THE INTERNET AS A SOCIOPATHS PLAYGROUND

Do you know how to tell if a man is a sociopath? And do you know which women are the most likely targets of sociopaths?
Married women or just newly divorced are preferred targets for sociopaths. The age of technology we live in makes it difficult to discern initially due to just a computer screen in front of you.  Over time however, all sociopaths are easily identified.  Many marriages are put at risk due to their predatory practices. 
* Essentially, a sociopath will glibly lie, charm and use others, without a moment's remorse over hurting anyone.
* They're often, but not always, more charismatic, charming than the average person.
* Sociopaths can feign every kind of emotion; yet they know only "feral" [wild, savage, deadly] pleasures.
* Sociopaths find rewards in the hunt.
* Their joys are in conquest and in winning.
* They know how to manipulate love and lust but can not feel either love or empathy.
* They have a Grandiose Sense of Self. They feel entitled to certain things as "their right."
* Shallow Emotions are all they have! When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. They are outraged by insignificant matters, yet remain unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person.
*Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises!
* Highly 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.
*Their goal is to dominate and humiliate their victims.

Using the official diagnostic version from The DSM-IV-TR and The American Journal of Psychiatry (diagnostic manuals) and my own training and experience, here's some help in understanding the sociopath.
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture. There is a marked inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules. Individuals with this disorder are sometimes called psychopaths or sociopaths.

Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV)

1. Since the age of fifteen there has been a disregard for and violation of the right's of others, those right's considered normal by the local culture, as indicated by at least three of the following:
A. Repeated acts that could lead to arrest.
B. Conning for pleasure or profit, repeated lying, or the use of aliases.
C. Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive.
D. Repeated assaults on others.
E. Reckless when it comes to their or others safety.
F. Poor work behavior or failure to honor financial obligations.
G. Rationalizing the pain they inflict on others.

2. At least eighteen years in age.

3. Evidence of a Conduct Disorder, with its onset before the age of fifteen.

4. Symptoms not due to another mental disorder. 

These people are mentally ill and extremely dangerous! The following precautions will help to protect you from the destructive acts of which they are capable.

First, to recognize them, keep the following guidelines in mind.

(1) They are habitual liars. They seem incapable of either knowing or telling the truth about anything.

(2) They are egotistical to the point of narcissism. They really believe they are set apart from the rest of humanity by some special grace.

(3) They scapegoat; they are incapable of either having the insight or willingness to accept responsibility for anything they do. Whatever the problem, it is always someone else's fault. -there's not a hint of remorse in his behavior, attitude, or conversation. As a matter of interest, this particular person talks like he has been victimized.
by everyone in his life!

(4) They are remorselessly vindictive when thwarted or exposed.

(5) Genuine religious, moral, or other values play no part in their lives. They have no empathy for others and are capable of violence. Under older psychological terminology, they fall into the category of psychopath or sociopath, but unlike the typical psychopath, their behavior is masked by a superficial social facade.

If you have come into conflict with such a person or persons, do the following immediately!

(1) Notify your friends and relatives of what has happened.

Do not be vague. Name names, and specify dates and circumstances. Identify witnesses if possible and provide supporting documentation if any is available.

(2) Inform the police. The police will do nothing with this information except to keep it on file, since they are powerless to act until a crime has been committed. Unfortunately, that often is usually too late for the victim. Nevertheless, place the information in their hands.

Obviously, if you are assaulted or threatened before witnesses, you can get a restraining order, but those are palliative at best.   If you'd like to learn more about the traits of sociopaths, written in simple layman language, I recommend The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout, PhD (a psychotherapist with a knack for writing great books).
Dr. Stout says that as many as 4% of the population are conscienceless sociopaths who have no empathy or affectionate feelings for humans or animals. [Other sources say one in 5 of our population are sociopaths.] As Dr. Stout (The Myth of Sanity) explains, a sociopath is defined as someone who displays at least three of fifteen distinguishing characteristics, such as
* deceitfulness, * impulsivity and * a lack of remorse.
With the above stated, it is best to avoid the development of any relationship online either with a stranger or old acquaintence especially if you are married.  One example that comes to mind is a married woman finds an old acquantence on Facebook, they chat back and forth, he(being a sociopath as evidenced through meeting all the criteria) begins manipulating the communication.  As time passes the woman's husband finds out about the emotional affair (hadnt progressed to face to face meeting so nothing physical occurred).  The woman breaks off contact.  She receives a strange and harrassing text message a couple of months later which prompted her to contact the sociopath during such time he of course denies sending the text(he is a known pathological liar) and then begins rambling on about how his son was "busted for selling drugs" and he didnt know what he was going to do.  He then mentions that he(the man, not the son) had many, many past hospitalizations due to psychiatric issues over the course of his life (Dorothea Dix Hospital as well as others).  This is something the woman didn't know in the beginning and she admittedly would have never communicated with him had she known the degree of his mental illness.  This man had all the warning signs of a sociopath:  grandiose sense of self, pathological lying, Lack of remorse, shame and guilt(long legal history to include assault on a female), shallow, need for stimulation(very promiscuous, lack of empathy(stated he never looked for trouble but trouble always seemed to find him and even believes that he was doing nothing wrong trying to break up a marriage), poor behavior controls(legal history), early behavior problems/Juvenile deliquency(his legal issues and alcohol abuse began in his teens), Irresponsible and unreliable(chose to allow his children to grow up without his presence), Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic lifestyle(claims income from disability received due to an injury-(more like disability due to his mental issues) and owns no home, goes from place to place of those that will allow him to stay although his relationship with his family is nonexistent.), and he has a criminal versatility-(he hides behind alias and tells ficticious life stories like being in movies- proved to be made up in no record of participation as an actor, extra or set employee of the movies he named).  This is just an example of how a sociopath operates and if not detected, the damage they can cause to a relationship can be devastating.  His life is built entirely on lies and manipulation and had the truth not been discovered and an end put it, lives would have been destroyed and even lost all because of the safe haven of the internet, text messages, etc.  Its best to avoid or at minimum perform a criminal background check since no person, especially a sociopath will freely tell of their history and even if they do, the sociopath, will claim to be the victim.  Many women find out way too late so be cautious and avoid becoming a true victim yourself.