MountainLaurel wrote:
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Psychopathy affects:
1. Psychopaths are easily able to read others' emotions. Many are extraordinarily sensitive.
In my actual experiences with sociopaths, I find the above to be untrue. The sociopaths I've dealt with are so hyperfocused on their manipulations that they neglect to read the actual reactions of those around them on a moment to moment basis. And it's not as if they have great powers of insight into others which they forget to use in the moment.
My experience is that, in their grandiocity, they are pretty damned clueless about how those around them are feeling and reacting. They seem uninterested in reading other people and have not invested much effort in developing any skill at it.
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they are not impaired in understanding emotions in other people as a cause-and-effect concept.
Yep, that's true. They understand how to use negative emotions such as envy, covetousness, jelousy and anger to cause as much distruction in the relationships around them as possible. But they do it based on stereotype rather than reading individual reactions.
My conviction in this topic is based on my experience with more sociopaths than any one person wants to deal with.
I've known psychopaths; I quite like them because they accept me. I concur with your observations. Psychopaths are very bad at reading people; they focus their efforts on controlling the reality of people around them by dominating it, not with any sensitivity to other people's mental states. I consider them mindblind and poor but persistent actors.
Comparing psychopaths, autistics, borderline personality disorderds and 'normals' is a most fascinating endeavour, and I think it will lead to profound new knowledge of humanity. Simon Baron-Cohen has linked us with psychos and borderlines as having 'zero empathy' - I think he's noticed a genuine connection but he's using the wrong word. I believe the pattern is that normals are dependent on a group hierarchy, and what Baron-Cohen sees as empathy is actually the same in-group chauvinism you find in genocides.
FWIW, talking observable traits, here's a checklist
compiled by psychos. I score 11/12 - my voice isn't monotone. Some of these are like "Whoa! They do that too?"
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1. Sociopaths typically don't smalltalk about themselves as much as normal people do. They will direct the conversation back to the new acquaintance as much as they can.
2. A sociopath will reveal "personal" details about himself strategically, i.e. for the purposes of misdirection or a false sense of intimacy/trust. Revelations of actual truths are very rare and may be perceived as a small slip of the mask.
3. Sociopaths frequently hesitate before responding. It will be unclear to you whether they are bored, annoyed, lying, or all three.
4. No strong reactions to illogical hotbed political/social topics (e.g. Octomom or Catholic priest child molestation).
5. Monotone voice (I am told).
6. A tendency to take things too literally or otherwise not respond appropriately to small emotional cues.
7. Cold indifference to one or more family members.
8. Seemingly a different person when "distracted."
9. Disconnect between what the sociopath says and does, e.g. seems charitable but does not give money to homeless or vice versa.
10. Never shows signs of embarrassment. Easily wins over large crowds with confidence. "Poise" in this case = lack of nerves.
11. Does not fit stereotypes for gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, or career. Could seem foreign, bisexual, older or younger, pious, wealthy or poor, but may also just seem unplaceable.
12. Can flip flop between keeping a very low profile (the observer) to being the life of the party (the actor).