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posted by cmn32480 on Tuesday November 15 2016, @02:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the mind-games dept.

The subject of psychopaths comes up frequently on Soylent in many contexts, so this story caught my eye:

How do you think a psychopath can be affected despite all that has been written about the psychopath being so devious etc.? I am sure there are weaknesses which one can dig into to break him 'psychologically'. I read somewhere that they are basically people who are very insecure and they love to control people so that they feel they have a power within themselves.
I know of a psychopath who insists on people doing what he wants and anyone defying him will see his vengeful self lashing out. But I am sure there must be something that can break such a psychopath. How about belittling or bring him to shame?

The first part of the answer is to be able to distinguish a narcissist from a psychopath:

I agree with the other post that points out that the person described is a narcissist, not a psychopath. Psychopaths are very secure and they to not seek control for the sake of feeling powerful, nor are they vengeful or spiteful. You could say that psychopaths are very practical, they want pure gain for the sake of the gain (e.g. money, a sexual favor, special access to something such as convince) rather than the ego stroke or prestige. A smart psychopath would probably keep things as low key as possible, as to maximize potential gain and minimize the danger of being caught. They are cool and calm, unlike the person described who lashes out for personal reasons.

Read the rest of the article for the takeaway.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 15 2016, @03:27PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 15 2016, @03:27PM (#426987) Journal

    A .308 works well. The popular 30:06 likewise. The .270 is preferred by other people. More timid folk might decide just to use the family sedan. A word in favor of the sedan - it is MUCH esier to convince a jury that it was an accident with the sedan, than it is to convince that same jury that your rifle accidentally fired.

    Psychoanalysists seem to forget that when they stare into the abyss, the abyss is staring right back at them. Those fool doctors are being played if they think they are making progress!

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  • (Score: 5, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 15 2016, @04:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 15 2016, @04:55PM (#427041)

    A .308 works well. The popular 30:06 likewise. The .270 is preferred by other people. More timid folk might decide just to use the family sedan. A word in favor of the sedan - it is MUCH esier to convince a jury that it was an accident with the sedan, than it is to convince that same jury that your rifle accidentally fired.

    The question was how to bring down a psychopath. Not how to identify one.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday November 15 2016, @05:39PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday November 15 2016, @05:39PM (#427061)

      Combine the two by leaving your spare gun on the table with an empty clip. Threaten suspected psychopath, wait for the grab, "return" fire.

      • (Score: 5, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 15 2016, @05:53PM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 15 2016, @05:53PM (#427069) Journal

        No fair! You have police academy training!! I'd have thought of that if I had gone to an academy.