Reading the words “psychopathic personality type”, most people will picture serial killers, rapists and psychopaths. In real life, though, these are strong, brave, decisive people, and very often the engines of progress.
If you like the songs of Grigory Leps or of the singer Pink, if you have seen films with the actresses Meryl Streep and Cameron Diaz, read the poems of Vladimir Vysotsky, or know politicians such as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — then you know the psychopathic personality type.
They are capable of reaching almost any goal they set themselves, and they will not be fussy about the means. If they take up an idea, they can drive it forward, playing the part of a locomotive that pushes the whole of society along with it. That is why they so often turn out to be the engines of progress.
Far more often, though, they show up in society as people obsessed with power in all its forms, thrill-seekers who enjoy life to the full. We shall call them the “Hedonists”.
In terms of the structure of the psyche and the nervous system, the “Hedonists” are introverts in the active position, with the Ego type “Contact with Reality” and the violated right “to Be”
- Introverts — meaning they know everything about themselves. There is no point explaining to them what is true and what is not: they already know, and that is why society has no hold on them.
- As people in an active social position, Hedonists care about winning, about competition, about social achievement. They will take a risk with relish, and that is the only way they get to feel any joy. Sitting in the back rows is not for them.
- The Ego type of the Hedonists is Contact with Reality. Put simply, they are tuned for action, for actively shaping the environment around them. The world is plasticine to them, out of which they unemotionally mould whatever they personally need.
If we look back to childhood, the Hedonists have a violated right “to Be”. That is exactly why they obsessively prove their own presence in this world — I EXIST! (“I am strong, I am able to defend myself”). And the other side of the coin is at work as well: “You do not exist”.
This is what lies behind the obsessive proving of one's presence in this world: “I EXIST, I am strong, I am capable!” The other side of the coin is the difficulty in registering other people's boundaries — or boundaries as such at all. This is the person who always comes closer than he should, who speaks louder than the moment requires, and who slips easily into aggression, right up to physical violence. But there is one particular feature here that it is very important to understand:
for all the outward aggression, there is no malice or hatred inside them.
With most other personality types, when we shout at someone we put our soul into it; there is a feeling of hatred inside. Hedonists have no anger, because in order to hate you have to grant the object independence and separateness. When you get angry because your foot has caught on a twig, do you hate the twig? Of course not — it is simply an obstacle: you move the twig aside and forget it! Hatred is a deeper state.
That is exactly what Hedonists do: the moment something becomes an obstacle, they show aggression in order to solve the problem, to remove that obstacle without emotion. What is more, the louder they yell and the more aggressive they are, the quieter it grows inside them, right up to the complete stopping of the inner dialogue.
Accordingly, people of the psychopathic type do not separate themselves from other people, which has both a good side and a bad one. The good side: everybody always takes care of themselves. So once the Fighter has “taken you inside himself”, he will take care of you as well. But every demand he makes of himself will be made of you too, because “you are me, so you had better measure up!”
They respect nothing but strength. If they run into a wall, into force, they will first test it for firmness. If you set a boundary for a psychopathic type, he will first try to break through it. If he does not succeed, you earn that person's respect. More than that, you become a separate personality for him; you have been singled out, and you are treated accordingly. But the moment you let your strength drain away, the moment you show a weak spot, you will be swallowed at once. In other words, from time to time there will be small tests along the lines of “are you still strong? If not, we are on our way to you.”
Do you think being a psychopathic type is a poor deal? You are mistaken! Our Club team has included some excellent counsellors of the psychopathic type.
Strengths of the psychopathic personality type
A lively, very agile mind and boundless pragmatism. Usually, when other types are quarrelling and shouting in the street and a police car happens to drive past, people carry on quarrelling: we are in the heat of it, we are in our feelings, we keep this contract going. It is quite different with the psychopathic type. Even if it looks as though they are about to “kill you in the heat of the moment”, the second the police turn up they will start talking to you in complete calm. As soon as the police have driven on, they will carry on the row with you at exactly the same pitch. That is how a very high level of pragmatism shows itself. And that is why the mind is just as lively, quick and calculating. And the sense of humour has a peppery edge.
