Red flags of dating a sociopath

But chances are you've met a sociopath — after all, according to Harvard psychologist Martha Stout, author of The Sociopath Next Door , one in every 25 people is a sociopath. With so many alleged sociopaths around, and with their charming nature, it can be hard to know one when you see them. A standard trait of a sociopath is that they are charming and gregarious people. They know exactly what to say to everyone to get them to like them. That's probably why you were drawn to them in the first place.

Many people use the word 'sociopath' flippantly to describe people they dislike, but few understand what the term really means. In actual fact, most 'sociopaths' have a form of antisocial personality disorder APD and as a result have zero disregard for what is right and wrong and rarely care about the feelings of others. Research has found that one in every 25 people has the traits of a sociopath so it's entirely possible that you could be dating one and have no idea - especially as they are often charming and highly charismatic. According Harvard psychologist Martha Stout sociopaths aren't all that uncommon with one in every 25 having this type of personality disorder stock image. Source: Psychology Today via Mayo Clinic.

From Prevention. But sociopaths can be charismatic and some symptoms of their condition, like being impulsive and persuasive and shunning social norms, can be attractive in some situations. A quick primer: A sociopath is someone who has antisocial personality disorder-a condition that causes them to lack empathy, be exploitative in close relationships, indifferent to the needs of others , entitled, and lack remorse for the bad things they do and say-according to clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula , PhD, author of Should I Stay or Should I Go?

You're in a romantic relationship. It started out as a whirlwind of attention and affection, but now you have a gnawing fear that something is terribly wrong. Or you were in a relationship that was verbally, emotionally, financially or even physically abusive. That person is gone now, but you still don't know how you fell into it, and you're scared it will happen again. Or someone you care about is hooked up with a partner who worries you.