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We've all encountered movies or books where psychopaths are featured. They're typically shown as merciless killers, rapists, or embodiments of pure evil.
While some psychopaths fit this violent stereotype, many others live ordinary lives and hold regular jobs. If you suspect that you might be a psychopath, this list of 10 indicators could help you determine if that's the case.
10. You Suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the authoritative guide used by psychiatrists and psychologists to diagnose mental health conditions. Psychopathy itself is not classified as a disorder in the DSM-5.
Although psychopathy is considered a personality trait and assessed by various personality tests used by psychologists, it isn't an official diagnosis. The closest diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder, and the DSM-5 notes that individuals with antisocial personalities are often labeled as psychopaths.
You can think of “antisocial personality” as the medical term and “psychopath” as the more casual term. However, this diagnosis can only be made for individuals who are at least 18 years old.
This is because mental health experts tend to take a more hopeful view of children. As a child grows, their developmental stage, personality, and temperament all evolve. Many professionals believe that behavioral issues in children can be addressed through early intervention.
There is, however, a childhood version of antisocial personality disorder, known as “conduct disorder.” Not all children with conduct disorder develop antisocial personalities in adulthood. The criteria for conduct disorder are somewhat unclear, meaning that a rebellious teenager might be misdiagnosed with it.
Yet, if a child displays multiple symptoms of conduct disorder and the problems begin at a young age, there's a higher chance they may develop antisocial personality disorder, psychopathic traits, or both as they get older.
9. You Experience Low Physiological Arousal
An intriguing aspect of psychopaths: Their condition impacts more than just their behaviors and thought patterns. It also affects their physical responses. Psychopaths exhibit low physiological arousal and reactivity, meaning they don't react to stimuli in the same way most people do.
Think of a time when you felt scared or anxious. Maybe you heard a loud noise in the night or went on a first date with someone you liked. You might have experienced sweating, trembling, or rapid breathing. Your heart could have been racing, and you might have had goose bumps.
These are typical physiological stress reactions, signaling to us that we might be in danger. However, psychopaths generally don't exhibit these physical responses.
They tend to have lower resting heart rates, blood pressure, and body temperatures. This reduced arousal has been linked to certain psychopathic traits and behaviors, such as an absence of emotions and a lack of fear.
8. You Have a Lack of Empathy and Remorse
The DSM-5 states that one of the key diagnostic features of antisocial personality disorder is a lack of remorse and empathy toward others. Empathy involves the ability to understand what someone else is going through, seeing things from their perspective, or putting yourself in their shoes.
Psychopaths are typically self-centered and struggle to grasp other people's viewpoints. They often exhibit a pattern of ignoring others' needs, values, and safety. They may also infringe upon others' rights, especially for personal gain.
As a result, psychopaths experience little to no remorse or guilt for their actions. They are often indifferent to the harm they cause and tend to justify their negative behaviors.
For instance, a psychopath might excuse stealing from someone by claiming the person deserved it because they left their belongings unattended. Or they may act as con artists, rationalizing their actions by saying the victim was foolish and easily duped, and therefore deserving of being scammed.
7. You Harm and Kill Animals
While animal abuse is not a symptom of antisocial personality disorder, it is a characteristic of conduct disorder (a childhood disorder). It is also a risk factor that has been associated with children developing antisocial personality disorder in adulthood.
However, killing animals isn't always an indicator of pathology. Children who spend a lot of time outdoors may kill ants, insects, tadpoles, frogs, or other small creatures for entertainment. Others may enjoy activities like fishing or hunting for leisure.
It's important to distinguish between what is culturally accepted or appropriate and what is considered abnormal or inappropriate. Although hunting and fishing, which involve killing animals for sport, are common practices, they are not considered signs of abnormal or psychopathic behavior, as they are socially accepted.
Psychopathic behaviors towards animals might include actions like burning, beating, or killing cats, dogs, horses, or other animals that are not typically targeted in hunting or mistreated within our society.
6. You Are Irresponsible
Another DSM criterion for antisocial personality disorder is irresponsibility. The DSM-5 examples include individuals who struggle to maintain a job or manage their financial obligations and responsibilities.
This issue can be connected to the absence of guilt that psychopaths often experience. For instance, they may engage in fraudulent activities at work or lie about their qualifications on resumes, which could result in job loss. Psychopaths may also display violent or aggressive behaviors, which can make it difficult to maintain stable employment.