Quick forgiveness and fast switching. A psychopathic type flares up and it seems he is about to destroy you. Five minutes later you are still in shock at what happened, while for him everything is fine again: he loves you and all is well. As long as the obstacle is there, energy is applied to that obstacle in order to remove it. The moment the obstacle is gone, it is forgotten. That is exactly what the emotional display is about: when I need to smash through a fence, I smash through it. Once I have smashed through it, what is there left to be angry about?
They are highly self-reliant and have a high level of bodily skill — that is, there is a great deal they can do with their hands, and they pitch in of their own accord. They also find it easy to take responsibility for their own decisions and the consequences.
Here are some more of their strengths:
- Strength (in all its aspects) and endurance.
- Courage, decisiveness, fearlessness, ruthlessness towards themselves.
- The ability to overcome obstacles. Single-mindedness.
- A sense of humour.
- Better than anyone else, they know how to earn themselves a truly rich and comfortable life.
But there is another side to the coin
Conflict traits of the psychopathic personality type
The main problem of the psychopathic type is the disregard for, the disrespect for and the violation of other people's boundaries. They are hot-tempered and, generally speaking, have difficulty with emotional perception. And they are fond of “blunt truth-telling” in the style of
“I will tell you the whole truth, even if you do not want it”
A lack of restraint in satisfying bodily needs, “off-the-scale hedonism”, the exaggeration of needs. A psychopathic type drinks to the point of complete self-destruction. If he eats, he eats enough to stay full for a long time. If he goes out on the town, he does it so that the whole neighbourhood is up in arms. There is a constant exaggeration of his own display and presence.
At the same time, people of the psychopathic type can fairly be called ruthless, calculating and domineering. In their day, a good many of them were gangsters, and from the outset they respect not hierarchy but strength alone.
Other weaknesses:
- Verbal, emotional “exhibitionism” (telling everything, in every detail).
- A hot temper.
- Difficulty with emotional and sensory perception, with showing themselves as feeling, with expressing empathy.
- Disrespect for and dislike of traditions, values and rituals that seem outdated or unfounded.
- Everything at once — they take it by storm.
- Excessive pragmatism, ruthlessness and calculation.
- Hypercontrol over the situation and everyone in it. While they dislike limits being set on them, they are inclined to set limits for others
Appearance of the psychopathic personality type
Outwardly, psychopathic types are physically large people, men and women alike. The men are not necessarily large, but there is a sense of might about them. They may be heavy, yet never flabby. The heaviness reads as a mass of muscle, even when it is fat. Women of the psychopathic personality type are large, sturdy, loud-voiced, broad, hard to miss; they convey a sense of solidity, of standing firmly on their own feet.
The key characteristic is the sense of big bones and a strong frame. As a rule the shoulder area is clearly pronounced: the shoulders sit almost at a right angle to the neck.
Both the men and the women give off a sense of physical might and strength. Beside them a little fear stirs somewhere inside you, and a sense or feeling of danger arises. Even when a psychopathic person is looking at you fondly, it feels as though he is angry, because there is that sense of an angry, piercing gaze.
Their top level of happy delight is glassy eyes in which every feeling has suddenly disappeared. That said, psychopathic people are perfectly capable of being warm and welcoming, and of practising that as life goes on.
For their own “pack” they are people of the grand gesture. Their motor activity is broad in the same way: intrusive, announcing their own presence.
Their appearance is finished, rich and of a piece. Comfortable, often expensive clothes, since with a character like theirs psychopathic types are often socially successful people.
How can you spot the psychopathic personality type by their speech?
Every personality type has its own games, roles and manipulations. There is a true saying: “what hurts is what people talk about”. You can recognise the psychopathic type by the phrases that match its fears and its needs:
Fear of weakness:
- “The weak should be destroyed. They do not deserve pity.”
- “Stop whining and snivelling. Just get on with it!”
The need to form boundaries between themselves and the world around them:
- “You are part of me. By leaving, you tear a piece out of me.”
- “I gave you life, and I shall…”
- “Then you shall not be…”
Fear of deception:
- “Women / men cannot be trusted, they are all hypocrites!” “Nobody can be believed!”
- “It is not me you want, it is my money / me as the hired help!”
- “You fool! You have betrayed me!”
The need to “gestalt” the environment:
- “I am going to tell you the whole truth anyway. You can beat me for it, I will not cry!”
