Today, we are going to learn about 5 ways to defend yourself from a psychopath. Now, let’s begin.
- Recognizing Psychopaths
To deal with a psychopath, you need to identify these people for who they are. If they manipulate or take advantage of you, play to your weaknesses, or abuse your trust, this person may be a psychopath, and it’s important you keep that fact in mind. Otherwise, you may treat this person like anyone else.
You may not recognize the games they play or the lies they tell. You may expect this person to abide by the same rules as everyone else. But they’re not like everyone else. Before we go on, keep in mind that not every psychopath is the same.
A small percentage of people have been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder or ASPD, but not all those people want to hurt, deceive, or take advantage of others. These harmless psychopaths may not experience empathy or emotional attachment the way you do, but they aren’t villains or criminals, like many people believe. However, not all people with ASPD are harmless.
This neuropsychiatric disorder creates emotional deficits that facilitate violent, manipulative, and criminal behaviour. If you have a psychopath in your life, harmless or not, it’s important to be aware of how their wants and needs differ from your own, especially if that person shows signs of cruelty or manipulation. Because the worst thing you can be in the company of a deceptive psychopath… is unaware. If you give them opportunities to take advantage of you or push their twisted agendas, there’s a good chance you’ll put yourself in a bad position.
If you think there’s a psychopath in your life, try to identify concrete signs of ASPD, so that you can be alert and aware. These signs do not guarantee anyone wants to hurt or manipulate you, but they can help you identify dangerous personalities. Some common signs include socially negligent behaviour and a frequent disregard for the safety of others.
Psychopaths are also prone to dishonesty and deception. For example, many psychopathic personalities are chronically dishonest. They lie to push their agendas. They lie to escape commitments. Sometimes, they lie simply because they enjoy it. Individually, these psychological signs don’t guarantee you’re dealing with a psychopath. But, if you see multiple signs appearing consistently, you may have a psychopath in your life. Luckily, you can defend yourself. By identifying the signs and keeping their emotional deficits in mind, you can coexist with a psychopath without putting yourself in danger.
- Trust Yourself
A psychopath may use your words, ideas, and emotions against you. They may push their agendas by forcing you to question your judgment. Little by little, they destroy your trust in yourself. They convince you that your memories are lying to you, creating stress, uncertainty, and self-doubt. The popular term for this is gaslighting. Gaslighting is a kind of psychological manipulation in which the gas lighter uses dishonesty and guilt to make you question your memory, perception, or sanity. Let’s say, for example, you and your partner have a terrible fight. Weeks later, you bring up the fight to your partner, and they say something like, “You have a terrible memory. That’s not what happened.” Suddenly, you begin to question your own memories. You start to wonder, “Am I remembering things incorrectly?”
Once that happens, your partner is in control. They have the power to rewrite history because you no longer trust your judgment. Gaslighting is a dangerous mind-game played by psychopaths and sociopaths. If someone is gaslighting you, it can cause you grief, frustration, and anger. It can destroy your self-esteem and shatter your self-confidence. So, how do you defend yourself from this emotional manipulation?
If you have a psychopath in your life, remember to always trust your instincts. Put faith in your judgment above everyone else’s. This person might tell you something that contrasts what you believe. And you can listen to what they say, but don’t take their opinions as fact. Use your mind. Think through the things they are telling, and ask yourself, “Is that really how it happened?” Because no matter what they tell you, you’re not crazy. You’re not fabricating experiences that never happened. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesn’t have your best interests in mind.
- Take Everything Lightly
We know that psychopaths are habitual liars, but most people don’t realize how convincing their lies can be. Psychopaths tell elaborate stories filled with convincing details. They understand what people want to hear, and they change their stories to cater to your personality.
Sometimes, they’ll lie to get on your good side. They may tell stories that directly relate to your experiences. You want to like and believe them. You may find them charming and charismatic, but that’s exactly what a psychopath wants.
To defend yourself from these manipulative characters, keep your wits about you. In other words, take everything they say lightly. There’s no guarantee anything they say is true. Maybe they told you a story about growing up in a tough neighbourhood. Maybe they fabricated relationships, work experiences, or extravagant vacations. With a psychopath, everything is up for grabs. But don’t spend too much time worrying about which is which.
Trying to differentiate fact from fiction is a trap every psychopath tries to create. They want you to be confused. They want you to accept fiction as fact. Because that gives them an advantage over you.
Suddenly, they know something you don’t and they can use that something to push their agenda. So, what’s the answer? How do you defend yourself? The simple answer is… don’t put stock in anything they say. Don’t be surprised when stories change, and don’t get too invested in specifics about their life. It may be the truth. It may be a lie. But if you understand how this person operates, you can stay one step ahead.
- Defending Details
Sharing personal details with a psychopath often backfires. These people may not engage emotionally with the stories you tell, but they remember those stories down to the letter. Because every personal detail about you may come in handy. Psychopaths rely on personal details to get their way.
To get those details, they worm their way into your comfort zone. They act like your friend. They rapidly deepen your emotional connection. They make you feel wanted, heard, and loved like no one else does. But they’re only pursuing this connection to earn your trust. They want you to expose your wants, needs, and fears. hey want to discover your weaknesses, because once they know where you’re vulnerable, they can hit you where it hurts. This is how many psychopaths deceive and take advantage of other people. They impersonate loyal friends and loving partners. But once you trust a psychopath, they gradually change the way you think. They use techniques like gaslighting to isolate you from the rest of your relationships.
They convince you that no one else is on your side, but that’s never the truth. If you want to protect yourself from a psychopath, be wary about the personal details you share, especially with someone you haven’t known for very long. Because trusting someone can be dangerous. Being vulnerable can leave you open to injury. I’m not telling you to close yourself off to the world, but if there is a psychopath in your life, keep your cards close to your chest. Remain in control, protect your weak spots, and don’t let them isolate you from your friends and family. Because no matter what they say, you have control over your life.
- Mental Fortitude
If there’s a psychopath in your life, whether it’s at work or at home, you need mental and emotional strength to survive this toxic relationship. You need mental strength to avoid manipulative tactics like gaslighting. You need mental strength to exercise caution when a psychopath abuses your sympathy. But more than that, you need mental strength to remain strong in the face of every toxic and manipulative personality.
Most people fall for a psychopath’s tricks because they don’t have the strength to stand up for themselves. If a psychopath is gaslighting you, for example, they will wear away at your self-esteem, until you don’t have the strength to resist their calm and confident agenda. If you want to defend yourself from toxic, psychopathic individuals, it’s essential to build your mental and emotional strength.
There are dozens of habits and routines you can use to get stronger, but one of the most important is self-case. Often, people allow their lives to be consumed by work and relationships. You become so overwhelmed by stress that you lose touch with who you are and what you believe. When this happens, you become vulnerable to manipulative personalities, because you don’t have the energy or confidence to defend your individuality.
If there is a psychopath in your life, remind yourself every day that you are strong, capable, and significant. Because a psychopath wants you to believe the opposite. They want you to feel powerless, confused, and stressed. They want you to discredit your abilities and surrender control of your life. But if you remind yourself what you’re capable of, you remain in control. Not only is this useful against psychopaths, but it also teaches you to stand up to toxic personalities. Because you will run into more of these manipulative people in your life. They may not all be psychopaths. But there will be people who try to take advantage of you. If you can be strong in the face of these confident, strong-minded characters, you can protect yourself, no matter how many lies they tell.
credit: TopThink
