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How to deal with sociopaths

Antisocial Personality Disorder

A person who is being termed as a ‘sociopath’ or is suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder usually have scant regard for the well being and welfare of the others. People with this disorder may exhibit some sort of criminal behavior, but we often associate sociopaths with ‘serial killers’ which is not a correct perception. Here we have given some ways to deal with them.

Stay away from them

Psychologists will never advocate deliberate avoidance but these are exceptional cases. The most effective way of dealing with a sociopath is to remove him or her from your life altogether. Don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings as they do not have any such feelings which you can hurt. Don’t allow them in your social relationships as this step will prove perilous in the future. Your family may not approve of your sudden behavior but do not listen to them. Just avoid them at all costs.

Never help a sociopath to conceal his/her true character

You will often come across the pleas like “Please don’t tell” with tearful eyes and hands folded. Don’t fall for those. These are trademark tactics of child abusers and sociopaths. A person (without conscience) may insist that you ‘owe’ him or her but always remember “you owe me” has been the standard line for many sociopaths and child abusers for many thousands of years from the time of Rasputin. “You owe me” may seem to be a compelling claim but it is definitely not so. Just don’t listen to all those talks. Ignore them completely.

Do not try to reform them

All kinds of studies have proved beyond reasonable doubt that efforts to cure sociopaths with therapy are a futile exercise and many actually backfire. The sociopaths will use the therapy to sharpen their conversational skills and conning attitude. There is no known treatment for the sociopaths. A person who has some degree of humanity left in him can be cured but people who are without conscience cannot be reformed.

Warn people

If, unfortunately, a psychopath has made your life miserable you can warn others of the person but do so at your own risk. You can report to the nearest precinct if you come across any acts of violence committed by the sociopath. These people should be behind bars and one cannot feel safe as long as they are roaming free in the society. The sociopaths feed on the fears and emotions of the people; so they should be put behind bars immediately. Do not show any emotions, just deal with them coldly.

Keep yourself protected

Sociopaths would want to use you, your connections, resources and your loved ones. You must get them out of your life and in order to do so you must follow certain rules. If that person is interested in money, then keep your money in those places where he/she will not be able to find it. Don’t keep the bank statements within easy reach as they will tend to open it and through the statement. If he is after power then create an impression so that he feels that you are not well connected. Behave in such a manner so that eventually that person loses interest in you. One more important point to note is that sociopaths are like terrorists. Without weapons, their impact will be minimal. So you should always keep those things away from him which he may use as a weapon. Always avoid telling a sociopath what you fear so that they do not use those things to terrorize you.

Use the element of surprise

A sociopath may start harassing you if he comes to know your plans ahead of time. So the trick is to first complete the task without informing him and do not tell the sociopath until then. If you are working with a sociopath in an office, then wait till he leaves the office and then make small purchases or do the small tasks. You can tell them when they return to office. Having said that, working with a sociopath in an office is not a good idea at all; so try to work somewhere where he/she is not working or nowhere near you.

Pretend to suffer

Sociopaths take great pleasure in making other people suffer. They have a habit of harassing people constantly until they start suffering. If a sociopath makes fun of you because of your weight, then it is best to leave the scene while crying! Sociopaths will enjoy when they see that you are crying and by this act you will save yourself from further harassment. He will laugh because he thinks that you are suffering without having the slightest idea that you just faked crying to get away from him. Keep this strategy completely secret so that no one ever finds it.

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