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and yet another tailer-load of crap

Why & how is it crap?

Could that amazing new person you or a loved one is dating actually be a sociopath? It's not as far-fetched as you might imagine. Of course, not all sociopaths are dangerous criminals. But they certainly can make life difficult, given that the defining characteristic of sociopathy is antisocial behavior.

Having An Oversized Ego
Sociopaths have an inflated sense of self. They are narcissists to the extreme, with a huge sense of entitlement. They tend to blame others for their own failures.

Lying And Exhibiting Manipulative Behavior. Sociopaths use deceit and manipulation on a regular basis. Why? They lie for the sake of lying. They lie just to see whether they can trick people. And sometimes they tell larger lies to get larger effects.

Exhibiting A Lack Of Empathy.
They don’t really have the meaningful emotional inner worlds that most people have and perhaps because of that they can't really imagine or feel the emotional worlds of other people. It’s very foreign to them.

Showing A Lack Of Remorse Or Shame Sociopaths lack remorse, guilt or shame.

Staying Eerily Calm In Scary Or Dangerous Situations.
A sociopath might not be anxious following a car accident, for instance. And experiments have shown that while normal people show fear when they see disturbing images or are threatened with electric shocks, sociopaths tend not to.

Behaving Irresponsibly Or With Extreme Impulsivity.
Sociopaths bounce from goal to goal, and act on the spur of the moment. They can be irresponsible when it comes to their finances and their obligations to other people.

Having Few Friends
Sociopaths tend not to have friends -- not real ones, anyway. Sociopaths don’t want friends, unless they need them. Or all of their friends are superficially connected with them -- friends by association.

Being Charming--But Only Superficially Sociopaths can be very charismatic and friendly -- because they know it will help them get what they want. They are expert con artists and always have a secret agenda. People are so amazed when they find that someone is a sociopath because they’re so amazingly effective at blending in. They’re masters of disguise. Their main tool to keep them from being discovered is a creation of an outer personality.

As M.E. Thomas described in a post for Psychology Today: "You would like me if you meet me. I have the kind of smile that is common among television show characters and rare in real life, perfect in its sparkly tooth dimensions and in the ability to express pleasant invitations."

Living By The "Pleasure Principle.
" If it feels good and they are able to avoid consequences, they will do it! They live their life in the fast lane -- to the extreme -- seeking stimulation, excitement and pleasure from wherever they can get it.

Showing Disregard For Societal Norms They break rules and laws because they don't believe society's rules to them.

Source: The Huffington Post | Article by Macrina Cooper-White