Is a Psychopath Ruining Your Life?

Profile of the Sociopath

* Grandiose Sense of Self. Feels entitled to certain things as “their right”. Extreme narcissism. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Believe they are all-knowing, entitled to every wish. May state readily that their goal is to be a mogul, rule the world.

By batsman

Psychopaths are more common than you think. Some reports suggest 0.5% of females and 2% of males are psychopaths. (http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1360571.htm)

They could be anybody – from the mother-in-law who is making your life hell to the boss who has sent you off to purgatory. They could even be the clerk who is processing your application for a license, the policeman who stopped you for a traffic offence or the ministers deciding on matters of national interest. 

If you feel your life is hell on earth, there is a very good chance some psychopath is making it so. 

Malaysians tend to be in the dark on this matter but there is a great deal of literature in the west. The westerners are more sensitive to psychopaths making their lives hell while we tend to be more accepting of our fate. In fact there is a website specializing on reports and literature on psychopaths (http://www.psychopath-research.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1092) 

Not all psychopaths are serial killers, but all of them make other peoples’ lives miserable. In the west they even say that if some corporations were humans, they would be legally classified as psychopaths, so not only are there psychopaths in corporations some corporations behave like psychopaths such as captured in Joel Bakan’s film. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Corporation) 

In the west, there may be a preponderance of psychopaths in business, but I think in Malaysia, there may be a preponderance of psychopaths in politics. Psychopaths tend to go into politics in Malaysia because this is where they can do most damage to other people’s lives. Just think of the ISA for example. With the stroke of the pen, some minister can ruin a person’s life without even having to explain anything. 

So if there are any talented film makers in Malaysia short of good stories, making a film on psychopaths in politics, in GLCs, in the statutory bodies and in the bureaucracy would be a good bet. In fact, there is a good possibility that psychopaths may have a monopoly in these areas, which is why I personally think psychopaths in Malaysia tend to gravitate towards politics. 

Of course, this does not mean that psychopaths in Malaysia avoid the business arena altogether. Some projects in Malaysia remind one of the building of the Great Wall of China where those who labour on it are half-starved and not paid anything  – much like the human misery and slave labour that went into the building of the Great Wall. Some people’s grandeur are based on the extreme misery of others. 

In fact capitalism as a system tend to encourage and promote psychopaths. So the wealth of some people tend to be based on the extreme misery and impoverishment of others. This does not mean of course that all capitalists, all bureaucrats and all ministers are psychopaths. There are decent capitalists taking a good business risk to make a living. But thinking of the commonly used foul means and unfair business practices of some capitalists tend to show that some capitalists at least are psychopaths. 

So what is to stop psychopaths from taking over the world? Well, I think other psychopaths are. But it is dangerous to rely on psychopaths to stop other psychopaths since this almost inevitably leads to war and violence. Normal decent people have to act as a check on the ravages of psychopaths. Most of the time, this means standing up to cruelty, corruption, sin and abuses of power, never ever becoming a tool or henchman of these psychopaths to hurt people. 

Faith helps. That is why capitalist ideology is obsessed with keeping politics separate from religion. This does not mean that religions are free of psychopathic individuals because it is actually quite difficult to identify positively psychopathic people, but a blanket ban of religion from politics means that an important check on the psychopathic tendencies of capitalism and capitalist corporations has been removed. 

Of course religion in politics complicates things somewhat. Complications and messiness is part of life while simplicity and freedom from conscience is the stuff of psychopaths. 

If you still have any doubts on the damage that psychopaths can do and the misery they cause and if you are still enraptured by the wealth and progress that capitalist psychopaths bring to the world, check out the following link on the damage that psychopaths do –  http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200505/1116329997.html

And this is just the tip of the iceberg if you ask me since we have not investigated the damage that political psychopaths in power can do yet. 

Here are some tips in recognizing psychopaths (sometimes called sociopaths) taken from the internet –

Profile of the Sociopath

* Grandiose Sense of Self. Feels entitled to certain things as “their right”. Extreme narcissism. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Believe they are all-knowing, entitled to every wish. May state readily that their goal is to be a mogul, rule the world.

* Need for Stimulation Living on the edge. Promiscuity and gambling are common.

* Incapacity for Love. Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim; incapable of real human attachment to another

* Superficial Charm and conventional appearance. Does not perceive that anything is wrong with them; only rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out situations where their tyrannical behavior will be tolerated, condoned, or admired

* Manipulative and Conning. They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.

* Seeks Affirmation to Create Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt. Has an emotional need to justify their crimes and therefore needs their victim’s affirmation (respect, gratitude and love); Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims.

* Irresponsibility/Unreliability. Not concerned about wrecking others’ lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.

Recognise anybody yet? Shouldn’t be difficult. They are all around and screwing up the social and economic lives of ordinary Malaysians, but since they are powerful and capable of hurting people, I appreciate if you exercise some discretion and keep your opinions to yourselves.