Because they are unable to stay employed, psychopaths often fail to meet their financial obligations. Their impulsive and reckless behaviors further exacerbate their financial instability.
Psychopaths may engage in activities like gambling or other reckless financial decisions. This irresponsibility often extends to various other aspects of their lives.
They may be neglectful in their relationships with friends, family, or romantic partners. For instance, psychopathy has been associated with intimate partner violence, particularly in male psychopaths. Female psychopaths may engage in other harmful behaviors, such as substance abuse or failing to care for their children or family members.
5. You Are Impulsive
Impulsivity is another key symptom of antisocial personality disorder, manifesting in various ways. Psychopaths may act on impulse, saying, doing, or buying things without considering the consequences of their actions. This impulsiveness contributes to many of the other traits and behaviors observed in psychopaths.
For example, they may spend money impulsively, adding to their irresponsibility with financial matters. They might also struggle to control their anger, acting out aggressively or violently without forethought.
Some neurological research may shed light on this impulsivity and aggression. Studies have shown that psychopaths tend to have underdeveloped frontal lobes. The frontal lobe is the area of the brain behind the forehead, responsible for higher-order thinking and certain intellectual functions.
It helps you plan your actions and understand the potential outcomes of your behavior. Abnormalities in the frontal lobe have been linked to deficits in executive functioning (planning and problem-solving), difficulties with attention and concentration, and impulsive tendencies.
These impairments in attention, focus, and impulsivity have also been tied to ADHD/ADD, which frequently coexists with conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
4. You Are Reckless
Recklessness is another hallmark of antisocial personality disorder. The DSM-5 defines this as a “reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.” Although psychopaths are typically self-centered, their impulsivity can sometimes result in putting their own health and safety in jeopardy.
They may partake in risky behaviors like reckless driving, spending, substance abuse, or unsafe sexual activities. Psychopaths are often fearless, which fuels their daring actions. However, not all psychopaths demonstrate this level of recklessness.
Personal traits, such as intelligence or temperament, can influence how a psychopath presents themselves. For instance, individuals with higher levels of functioning may have the ability to control their impulses and reckless actions, enabling them to devise strategies for manipulating others without being caught.
3. You Are Manipulative
A key symptom of antisocial personality disorder is manipulation and deception. Psychopaths frequently lie and manipulate others for personal benefit or sometimes for enjoyment. They are often perceived as callous, as they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
While these traits often lead to negative consequences for psychopaths, some can apply these behaviors constructively. Many highly functional and intelligent psychopaths thrive in professions that require a manipulative nature. For instance, psychopaths often excel as salespeople, executives, or lawyers.
These professions demand charisma, ruthless personalities, and the ability to manipulate clients into buying products or following directives. Psychopathic traits are ideal for these roles, and those who manage to avoid legal troubles often find success in such careers.
2. You Appear Friendly and Charming
Possessing a charismatic personality or way of speaking is not an official diagnostic symptom of antisocial personality disorder, but it is a trait commonly seen in psychopaths.
While they struggle with empathy, psychopaths have a strong grasp of social norms and how others typically behave, allowing them to fake or imitate empathy and kindness. This ability enables them to easily manipulate and take advantage of others.
This charming persona sets psychopaths apart from sociopaths. Psychopaths tend to act warm, kind, and genuinely interested in others. Sociopaths, on the other hand, struggle to appear normal and typically make their malicious intentions clear, without pretending to care about others.
Sociopathy is not officially recognized in the DSM, and sociopaths are often diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder as well. Although both sociopaths and psychopaths fall under this diagnosis, they exhibit different behaviors and traits.
1. You Participate in Criminal Acts
Criminal behavior is a symptom found in both conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Psychopaths often partake in criminal activities because they do not feel guilt for harming others (lack of remorse). They also struggle to understand others’ viewpoints, making it difficult for them to grasp the emotional impact of actions such as theft, assault, or violation (lack of empathy).
As mentioned earlier, psychopaths tend to be impulsive and reckless. This impulsivity often leads them to commit crimes without considering the consequences, such as legal penalties or arrests. While many psychopaths engage in illegal actions, not all of them are apprehended, and not every person in prison is a psychopath—only about 25 percent are.
Psychopaths who are able to exercise more control over their actions and possess higher IQs may be more adept at evading the law and getting away with their illegal activities.
