5 signs that show that you are dating a psychopath
Psychopaths make up about one percent of the general population and most of them are not serial killers. He or she can be your co-worker who somehow seems to get away with everything. They’re that “perfect” ex who ran off with someone else. Or maybe they’re just the totally normal guy who served you coffee this morning. Here are five signs that you might be dating a psychopath.
Psychopaths look like you and me, but there’s one big difference: they do not have a conscience. They can harm others with absolutely no sense of remorse or guilt. They spend their lives learning how to mimic normal human emotions, but they don’t actually experience any of those feelings. Things like compassion, love, trust, and forgiveness — all just convenient vulnerabilities to be exploited.
Here are 5 signs that you might be dating a psychopath:
1. They reel you in with idealization, love-bombing, and flattery.
When you first meet a psychopath, things move extremely fast. They tell you how much they have in common with you — how perfect you are for them. Like a chameleon, they mirror your hopes, dreams, and insecurities to form an immediate bond of trust and excitement. They constantly initiate communication and seem to be fascinated with you on every level. If you have a Facebook page, they might plaster it with songs, compliments, poems, and inside jokes.
2. They prey on your emotions with pity plays and sympathy stories.
You will quickly find a soft spot in your heart for them. They often seem cute and innocent at first.
They will probably mention their abusive ex who’s still in love with them. They say that all they have ever wanted is some peace and quiet. They hate drama — and yet, you will soon come to notice there’s more drama surrounding them than anyone you have ever known.
3. They involve you in their own versions of “love triangles.”
Once you are hooked, the triangulation sets in. They surround themselves with former lovers, potential mates, and anyone else who provides them with added attention.
This includes people that the psychopath may have previously denounced and declared you superior to. This makes you feel confused and creates the perception that the psychopath is in high demand at all times.
4. They constantly rewrite reality and exhibit other crazy-making behavior.
They blatantly deny their own manipulative behavior and ignore evidence when confronted with it. They become dismissive and critical if you attempt to disprove their fabrications with facts. Instead of them actually addressing their inappropriate behavior, somehow it always becomes your fault for being “sensitive” and “crazy.”
Toxic people condition you to believe that the problem is not the abuse itself, but instead your reactions to their abuse.
5. They accuse you of feeling emotions that they are intentionally provoking.
They call you jealous after blatantly flirting with an ex — often done over social networking for the entire world to see.
They call you needy after intentionally ignoring you for days on end. They use your manufactured reactions to garner sympathy from other targets, trying to prove how “hysterical” you have become. You probably once considered yourself to be an exceptionally easygoing person, but an encounter with a psychopath will (temporarily) turn that notion upside down.
