Characteristics of a Sociopath

[turningjapanese]

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Jekyll & Hyde personality

always charming and beguilingly plausible, especially to those who are capable of protecting or enhancing the sociopath's position

excels at deception (this must never be underestimated, but always is)

excels at evasion of accountability

is extremely and successfully manipulative of people's perceptions and emotions (eg guilt and anger)

silver-tongued, has an extreme verbal facility and can outwit anybody (including a top barrister) in verbal conflict

will often engineer himself or herself into a position of authority as gatekeeper of the organisation and thus the person through whom all information must flow, and the person to whom all requests for services must be referred - which he or she then takes delight in denying

is adept at offering weak and inadequate people the positions of power, control, security, influence or respect that they crave but who lack the necessary competencies to achieve - such people are unaware that their consequent dependence on the sociopath makes them permanent manipulatees, pawns and expendable agents of harassment

identifies those essential to the sociopath's survival and manipulates their perceptions of them by making them feel special and thus obligated to reciprocate with support and protection

manipulates others into making fools of themselves in situations where they cannot back down or from which they cannot withdraw - these people become increasingly susceptible to further manipulation and are then trapped as pawns in the sociopath's game

is likely to be surrounded by people who, having been subjected to control, manipulation and punishment by the sociopath, look wretched and who start to exhibit behaviour best described as disordered, dysfunctional, sullen, aggressive, defensive, hostile, retaliatory, counterproductive or cult-like and for whom disbelief, disavowal and denial are instinctive responses

creates an environment where levels of denial are so great that those involved are oblivious of the foolishness and self-evident absurdity of their denials when presented with the facts, with the result that non-involved observers are led to question whether such levels of denial merit psychiatric intervention

is contemptuous of disrepute to their organisation and of collateral damage and of the destructive consequences for all direct and indirect parties

is always surrounded by and leaves behind a trail of dysfunctional organisations, destroyed businesses, ruined careers, stress breakdowns and unexplained suicides

despite a trail of devastation to individuals, organisations, families and communities, the actions of a socialised psychopath may go undetected or unrecognised for years

a history of conducting frivolous, vexatious and malicious legal actions, especially (but not exclusively) against anyone who can recognise the sociopath for what he is

only after the sociopath is exposed and relieved of position, or they move on, can the full depth of their destructive behaviour be fathomed and the consequences calculated

is skilled at identifying, undermining, discrediting, neutralising and destroying anyone who can see through the sociopath's mask of sanity
at all times restricts the actions and rights of others (especially those holding the sociopath accountable) whilst aggressively protecting his or her right to do anything without being hampered by social norms or legal requirements

pursues endless vindictive vendettas against anyone perceived as a threat or who attempts, knowingly or unknowingly, to identify or reveal or expose the sociopath, or who makes efforts to hold the sociopath accountable

is adept at appropriating rules, regulations, procedures and law to manipulate, control and punish accusers regardless of relevance, logic, facts or consequences

persists in and pursues vindictive vendettas using self-evidently false evidence or information, even after this is brought to the attention of the sociopath

will often manipulate minor bullies of the Wannabe type (who on their own might or would not merit the label 'serial bully') into acting as agents of harassment and as unwitting or unwilling conductors of vendettas
is adept at placing people in situations where the sociopath can tap into each person's instinctive urge to retaliate in order to use them as his or her instruments or agents of harassment

gains gratification from provoking others into engaging in adversarial conflict

once conflict has been initiated, the sociopath gains increased gratification by exploiting human beings' instinctive need to retaliate - this is achieved by encouraging and escalating peoples' adversarial conflicts into mutually assured destruction

revels in the gratification gained from seeing or causing other people's distress

when faced with accountability or unwelcome attention which might lead to others discerning the sociopath's true nature, responds with repeated and escalating attempts to control, manipulate and punish

is adept at reflecting all accusations and attempts at accountability back onto their accusers

is adept at creating conflict between those who would otherwise pool negative information about the sociopath

has no limits on his or her vindictiveness

the need to control, manipulate and punish develops into an obsession with many of the hallmarks of an addiction

is skilled at mimicry and can plausibly and spontaneously regurgitate all the latest management jargon

exhibits minimal professional skill level and competency

exploits his or her intelligence to excel at talentless mediocrity

is always identifying the behaviours and strategies to which other people respond with the desired effect

is able to anticipate and credibly say what people want to hear

is easily able to win people over before betraying them or deceiving them or ripping them off

easily manipulates and bewitches an immature or naive or vulnerable or emotionally needy person to be their spokesperson or agent of aggression

