into the quest to help those who strategically and smoothly manipulate them, so it's wise to protect yourself by knowing which warning signs to look out for early on. is. The more you try to work with a sociopath, the more exhausted you become over time.
Here are three main personality traits of high-functioning sociopaths.
These are warning signs to look out for if you think the person you're in love with may be a high-functioning sociopath.
1. very attractive
High-functioning sociopaths can quickly read your emotional needs and focus on you in a way that appears to deeply meet those needs. They make you feel special, understood, and instantly needed.
Certainly, in a healthy relationship, some of those feelings should be present. But the difference is that high-functioning sociopaths have a way of drawing your attention away from themselves and from healthy conversations where there is a balanced flow back and forth. As a result, you never really get to know them.
Unfortunately, it's not until much later that they realize that it's all about them and not at all about you.
A healthy person not only makes you feel special, but also allows you to get to know them. Healthy people don't make you feel so special that you're floating on a cloud.
Keep your feet on the ground! If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
2. Lack of responsibility
In their efforts to draw you in, the high-functioning sociopath succeeds in making you feel special, and then switches everything up so that he is suddenly framed as the victim of everyone and everything. It will be.
The better they are at this, the more likely rational people will be drawn to helping and supporting them. Because they seem to be victims of really difficult and unfair circumstances.
If you happen to point out that they might be responsible for something, they try to make you feel even more sorry for them, rather than owning it, or that you have the nerve to hurt them. You may feel ashamed.
Healthy people accept responsibility and are willing to look for their own contribution to the problem. When things are difficult, they want to work on solutions instead of sitting back and taking advantage of being “one level down” to have others do all the work. I am.
3. Control
High-functioning sociopaths want to keep you all to themselves and isolated in a carefully controlled world so that they can have complete control over your emotions and perceptions.
Subtly at first, then gradually becoming more obvious and persistent, they drive a wedge between you and your closest relationships with friends and family. They badmouth the people you care about most, make you feel guilty about spending time with someone else, and make you question the trustworthiness of people you trust.
Dr. Perrin Elisha I'm a psychologist, psychoanalyst, author, and teacher who helps clients get to the root of their relationship problems and heal them.
