Predator Awareness

No Empathy = No Guilt

Psychopaths live their lives in the absence of empathy. Is this absence of empathy beneficial? The state of research today is that the brain of a psychopath functions differently. The next question is what should be done about this difference, if anything.

If you were told by an expert that someone you love is a psychopath how would you react? Would you deny this finding because you know your loved one is not a criminal? Does psychopath mean criminal in your mind? If your mind automatically associates psychopath to criminal that is because psychopathic criminals make headlines.

Research indicates that many psychopaths function in society without crossing the line of criminality or are not caught when they do. Fact is that most people would not know when they are sitting next to one. Many assume everyone’s brain function similar to their own in the realm of emotion. This is a false assumption.

Get this assumption out of your mind. Psychopath’s primary benefit is that most people they have contact with have no concept that their mind functions differently. Rather than relating to a psychopath on their terms, we relate to them on ours. As a result your empathy gets in your way.

A psychopath’s lack of empathy means their actions are unconstrained. Regardless of whom they hurt in the process they are left without guilt. An example of this is a psychopathic serial killer’s lack of identifiable emotion as their numerous victims stream up to the podium throwing up with emotion as to how their actions affected their lives. The audience is left with this unbelievable sense of “how” anybody can do this without any remorse.

The “how” is that no remorse is forthcoming if you exist in the absence of empathy. Empathy is the emotion that causes the feelings of guilt. No empathy, no guilt. When you relate to others with an expectation that they will not do an act because of the corresponding sense of guilt you believe will accompany it, you need to think twice about that assumption.

Using empathy to their advantage, psychopaths have many secondary benefits as a result. They will use, manipulate and deceive their primary targets out of their money, support, sex or lives. Once the victim is all used up, the predator will move on to another victim without the slightest sense of guilt. The empathizer is left holding the bag. Financial ruin is a very common outcome after a relationship with a psychopath.

If you ask the destroyed victim “why” you will likely hear them respond with self-deprecating things like I was stupid or dumb. Brainwashed more accurately explains these outcomes. Psychopath’s mask of charm is the weapon of choice for this conditioning process. Go easy on these victims because it may take a while to get themselves back.

A psychopath can maneuver with relative ease once they gain control of your empathy. On the initial contact with a psychopath another’s empathy is usually tested. So many of us wear empathy on our sleeves and that is where you will find the focus of that first exchange.

The “pick-up” line of a psychopath will be presented in a question geared toward the discovery of where your empathy is worn. Those who closely guard their empathy will be passed by immediately. Those who give it freely will be targeted.

The very first question posed by a psychopath may sound odd yet intriguing to a sleeve wearing empathizer. If someone poses a question that throws you back, immediately turn and walk away. This is not a clever “pick-up” line. This is the first step toward controlling your empathy.

Once a psychopath has control, their benefit of this control is as far as your imagination will take you. It is through another’s empathy they are able to manipulate another out of their soul. Physical, emotional and financial ruin to others is the detrimental benefits a psychopath reaps, who then walks away without a moment of guilt. Any attempt to discuss how their actions equate to your pain will not be understood. You might as well talk to the wall.

The only way you can disrupt the psychopath’s benefit is to view life through their eyes. In the Silence of the Lambs law enforcement uses Hannibal Lector’s eyes to build a strategy to catch another psychopathic predator. The point of this movie is to demonstrate how difficult it is for empathizers to step into the life of those living in its absence. So they use a known “expert” in the field to assist in their quest.

Most of us don’t know we know a psychopath, so looking to them for advice on how they view the world is not practical. If you are a target of a psychopath they will stalk you under the guise of emotional interest. They are interested in what you have, but it has nothing to do with emotion.

Looking through the eyes of a psychopath has nothing to do with empathetic connection between individuals. Their brain does not have the ability to connect with empathy. They cannot step into your shoes. They will wear their own shoes their entire life. Another benefit of a psychopath, lacing up shoes once.

Financial ruin is a common example of one of psychopath’s accomplishments. What is important to understand is that your empathy works to their advantage. They will use another’s empathy for “gifting” and they will have no remorse to “gift” it back. In their eyes it took a tremendous amount of work to manipulate a fool out of their money.

They “earned” it!