exploits anyone who has a vulnerability

is pushy and extremely persuasive

is sexually inadequate and sexually abusive

is likely to protect anyone accused of or suspected of sexual abuse of pedophile activity, and will frustrate or obstruct investigations into that person

maybe associating with, or actively involved in, abuse or pedophile activity

has no emotions, no emotional processing capability and no ability to understand other's emotions

is incapable of understanding, initiating or sustaining intimacy

the male sociopath has often convinced a string of women to feel they are in love with him and despite being treated abominably they blindly continue to be loyal to him and minister willingly to his every demand

may start projects with apparent enthusiasm and energy but quickly loses interest

frequently takes unnecessary and uncalculated risks but takes no account of consequences

is reckless and untrustworthy with money

is likely to be illegally diverting or siphoning off significant sums of money to his or her own budget, project, account or cause

is unreliable and untrustworthy in every facet of life

is likely to be leaking confidential information or secrets to third parties

is likely to have committed or be committing criminal or near-criminal offences, eg fraud, embezzlement, deception

is likely to have committed or be committing breaches of harassment and discrimination law, employment law, contract law, etc

disregards rules, regulations, Health and Safety requirements, professional standards, codes of conduct and legal requirements, etc

cannot comprehend the deeper semantic meaning of language and is thus unable to understand or appreciate metaphor, hyperbole, irony, satire etc (these elicit either zero response or a hostile response)

likes, seeks, enjoys and relies on procedure, ritual and ritualistic practices

through arrogant overconfidence takes increasingly risky chances and eventually overplays their hand or makes a mistake which leads to the sociopath revealing him or herself

exhibits parasitical behaviour, takes everything and gives nothing

grabs headline credit for minimal, flukey or other peoples' success whilst

surviving off the backs of manipulatees who are exclusively blamed for all failures

rarely blinks, may have stary scary eyes that cut right through you, or may avoid eye contact completely

is callous, cold and calculating

is devious, clever and cunning

is ruthless in the extreme

regards people as objects and playthings to be discarded when surplus to requirements

displays zero empathy

completely without conscience, remorse and guilt

malicious and evil

[bramble]

Your above post could definitely describe more than one CFC pastor. Look at all the wiring problems they keep causing by not letting those qualified do the actual wiring in their buildings--just one example.

Look at all the buildings they plan to build and all the money they take. Nothing seems to get done. It's all pie in the sky. Judging by the lack of interest in their Sri Lanka campaign people aren't buying it anymore.

[turningjapanese]

Most people think those with mental disturbances are "obvious" within our society...a person that talks to himself at the bus-stop, or a homeless drug abuser outside a liquor store.

However, those on the "disordered" spectrum are active in our daily lives, and present themselves in various ways....your kid's verbally abusive soccer coach, your boss that takes credit for your work, the neighborhood a-hole that everyone avoids, your sis-in-law that stirs the family pot...we may deal with them on a daily basis and not even be aware of it. A tip-off that you are dealing with a person of this "nature" is that you come away from interactions with them feeling confused, irritated, upset or frightened. A huge red-flag is someone that causes you to consistently feel bad about yourself, is usually angry, or quick to anger, or tries to change your perceptions of situations. (ie, "you don't know what you're talking about.")

When we think of sociopathic criminals, we think only of extreme cases like Hitler, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, etc...

What we fail to realize is that "they" are among us. We just don't recognize it. Because how we see ourselves is how we view others...in essence, we "expect" others to be honest, caring, etc...if they aren't, of course confusion sets in, and we have trouble justifying it. Manipulators take advantage of that confusion, or naivete, or our good nature.

One would EXPECT that those in a "leadership" position, especially within a RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION, would possess admirable qualities, comparable to that position. As we know, this is not always the case. (Professing that you are "GOD-LED" is not a quality; merely a self-serving statement. Just like, "because I said so.")

Those that operate with a different "mentality" often have a lack of empathy, meaning they cannot comprehend the emotional state or feelings of others. Possibly, they may PRETEND to understand, but more often than not they will stick with the view of people being a disposable means to their own personal agenda. Again, not always obvious, but actions and words WILL eventually give them away.

Most sociopaths (psychopaths) are also narcissists, and most pedophiles are psychopaths, so you can draw your own conclusions here. They CANNOT be rehabilitated, they CANNOT be cured. Someone molesting a child has absolutely no emtional connection of how that action affects the child. There will never be remorse, apology or admission of guilt because empathy is absent. Sad but true.

And what about those that are complicit in illegal, immoral and unethical activities? Do they lack empathy as well? SHOULD we trust them in positions of leadership or authority? We need to draw our own conclusions, I suppose.

[bramble]

Most people think those with mental disturbances are "obvious" within our society...a person that talks to himself at the bus-stop, or a homeless drug abuser outside a liquor store.

