How Psychopaths View Their World

Most psychopaths are very arrogant and cocky. However, when charming  a potential victim, they say all the "right" things and make you  believe they are kind-hearted souls; not always, but often enough.  The truth is, psychopaths are not altruistic and do not really care  about friendships or ties. Guggenbuhl-Craig states that they are very talented at appearing much more humble than the average person, but  are hardly so. Some are also able to feign concern about the lower  classes and profess that they are on the side of the underdog, the  poor, and so forth. A psychopath may claim, for instance (if he's  from a low socio-economic class), that he dislikes rich people  intensely, but at the same time, he will inwardly yearn and envy what  they have. He is like the narcissist, desiring to reflect a false  image of himself through his possessions. Among his possessions are  included human beings: girlfriends, wives, and children. Some psychopaths can even very fond of animals (contrary to the common  viewpoint), but still view them as objects in relation to themselves.

The psychopath is filled with greed inside, relating to the world  through power, even though, as I said, on the outside he can claim to  be on the side of the disenfranchised or the downtrodden. I knew one  who liked to repeat phrases such as "they have to stop keeping my  brothers down" but he didn't mean a word of it. He was actually a  racist. The psychopath can also often identify himself as a  revolutionary.

On the flip side, the psychopath also often paints a picture of  himself as the downcast anti-hero (his "own worst enemy type") and  some like to see themselves as lone-wolves. The psychopath may even  claim he is sensitive and profound, but inside he is nothing but  emptiness and greed. Whether or not the psychopath is aware of his  behaviour is something that is often debated. I do believe that  psychopaths usually know exactly what they are doing, although others  suggest that psychopaths are "born, not made." [1]

I believe that psychopathy is primarily genetic. A son with a  psychopathic father often will be psychopathic as well, especially if  the father was abusive and/or abandoned the family as well.

As mentioned, psychopaths often claim to settle for second best  (being their own worst enemy) and then think they deserve better.  This may be manifested in the way they seek power -- either through  money (i.e. material goods), manipulation and/or treating people as  objects. By enacting such behaviours, the psychopath is also trying  to "get back" at society and the world, in order to gain retribution.  They will spend their entire lives doing this, whether they are rich  or poor, or whatever their social background may be, although studies  have shown that they often come from an impoverished or lower socio- economic background and/or social status. (In one of Dr. Donald  Black's studies, many of the men were "overwhelmingly white, blue  collar, lower middle class, and married, and most had not graduated  from high school." [Black, 14]). (Let me add, despite Dr. Blacks'  studies, psychopaths can still exist in any social class. Do not be misled). I also wanted to point out that I will be using "he"  and "him" for the term psychopath throughout this website; let it not  be forgotten, yes, female psychopaths exist as well; however,  according to the Sixth Edition of Abnormal Behavior, printed in 2000  by three male professors, David, Derald, and Stanley Sue, the rates  do differ by gender. Included in their excellent text is a report by  the The American Psychiatric Association that the general estimate is  3% for men, and less than 1% in women [Personality Disorders and  Impulse Control Disorders, 238].

What is very disturbing about psychopaths, besides their sense of  special entitlement, is the complete lack of empathy for normal  people, for "antisocials (psychopaths) seem to lack a conscience,  feeling little or no empathy for the people whose lives they touch...the antisocial effortlessly resists all regulation, unable to  see beyond his self-interest or to adopt standards of right versus  wrong." [Black, XIII].

Not all psychopath are uneducated low-class misfits. Some of them are  quite handsome and have good careers, and use this all the more to  their benefit. Take a look at Ted Bundy; my friend's mother once went  on a double-date with him and claimed he was the nicest person. His  mother said he was the "best son any mother could have." Bundy was also apparently quite good-looking, which made him even more  dangerous. So not all psychopaths are derelict, low-class, high  school drop-outs, there are many who also work in professional  occupations; the fact remains that there are just more psychopaths who come from impoverished backgrounds than not.

Also, not all psychopaths are calm, cool, and collected. Some of them  appear strange or odd, and their behaviour can be eccentric or  unusual. I believe this is what can confuse victims most often.  Psychopaths often appear [see pictures here]: intense  and "electrifying". Do not be misled if someone appears  harmless, "foolish", or seems offbeat. An "angelic" visage can also  often fool people. Just picture John Wayne Gacy in his "clown  costume" as he entertained children as one example. Another example  which someone on the "Victims of Psychopathy" board came up with was  Bill Clinton and his "goofy" yet loveable demeanour (so is Clinton  really a psychopath? Many believe he is).

A psychopath (he was diagnosed anti-social) I knew used the harmless  cover-up quite well. Everyone thought he was very funny. I did too,  at first. Then, little by little, I realised there was something "not  right" about him. At first his seemingly harmless pranks were  charming, but after a while, he became more of a nuisance and  disrupted our work environment, which created havoc and tension  between employees. I've learned, a psychopath can use these disguises  for his own hidden purpose.Regardless of race, social class, or  occupation, however, the psychopath is dangerous to society, for "the nature of ASP (psychopathy) implies that it wreaks more havoc on  society than most other mental illnesses do, since the disorder  primarily involves reactions against the social environment that drag  other people into its destructive web...The despair and anxiety  wrought by antisocials (psychopaths) tragically affects families and  communities, leaving deep physical and emotional scars..." [Black, 5].

There is much to the psychopathic personality which is baffling and  disturbing. 1 in about 25-30 people are psychopathic (also known as  sociopaths or anti-social -- the correct title being psychopath.)  Since the majority or them are men, I wrote this site in part, to  warn women about the dangers, especially women online, which I  believe is a favourite "new medium" which appeals to psychopaths. I  have personal experience with this subject as well. This is  because "antisocials (psychopaths) are not just characters in our  fictional or true-life entertainments. They are family members,  friends, co-workers, neighbors, or strangers we may encounter every  day." [Black, 10]. Pamela Jayne, M.A., writes that "30% of men are  sociopathic." If about every three out of ten men I may meet are  psychopathic, I would assume this is not something to take lightly. According to these statistics, that would mean every three out of ten  men and maybe every one out of ten females. The truth is, we do not  really know exactly how many individuals are psychopathic; however,  there seems to be a rise in the prevalence of psychopathy and that is  why some claim that numbers are higher. Dr. Black claims that psychopathy leads right behind depression, along with schizophrenia  and borderline personality disorder, which is an astounding fact.

The Psychopath as Physician from Hervey Cleckley's The Mask of Sanity

The Inner Landscape of the Psychopath from Hervey Cleckley's The Mask of Sanity

Our Sincere Thanks to the Owner of the website on Psychopathic Personality Disorder for kind permission to quote her research in assembling this report.