A psychopath is a selfish person who lacks empathy, caring, a sense of responsibility while being overly confident and sometimes even violent. And while only 1 percent of the population are categorized as psychopaths, there are many functional people who can easily fit this description.
The worst truth about psychopaths is that they are smart, and can easily manipulate the people around them, making them do everything for them, take on their responsibilities, and suffer their maddening grip.
If it’s been hard for you to spot any psychopaths lurking in your life, the easiest way to recognize one is when you get into an argument (or even a friendly debate) with them.
Here are 8 things they do when in an argument.
1. Disturbingly lacking empathy
Psychopaths lack empathy – they simply aren’t able to understand the emotions of other people on a deeper level than that of just recognizing them. They won’t feel sorry for anybody, and they will never accept your feelings as relevant (except when they need to use them against you).
If you find yourself discussing the misfortunes of other people, they will not only fail to empathize with their state, but they might even toss the blame on the people who are suffering, regardless of whether they had any say or choice in the situation.
2. Body language that’s different from what they’re saying
Psychopaths are masters at detecting what you’re feeling, but this kind of empathy is cognitive, as they lack emotional empathy. Because they lack emotional empathy, they have a hard time translating your emotions into their own feelings.
In an argument, they may try to act out some emotions or opinions that they don’t genuinely feel, and their lack of understanding of their emotions can lead them to slip up very often. The biggest indicator that they’re trying to act is their body language, which will not correspond with what they’re trying to show.
Other indicators include the tone of their voice, and even the look in their eyes, which lack the necessary elements of a genuine emotion.
3. Condescending tone and approach
Psychopaths know very well how to keep their calm and use it against you. They do this when they want to see you lose your mind and blow up, because of which they will then belittle you.
They know how to poke you and make you lose your temper so that they get an emotional response from you that will give them the upper hand in the situation.
4. Rapid shifts in mood
Because their calmness is just staged for the purpose of being in control, the psychopath can easily switch that mode off when they see that it doesn’t serve its purpose anymore. They are able to swing wildly between moods, and this is also another way they are trying to win the argument.
This happens when they feel that they’re being out-argued, and this is when they burst out of their cold shell and unleash a torrent of abuse, attacking you with everything they have in store for you, while also taking advantage of other forms of manipulation.
5. Avoiding any kind of responsibility
Psychopaths have a grandiose vision of themselves, and they won’t allow anything to ruin it. And this comes with avoiding taking any kind of responsibility for the things they’ve done. They are ready to go to such lengths as to toss their responsibility onto others and defend their false image to the death.
They’re simply incapable of admitting any fault on their behalf, and they will do anything to toss it off their back.
6. Pathological lying
When you argue with a psychopath about something they did (or didn’t do) in the past, expect a tsunami of lies that are tied to one another and create a completely different reality that has nothing to do with the facts.
They will do everything to deny their wrongs and they will try to toss the blame on everyone else. And if you introduce strong evidence of their actions, they will use your words and twist them to fit the reality they’re trying to create for you.
7. Never conceding a well-made point
It doesn’t matter how well you’ve structured your point, and how clear it is – the psychopath will never concede even to the smallest chance that you may be right. When trying to convince a psychopath that they’re in the wrong, it’s like fighting a brick wall.
They will do everything to mess up your point by adding irrelevant details, taking your words out of context, and twisting them to their own end. Their aim is not to be constructive, but to be superior.
8. A twisted view of reality
Psychopaths don’t see reality the way most people do. They live in a wrapped and twisted perception of the world that agrees with their ideals and aims. Which is more, they constantly assimilate equally distorted information that supports their view.
Of course, they use this twisted definition of reality to support their arguments, and their denial of the rationale is one that you cannot win over.
If you find yourself in an argument with this kind of person, for the sake of your sanity, just move along and remove yourself physically from that argument. It may not feel like a win, but it’s better to retreat than to try and fight a brick wall.
Have you ever had an experience with a psychopath? How many are lurking in your life?
Source: A Conscious Rethink
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.