However, those on the "disordered" spectrum are active in our daily lives, and present themselves in various ways....your kid's verbally abusive soccer coach, your boss that takes credit for your work, the neighborhood a-hole that everyone avoids, your sis-in-law that stirs the family pot...we may deal with them on a daily basis and not even be aware of it. A tip-off that you are dealing with a person of this "nature" is that you come away from interactions with them feeling confused, irritated, upset or frightened. A huge red-flag is someone that causes you to consistently feel bad about yourself, is usually angry, or quick to anger, or tries to change your perceptions of situations. (ie, "you don't know what you're talking about.") This is true, but a problem with this is that is someone is from a highly dysfunctional, abusive environment is that they may be most comfortable with those who are dysfunctional, sociopathic, etc. Ill adjusted people may feel awkward around healthy individuals. Likewise those in cults for extended periods of time will feel uncomfortable in the outside world, at least at first.

Those "Don't challenge me!" types can be persistant and dangerous; it's true!

When we think of sociopathic criminals, we think only of extreme cases like Hitler, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, etc...

What we fail to realize is that "they" are among us. We just don't recognize it. Because how we see ourselves is how we view others...in essence, we "expect" others to be honest, caring, etc...if they aren't, of course confusion sets in, and we have trouble justifying it. Manipulators take advantage of that confusion, or naivete, or our good nature. They do take advantage of those good natured people. I've seen couples, for instance, in which one of them was naiive, trusting, ignorant. The other was manipulative, paranoid, sadistic, selfish. I believe that virtuous people are naturally guiless and trusting. A sociopath can capitalize on this so easily I've seen it time and again.
One would EXPECT that those in a "leadership" position, especially within a RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION, would possess admirable qualities, comparable to that position. As we know, this is not always the case. (Professing that you are "GOD-LED" is not a quality; merely a self-serving statement. Just like, "because I said so.") I agree. The problem with CFCMI and similar type churches is that pastors are dictators. They have no real accountability. Even a pope is accountable to someone--he does receive the sacrament of confession daily. He knows he is not perfect. Episcopal and Lutheran Churches' ministers have bishops they must answer to. In some Evangelical Churches a pastor can voted out of office merely for preaching on something that his flock does not approve of--kind of the other extreme.
CFC ministers believe they are perfect, do not like to answer questions, withhold information. As to whether they are "God Led" is a matter of opinion. They have not superiors. They may be listening to their wallets instead of God. Anything that started by LRD that sociopathic sex offender, child molestor is suspect. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Those that operate with a different "mentality" often have a lack of empathy, meaning they cannot comprehend the emotional state or feelings of others. Possibly, they may PRETEND to understand, but more often than not they will stick with the view of people being a disposable means to their own personal agenda. Again, not always obvious, but actions and words WILL eventually give them away. This is why they are so blindsided by walkouts. The leadership can not and will not try to understand the perspective of those in their flock. They chew these single guys up then spit them out. Now they are pulling in a whole new group of young sailors---CFC The Next Generation. The old guys' health is suffering and it shows!
IMO, the oldheads see the folly of all the renovation, moving, lying, stealing and cover-up. It would take a real man maybe even an act of God to walk out.
Most sociopaths (psychopaths) are also narcissists, and most pedophiles are psychopaths, so you can draw your own conclusions here. They CANNOT be rehabilitated, they CANNOT be cured. Someone molesting a child has absolutely no emtional connection of how that action affects the child. There will never be remorse, apology or admission of guilt because empathy is absent. Sad but true. There are those who believe L. R. Davis to be an unrepentant sinner--above the Chrurch, above the law, above, God etc.
And what about those that are complicit in illegal, immoral and unethical activities? Do they lack empathy as well? SHOULD we trust them in positions of leadership or authority? We need to draw our own conclusions, I suppose. I wonder how many are scared "yes men" and how many are perpetrators. I would be willing to bet even those in the inner circle of CFC have no real power, no real job security. They are just too tired, brainwashed, what have you, to fight back. Those who can and do fight back don't stay in the inner circle for long. They seem jaded by the whole CFC thing.

[turningjapanese]

Sociopaths account for 4% of the male population, and 20-25% of the prison population.

[turningjapanese]

I have been doing some reading, in my spare time.

Did you know....

Sociopaths prefer auto-erotic sex (masturbation) to emotionally-laden intimate encounters with one partner??

Sociopaths, because of their LACK OF EMPATHY, treat their "partners" as mere objects--existing to PROVIDE them with pleasure. The sociopath will therefore view
them as "trophies," or "conquests". Once conquered, the psychopath will then move on to his next "victim", seeking to "add to the collection." Sex is an impersonal, one-sided experience. The emotional manipulation fuels their "excitement" and supply.

