Hi, I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson, and welcome to episode 26 of the savvy psychologist.

I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

We'll use the best of psychology to help you be happy, healthy, and most importantly yourself.

Many thanks to Cindy Josert of Webster City, Iowa who offered the idea for this week's

podcast. With darkness in their hearts, ice water in their veins, and snake charming smiles on their faces,

Psychopaths have a personality disorder that affects anywhere from 0.6 to 4% of the population, more frequently men than women. It's been documented in

cultures the world over. So for your next cocktail party, the Native Alaskan peoples call Psychopaths Koolingeta.

Now, the brain of a psychopath is different than yours or mine. It has a smaller prefrontal cortex, that's the part

that regulates behavior, impulse control, and planning, and it has a deformed amygdala, the

seat of negative emotions like fear, guilt, and sadness.

You can't tell superficially who is a psychopath, so let's get to know them.

Here are three traits of psychopaths, plus the subtle difference

between a psychopath and a sociopath.

Psychopath trait number one, Fearless Dominance. Let's look at Fearless

dominance from an empathetic point of view, ironically something

Psychopaths lack. So imagine total freedom from fear, anxiety, or guilt. You do whatever you want without the

pesky hindrance of conscience, social consequences, authority figures, or the well-being of others. You know the rules of society. You just

don't care. You're also a master at concealing your hard-hearted self-assurance. On the outside, you're charming, outgoing, charismatic, and convincing. People like and admire you.

You're definitely not a loner. You thrive on power and control, which you get from these suckers who willingly seem to take this thing

called responsibility seriously. But they're beneath you. These losers deserve to lose. They've had it coming all along. You look out for number one. You also have no

empathy so you're free from dealing with the pain you inflict on others. You get this

emotion thing intellectually so you study it to learn how to act and what to say to get what you want no matter what.

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