Inside the Mind of a Psychopath
Psychopaths and Sociopaths
Predator: William Q. On parole, Wisconsin.
Discussion: Intimate abusers face minimal penalties. Punishment doesn’t deter the psychopaths or sociopaths of society. When the system turns them loose, victims live in fear. Learn how to use the system to put these nuts in their place.
Will was the perfect guy, everything “Erika” could have asked for. He was movie-star handsome at almost six foot in height with sparkling blue eyes and a winning smile.
Trim and fit, Will ran long distance races and biked. He held multiple patents for his inventions, a PhD and master’s degree. Will talked of his experience as a director with one company, introducing RFID to track IT assets.
Now he held another good job. He didn’t make as much money as Erika did as an engineer. But Will made her feel so important. He told her how much he loved her. How much he needed her.
Erika had already been through one marriage. The divorce had been tough on her kids. She was lonely. She wanted someone to share a life with her and her kids.
Will swept her off her feet. She had understood about his two failed marriages. Sometimes things just don’t work out. Especially when there’s a high-powered job.
She thought it was cute that he had twin sons both named after him. It reminded her of the Dr. Seuss book with Thing 1 and Thing 2. William 1 and William 2.
Things were great at first. Especially when Erika devoted her full attention to Will.
Then slowly her perfect partner turned into a perfect psycho.
It was like a dial with a hundred notches. If he had turned it immediately to 100, she would have left. When you see it happening to someone else, someone getting the shit beaten out of them, you say, I’d never let that happen. I’d be gone.
But he clicked it one notch at a time. So gradually she was hardly aware of what was happening.
He accused her of not paying him enough attention. Of things she didn’t do. He’d fly into rages over nothing. Take his anger out on the pets. Soon his focus was her. And her kids.
He’d call her over to the computer. “Honey, look at this.” When she leaned over his shoulder, he’d throw his fist up and connect with her nose. One time he broke it. No rhyme or reason. Just pow.
He sat with a loaded and locked gun. Just sat there.
She’d be getting ready to go to out. He would come over and take a piss all over her. Then he’d turn and say, “Hurry up. Get ready.”
He watched murder dramas on TV, bragging how easy it would be for him to get away with murder. Subtle intimidation. It worked.
There was more hitting. Rapes.
When she finally couldn’t take anymore and went to the police, it wasn’t over. She got a restraining order. He violated it.
The case dragged on for over a year. He was sentenced to six months for misdemeanor battery, carrying a concealed weapon and violating a domestic abuse order. She was sentenced to a life of terror.
“I live in a constant state of fear. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I’ve installed security cameras, motion sensors, have had the locks changed,” she testified in court.
“I’ve been strangled, chocked, beaten, punched. He’s taken away my freedom to live. He’s a very dangerous man who needs to get help.”
She asked the court to teach him that he wasn’t above the law, saying, “don’t deter from the fact he dresses nice and has a good job.”
It wasn’t the first time Willam Q. had pulled this on a woman. His other two wives both talked of beatings and rapes to the detective. All three spoke independently of knowing when he’d flip the switch from normal to psycho. They said he’d have this stare and then his eyes would literally change colors.
One of the ex-spouses and her family spoke of how they all lived in fear of him. As they talked, they all burst into tears. The woman’s ex-husband got a gun to protect his children. The family stood watch for seven days, going without sleep. They thought every noise in the dark house was him coming after her – and the rest of them.
Wife No. 3 got a brief reprieve. William Q. was sentenced in 2014 to 18 months in the pen for violating his deferred prosecution agreement for stalking. He got out a couple of weeks ago.
Now everyone is living in fear. That’s common with victims. It’s tough to put abusers away. Once the abuser is in jail, the victim counts the days until the release. Parole is a joke. The parole officer has umpteen ex-prisoners to supervisor. No teeth to measures to keep these abusers in line.
A Different Solution
What can victims do? There is an answer. Learn the terms of parole. Any parole violation can send the joker back to the slammer.
Abusers are such control freaks, it’s bound to happen. Law enforcement or the parole officer doesn’t have time to monitor the abuser.
So consider a private detective or other means of surveillance. Make sure the abuser doesn’t detect the surveillance. This could escalate the situation. With proof, a detective will be only too happy to give the abuser a ride back to the pen.
Psychopaths and Sociopaths
Not all abusers are psychopaths or sociopaths, but it is a common trait of the “paths.” Let’s take a look at these repulsive human beings.
It’s good to learn what evil is to avoid it. Psychopaths are stealth operators. They often live undetected for years as real-life Dexters.
If committing a crime, they meticulously plan and leave few clues. Sociopaths are impulsive time bombs. Often are uneducated, these erratic individuals may hop from job to job and be unable to form strong attachments. It’s said psychopaths are born that way. Sociopaths are created by early abusive experiences.
Either way, you want to stay as far away as possible.
10 Psychopath Symptoms
Psychopaths have a well-documented list of traits, described here by Hervey Cleckley in Mask of Sanity. Making the top 10 are:
- A mega-sized ego. If something goes wrong, everyone else is to blame.
- Prince and Princess Charming. But only at first.
- Lying… Because they can! Manipulative little suckers.
- It’s all about me. Absolutely nooo empathy for others.
- Cool as a cucumber. They are weirdly calm in dangerous or scary situations. That’s when you should get scared shitless and run!
- Live for pleasure.
- Psycho stare.
- Seem responsible, but really aren’t. Even inconsistent in their inconsistencies.
- They don’t have friends. They have stepping stones. That goes for romantic partners.
- Seem totally, fucking normal! No weird ticks or delusions. Yup, it takes a while to figure out they’re psycho.
Psychopaths and sociopaths share a few key traits. According to Dr. Scott Bonn, a Drew University professor, these include:
- a disregard for laws and social mores
- a disregard for the rights of others
- a failure to feel remorse or guilt
- a tendency to display violent behavior
How to Avoid Psychopaths and Sociopaths
The best thing to do is never to get involved with either gender of these sickos. Don’t date, hire or ask ‘em to babysit your impressionable kids.
That’s easier said than done.
These individuals don’t have a sign around their necks. Psychopaths in particular have learned to mimic ordinary behavior. The best advice is to ask a lot of questions when you meet someone:
- Assess the answers. The “paths” charm, but speak in generalities. Their responses to specific questions tend to be vague and inconsistent. Learn how to spot and follow up on patterns.
- Go by reputation, not image. Ask others who know the person. Probe. Go with your gut feelings.
- Partner history. Sociopaths rarely stay in relationships for long. Often they juggle multiple partners. Psychopaths can sustain long-term relationships without their intimate partners knowing about some of their deviant behavior. If someone has a long trail of sweethearts, ask a lot of questions. Listen with your head, not your heart to the answers. Recognize in romance they start as perfect partners. They give the partner all the power – at first. Slowly it gets taken away by these control freaks.
- Work history. Sociopaths change jobs often. They have a tough time sustaining performance long term. Psychopaths, on the other hand, are often well educated and capable of holding a steady job. Their talent for manipulation and imitation allows them to blend in without others suspecting what lies just below the surface.
- Know yourself. The “paths” are intelligent. They’ll morph to complement your deficiencies. Build your strengths to lessen feelings of inadequacies. The best defense is still a good offense. If someone is highly personable at first impression, pause before moving forward.
Final words, if it seems to too good to be true, guess what, it probably is. That’s true for financial deals and sweethearts.
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