This would explain:

LR's juvenile fascination with self-stimulation....his own AS WELL AS others' activities, ie, "still doing yer thang...?"

LR's overt "pestering" of sailors, ie, "can I gitcha"

LR's collection of child porn, which translates to objectifying children as a means for auto-erotic stimulation.


Was wondering if any "oldheads" out there are willing to give credence to these theories.

[turningjapanese]

WHILE such personality disorders as psychopathy, paranoia and obsession/compulsion all have strictly defined criteria, psychiatrists are still struggling to decide precisely what constitutes a socialised psychopath.

One of the more obvious characteristics of socialised psychopaths is that they give the impression of talking "at" you. Prof Jeremy Coid describes it as like being regarded as a cardboard cut-out. "Even in a sexual relationship with them, you are still just an object for their personal gratification," he says.

The following questionnaire is based on research and experiences of socialised psychopaths. For each trait, decide if it applies to the person you suspect may be a socialised psychopath, fully (2 points), partially (1 point) or not at all (0 points).

Do they have problems sustaining stable relationships, personally and in business?
Do they frequently manipulate others to achieve selfish goals, with no consideration of the effects on those manipulated?
Are they cavalier about the truth, and capable of telling lies to your face?
Do they have an air of self-importance, regardless of their true standing in society?
Have they no apparent sense of remorse, shame or guilt?
Is their charm superficial, and capable of being switched on to suit immediate ends?
Are they easily bored and demand constant stimulation?
Are their displays of human emotion unconvincing?
Do they enjoy taking risks, and acting on reckless impulse?
Are they quick to blame others for their mistakes?
As teenagers, did they resent authority, play truant and/or steal?
Do they have no qualms about sponging off others?
Are they quick to lose their temper?
Are they sexually promiscuous?
Do they have a belligerent, bullying manner?
Are they unrealistic about their long-term aims?
Do they lack any ability to empathise with others?
Would you regard them as essentially irresponsible?

A score of 25 or above suggests strong psychopathic tendencies.

Having a professional or emotional relationship with a socialised psychopath is likely to prove a damaging experience.

[turningjapanese]

The Characteristics of a Religious Sociopath

Dr. Martha Stout ponders the question: "Could it be that all of the world’s greatest human tragedies are attributable to only 4% of the human population?" I think about the fact that most of the destructive socio-political movements in the American Church are pushed by a miniscule minority of voices who are well organized into national voting blocks. They in no way represent the faith and belief of the majority of Christians, but have found their way into the halls of power. Here are some characteristics of the sociopathic personality that Stout outlines in her book, "The Sociopath Next Door."

1) Despite their ability to know and distinguish good from evil, they suffer from a total lack of conscience and can do anything at anytime to hurt and harm another. In the church, this is usually manifested in destroying the ministries of people they disagree with. Black-listing pastoral candidates and pastors, for example, that don’t agree with the top leadership’s social agendas in the Mainline Church, is common. There are stories of Bishops and pastors that have undermined ministries, broken up marriages, leveled serious false charges against those that disagree with them, and taken and sold off congregational property to "win" their agendas with no remorse for the hurt, carnage, and damage they cause to others.

2) The Sociopath is unable to develop any kind of true, loyal attachments to people. This inability to be genuinely connected to others renders their experience of life bland, colorless, boring, and tedious. Consequently, they turn to power, not love and relationship, as the primary motivational factor for their lives. The sociopath seeks to gain power through which she can find some sense of connection to humanity by causing the suffering of others. The more she is able to make another suffer or hurt, the greater her sense of personal power, and the more exciting and invigorating life becomes. Stout says that the motivation for self aggrandized power is so strong in the sociopath that many of them work hard to place themselves in leadership positions because the authority of an office or position gives the sociopath the tools and avenues she needs to both feed and fuel her mental illness.

3) You can not judge or pick out a sociopath by their appearance. They look well put together, often charming, and are consumate actors. This is why they are masters at getting regular, normal, healthy people to provide aid and support to their mischief and abuses. Stout writes, "In a confusing irony, conscience can be rendered partially blind because people without conscience use, as weapons against us, many of the fundamentally positive tools we need to hold society together- empathic emotions, sexual bonds, social and professional roles, regard for the compassionate and the creative, our desire to make the world a better place, and the organizing rule of authority. And people who do hideous things do not look like people who do hideous things. There is no "face of evil."… We try, consciously or tacitly, to judge a person’s character by his or her appearance, but this book-by-its-cover strategy is ineffective in nearly all cases. In the real world, the bad guys do not look the way they are supposed to." In the American Church, for example, the Mainline denominations generally appeal to all of the things listed above, and in fact we see the Mainline church working very hard to keep the focus on things like "sexual bonds" and "healing the world"- causes that draw people in while their leaders are busy working on a whole agenda of evil things.

4) Sociopaths tend to be inordinately focused on sexuality and are often hypersexual. The more taboo the expression of sexuality, the better for the sociopath. Anybody following the news coming out of the Mainline denominations knows that the religious leaders have put most of their energy the last few years talking about all manner and form of sex. This obsessive preoccupation with sex, and with normalizing socially unacceptable sexuality, is the mark of a sociopath.

5) Sociopaths have no intervening sense of obligation to other people. They will betray whoever is convenient at the moment. They can’t maintain healthy and stable relationships primarily because sociopaths view people as disposable when their usefulness to their needs or agendas runs out, particularly if those people won’t help them with their mischief and abuse anymore. The people who were their "best friends" yesterday become their latest project of abuse, harrassment, and emotional torture the next.

6) Sociopaths are not the most conscientious of workers, but they know how to make a splashy entrance from time to time, or initiate some new project, to maintain the appearance of normalcy- to keep people from finding out about their sociopathy. One Bishop I read about is up for re-election after nearly six years in office. He worked a ruthlessly destructive and hurtful agenda during his tenure in office. Six months before the denomination was due to elect a new presiding Bishop, all of his divisive projects and agendas became suddenly quiet and he made a splashy show by introducing an initiative to get the denomination to read their Bibles and learn about evangelism. For 5 1/2 years these two things were not anywhere on his priority list, but conveniently just before an election, they became important. Sociopaths know that most people will be none the wiser, and after the election, this man will most certainly promptly go back to socially engineering the Church in his image. We should also think about the fact that the Mainline denominations have so dumbed down their theological curriculum and requirements for pastors in seminary that they have become an easy place for the typical sociopath to sneak into influential positions of power and authority. The Mainline Seminaries of today have become the perfect sanctuaries for sociopaths who are looking for an easy ride to power.

7) Sociopaths lack remorse. They have absolutely no sorrow or shame for the things they do wrong and the ways they hurt other people. In fact, more than lacking in remorse, they often justify what they do- if not externally, at least internally. Their efforts at self-justification usually involve whole other layers of hurting others as they lie and falsely report about them to justify their sociopathic behavior.

Sociopathy is incurable. Even if it were curable, sociopaths almost never want to be cured. They look at people who allow an overriding sense of obligation mitigate their responses to situations and consider them total fools. Sociopaths can oftentimes be heard as describing the conscience that others possess as a weakness and an impediment to personal power and progress. All of the Mainline denominations have adopted these ideas amongst their leadership in their "church-based organizing" models, and have sent people to week long brain washing sessions to inculcate them with the cut throat, self-interest focused world of sociopathy. The skills people "learn" there have become the new virtues of the Mainline, and the behavior that sociopaths routinely engage has in many parts of the country become highly regarded and honored by church folks.

9) Sociopaths want you to pity them. In some strange and perverted twist, lacking the capacity to pity or empathize themselves, they know that pity is one of humanity’s greatest vulnerabilities and most of us believe the ability to pity is a part of what’s wonderful about people. We become totally vulnerable in the face of somebody that we pity. The sociopath knows that once he has your pity, he has you in his power and control, able to trick or convince you of virtually anything. Stout says, "The most reliable sign, the most universal behavior of unscrupulous people is not directed, as one might imagine, at our fearfulness. It is, perversely, an appeal to our sympathy." Consider ALL of the arguments you hear about maintaining and codifying the newly revised position and teaching of the Mainline churches on sexuality. The crux of the discussion about gay marriage, and practicing homosexual pastors, for example, always seeks to win your pity. Another church leader I know fashions herself as the eternal underdog that the whole world is against, invoking the pity factor and drawing people in to assist her in constructing her scaffold of sociopathy through which she exercises her authority in destructive and egregious ways, leaving a writhing path of pain and desolation in her wake. Expelled from her denomination because they caught on to her, she has no problem quickly moving on and drawing others right into a new sociopathic scheme. Another national leader is the master at putting on the pitiful face and drawing sympathy from the crowds as he refers to those who disagree with his radical socio-political agendas as persecutors. He tops it off by comparing his "persecution" to the suffering of Christ. When talking about those who disagree with his support of a whole number of social justice agendas, he reminds his listeners that "We are sharing in Christ’s persecutions." When the shoe is on the other foot, however, Sociopaths have no regard or empathy for the other, and will ruthlessly attack those who once pitied them or were loyal to them, often in subterfuge so they can maintain their cover. There are some good Church leaders out there, I can’t deny that. But if 20% of your top religious leaders are sociopathic, what does that mean for the identity of your denomination? What can we do when the vast majority of the 80% of the leaders who aren’t sociopathic have been totally and completely bamboozled and conscripted into the army of the sociopaths? What happens when the ELCA, the ECUSA, or the PCUSA organically takes on the characteristics and identity of the sociopaths that lead them? If the sociopathic identity is pure clinical evil, then how can we remain Christian in these denominations without a "purging of the temple" so to speak? And so, finally, young people who thirst for a genuine, real relationship with God are fleeing the Church for other options- because a denomination that has taken on the identity of its sociopathic leaders has along with them lost its ability to be genuinely, really, in relationship with God. Others still within the Church, who also thirst and hunger after righteousness, are dying on the vine of the superficial spirituality that sociopathic religious leaders can fashion at best. They are moving towards schism and rebirth to reclaim the true humanity that their denominations have lost.

Rev. CJ Conner -

[turningjapanese]

Psychopaths cannot be understood in terms of antisocial rearing or development. They are simply morally depraved individuals who represent the "monsters" in our society. They are unstoppable and untreatable predators whose violence is planned, purposeful and emotionless. The violence continues until it reaches a plateau at age 50 or so, then tapers off. Their emotionlessness reflects a detached, fearless, and possibly dissociated state, revealing a lower autonomic nervous system and lack of anxiety. It's difficult to say what motivates them - control and dominance possibly - since their life history will usually show no bonds with others nor much rhyme to their reason (other than the planning of violence). They tend to operate with a grandiose demeanor, an attitude of entitlement, an insatiable appetite, and a tendency toward sadism. Fearlessness is probably the prototypical (core) characteristic (the low-fear hypothesis). It's helpful to think of them as high-speed vehicles with ineffective brakes. Certain organic (brain) disorders and hormonal imbalances mimic the state of mind of a psychopath.

There are four (4) different subtypes of psychopaths. The oldest distinction was made by Cleckley back in 1941 between primary and secondary. However, we'll explore the other two subtypes first:

DISTEMPERED PSYCHOPATHS are the kind that seem to fly into a rage or frenzy more easily and more often than other subtypes. Their frenzy will resemble an epileptic fit. They are also usually men with incredibly strong sex drives, capable of astonishing feats of sexual energy, and seemingly obsessed by sexual urges during a large part of their waking lives. Powerful cravings also seem to characterize them, as in drug addiction, kleptomania, pedophilia, any illicit or illegal indulgence. They like the endorphin "high" or "rush" off of excitement and risk-taking. The serial-rapist-murderer known as the Boston Strangler was such a psychopath.

CHARISMATIC PSYCHOPATHS are charming, attractive liars. They are usually gifted at some talent or another, and they use it to their advantage in manipulating others. They are usually fast-talkers, and possess an almost demonic ability to persuade others out of everything they own, even their lives. Leaders of religious sects or cults, for example, might be psychopaths if they lead their followers to their deaths. This subtype often comes to believe in their own fictions. They are irresistible.

PRIMARY PSYCHOPATHS do not respond to punishment, apprehension, stress, or disapproval. They seem to be able to inhibit their antisocial impulses most of the time, not because of conscience, but because it suits their purpose at the time. Words do not seem to have the same meaning for them as they do for us. In fact, it's unclear if they even grasp the meaning of their own words, a condition that Cleckley called "semantic aphasia." They don't follow any life plan, and it seems as if they are incapable of experiencing any genuine emotion.

SECONDARY PSYCHOPATHS are risk-takers, but are also more likely to be stress-reactive, worriers, and guilt-prone. They expose themselves to more stress than the average person, but they are as vulnerable to stress as the average person. They are daring, adventurous, unconventional people who began playing by their own rules early in life. They are strongly driven by a desire to escape or avoid pain, but are unable to resist temptation. As their anxiety increases toward some forbidden object, so does their attraction to it. They live their lives by the lure of temptation.

From:

http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/narcissism/antisocial_sociopath_psychopath.html

[jargon631]

Sociopaths account for 4% of the male population, and 20-25% of the prison population.


just curious, but what is the percentage among women?...fd

[turningjapanese]

Good question.

According to research, women are more likely to be diagnosed as borderlines and histrionics, which fall in the same "cluster B" of disorders. Men tend to present more readily as anti-social or narcissistic. Manipulative and controlling behaviors are the clear marker of personality disorders, as well as unaccountability and blame-shifting.

Estimating the pervasiveness of Personality Disorders among the entire population is difficult, as most go undiagnosed until violence enters the equation. Since men tend to be more prone to violence, this presents a gender-bias for diagnosis. Regardless, improvement through therapy is minimal at best.

Cult leaders tend to exhibit both Anti-Social and Narcissistic traits in the extreme.

Check Robert Hare or Martha Stout if you're interested.

[cfcmi]

L.R. Davis and Tony Alamo

Thanks to the networking available, I have been able to contact a man who is working on exposing evangelist Tony Alamo. There has been a lot of media coverage concerning Alamo's organization, especially when it comes to matters involving young girls being groomed to become Alamo's "brides"; since both men share equally disturbing histories, here are some comparisons.

- L.R. Davis, when he launched CFCMI in 1974, initially targeted young single men, particularly those in the military. Tony Alamo, when he started his ministry in 1966, began targeting young Hollywood drifters and hippies.

- Hazel Davis never preached a sermon since CFCMI started. Susan Alamo, Tony's late wife, preached many of the sermons until her death in 1982. Tony would do most of the music and worship leading.

- Davis groomed young men and boys into committing homosexual acts with him. Alamo groomed underage girls for sex under the guise of polygamy.

- Davis was sentenced to prison in 1992 for molesting underage boys. Alamo served one prison sentence from 1994 to 1998 for tax evasion, and was ordered to pay $1.5 million in damages for the unnecessary beating of an 11-year-old boy at his church in Saugus, California.

- Davis did not name CFCMI after himself. Tony Alamo named his organization after him.

- L.R. Davis kept his birth name, which was Lloyd Ray Davis. Tony Alamo was born Bernie L. Hoffman, and changed his name originally to enter show business prior to becoming an evangelist.

- CFCMI has maintained its tax exempt status. Tony Alamo Christian Church had its tax exempt status revoked in 1985 following labor violations.

- Davis wore tailored suits. Alamo would sometimes wear Elvis-style clothes.

- Both Davis and Alamo kept followers isolated in housing; Davis focused primarily on the single men only. Alamo actually had padlocks on his compound.

- Alamo ran several modestly successful businesses from his church before the IRS got him. Davis attempted to start numerous business projects, but none were ever seen to fruition except perhaps Valour College.

- Both Davis and Alamo encouraged members to cut off contact with family and friends who were not associated with their organizations.

- Anyone who left either organization was automatically discredited as a heretick and an enemy of the church.

- Davis' immediate family were placed in charge of CFCMI. It is not known if Alamo has any children who are even remotely involved with his organization.

- Davis was married once, for 44 years until his death, to Hazel. Alamo, not counting the "child brides", was married 4 times: Helen Hagan (divorced); Susan Lipowitz (deceased); Birgetta Oyllenhammer (divorced); Elizabeth Amrhein (divorced).

- Davis did not believe in passing out tracts, but published several booklets. Alamo passed out tracts.

- Davis and Alamo both were critics of the Catholic Church. Davis, however, managed to befriend President Reagan while Alamo lambasted the commander-in-chief.

- Davis began his ministry in Arkansas while a minister with the United Pentecostal Church, and left for Illinois when the first round of sodomy allegations were raised in the late 1960s. Alamo set up camp in Arkansas after his release from prison.

- Davis refused to be photographed without his toupee. Alamo's baldness took longer, but from news footage available, does not wear a hairpiece.

- Both Davis and Alamo exercised their influence into the political scene at their respective communities.

- Alamo was able to interact with the top celebrities of his time. Davis wasn't so lucky.

- In both organizations, there was some degree of segregation between male and female members.

The list could go on and on, but it is easy to see - just like with Jonestown - L.R. Davis shared many similarities with cult leader Tony Alamo. Will Alamo's followers continue the same road once their leader is locked up for good? Only God knows.

[turningjapanese]

Well, apparently these "religious leaders" aren't much more than paranoid, narcissistic sociopaths. Their "visions" actually being psychotic delusions of grandeur. Their twisted sexual perversions would excite Freud himself.

Kinda the antithesis of Jesus, don't you think?

Oh, well. Like I said....even Charles Manson still has a loyal following.

[turningjapanese]

Character Weaknesses and Vices

Aloofness, over-ambitiousness, ambivalence, amorality, arrogance, artfulness, attention-seeking, authoritarianism, autocratism, moodiness, calculating, cameleonlikeness, changeableness, combativeness, conceitedness, contentiousness, contradictoriness, craftiness, criticalness, cruelty, cunning, over-curiosity, cynicism, deceitfulness, demandingness, dependency, depressiveness, dictatorial, difficult, disparaging, over-dramatic, drivenness, duplicity, ebullience, egocentricity, egoism, egotism, enviousness, exaggerating, excitableness, exhibitionism, fantasticalness, fastidiousness, fictitiousness, foxiness, frustrating, furiousness, gain-seeking, glory-seeking, guilefulness, guilt-riddenness, head-in-the-clouds, hubristic, iconoclastic, immaturity, impetuousness, impulsiveness, insensitivity, insincerity, irresponsibility, irreverence, jealousy, malevolence, manipulativeness, meanness, megalomania, melancholoy, mendaciousness, meretriciousness, mischievousness, mistrustfulness, mocking, narcissism, non-conformity, omnipotence, ostentation, over-optimism, perfectionism, perverseness, power-mania, pretentiousness, pridefulness, quarrelsomeness, ragefulness, reactiveness, rebelliousness, restlessness, ruthlessness, scheming, seductiveness, self-absorption, self-admiration, self-defeating, self-destructive, self-idolizing, self-important, self-indulgent, self-interested, self-willed, selfishness, shiftiness, show-off, skepticism, slyness, snobbishness, solipsistic, status-conscious, status-seeking, super-sensitiveness, superstitiousness, suspiciousness, tactlessness, treacherousness, trickiness, undisciplined, unpredictability, unprincipled, unscrupulous, vanity, vengefulness, wilfulness, wiliness.

[turningjapanese]

*bump* for new all the new people reading here lately...

[turningjapanese]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPJjm8x2cqI

Psychopaths lack empathy.

That is how they can be cruel to others. (and not feel "bad" about it.)

Psychos see others only as objects to be used for personal gain.

Psychos have to imitate human emotion. That is why they often seem "fake" and insincere. When they are not acting, they are cold and without affect. Oftentimes, small children are afraid of them. However, they use charm so convincingly that they even fool seasoned psychiatrists.

Be careful who you choose to associate with!!!

[turningjapanese]

Subtypes of Psychopaths:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15904839/Ten-Subtypes-of-Psychopathy-Theodore-Millon-Roger-D-Davis

The Christian Mantra, "hate the sin, love the sinner," CANNOT be applied to psychopaths. Psychopaths are well aware of the pain they inflict. They thrive on it.

And they don't care enough about others to stop themselves.

[onetime]

This is you Edwina…



The Characteristics of a Religious Sociopath

The Sociopath is unable to develop any kind of true, loyal attachments to people. This inability to be genuinely connected to others renders their experience of life bland, colorless, boring, and tedious. Consequently, they turn to power, not love and relationship, as the primary motivational factor for their lives. The sociopath seeks to gain power through which she can find some sense of connection to humanity by causing the suffering of others. The more she is able to make another suffer or hurt, the greater her sense of personal power, and the more exciting and invigorating life becomes. Stout says that the motivation for self aggrandized power is so strong in the sociopath that many of them work hard to place themselves in leadership positions because the authority of an office or position gives the sociopath the tools and avenues she needs to both feed and fuel her mental illness....

Sociopaths have no intervening sense of obligation to other people. They will betray whoever is convenient at the moment. They can’t maintain healthy and stable relationships primarily because sociopaths view people as disposable when their usefulness to their needs or agendas runs out, particularly if those people won’t help them with their mischief and abuse anymore. The people who were their "best friends" yesterday become their latest project of abuse, harrassment, and emotional torture the next....

Sociopathy is incurable. Even if it were curable, sociopaths almost never want to be cured....

Just like your disgusting hillbilly hero, you’re a freak! You sold out your friends over the years to live in your comfortable “prison.” You are the most ungrateful, worthless piece of excrement I have ever known. You take but you never give.

Your wretched life is "bland, colorless, and boring." You are certainly dull and “tedious.” Just like you couldn’t keep your hardhat on in you five-week "career" as a carpenter, you couldn’t cut it the real world so you became a “pastor” who never had to do sh*t.

Edwina, you testosterone deficient girly boy...there is no cure for you disorder!

Do something you're real good at. Go eat and lay down.

[ddemetrius456]

Vry reliable informations are found in this post. The post about characteristics of sociopath are very much helpful for all the readers like me.....

Thanxxxx a lot........keep posting...:)

__________________________
Managed Services (http://www.4net-technologies.co.uk/)

[turningjapanese]

Glad you found this information useful.

Dr. Robert Hare and Martha Stout have worked extensively in that field, and would be a good starting point if you are researching this subject.

Try googling "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" as well.

Stay Safe,
TJ

[turningjapanese]

Another deadly example of a huckster making a buck off the (spiritually) gullible.


http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/18/crimesider/entry5394208.shtml

Ray accused the followers of not "being spiritual enough" if they left.....

[turningjapanese]

I don't know if any of this pertains to L.R. Davis, but I found it to be interesting:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacDonald_triad