Psychopath is a widely used. Yet, frequently misunderstood title. Many people throw it around like an insult. You might call someone who does anything out of the ordinary a psychopath. But they aren’t really, or maybe you look toward history’s most famous mass murderers, while many of these criminals were psychopaths. The real definition is a lot broader. Psychopathy can take a number of different shapes and can even disguise itself as other mental disorders. There are still quite a bit of debate in the scientific community about how exactly to define a psychopath. But psychologists have agreed upon a loose description, psychopaths struggle to feel empathy or remorse. They often form deep emotional attachments to certain people or ideas, which leads to reckless and dangerous behavior. This unique personality disorder usually stems from a person’s genes. In other words, they’re born with psychopathic tendencies. From a young age, their brain just isn’t wired the same way that yours is. This is where most people misunderstand this disorder. Being a psychopath doesn’t make you violent or irrational, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re a terrible human being. There are plenty of people diagnosed with psychopathy who live normal lives, they have regular Jobs, go to the grocery store and play sports. Yes, they think differently, but being a psychopath doesn’t make you a killer or a criminal. There are however risk factors that increase the likelihood of violence. The most common is related to the environment where you grow up. Many serial killers are predisposed to psychopathy. But it was actually their childhood trauma that set them off. Psychopaths often share one more talent that makes finding them incredibly difficult. Now, this isn’t true for all people with psychopathy. So, for now, let’s just focus on violent and manipulative psychopaths. They tend to be amazing liars, they deceive others constantly, because they don’t feel bad about it. There’s no empathy to keep them in check. The idea of guilt doesn’t really make sense to them. They can fool even their closest friends and family into believing: hey, there’s nothing wrong. You might think they’re kind and harmless, right up until the moment it all falls apart. Maybe your best friend betrays you and cheats you out of a job, a decade of secrets in close camaraderie goes down the drain, and your left wondering how you could have been so blind? To make sure you aren’t sucker punched by the people that you trust, here are seven signs that you’re dealing with a psychopath.
psychopath n.精神病患者
insult v.侮辱，冒犯 n.侮辱，冒犯
out of the ordinary 不寻常的
mass murderers 大规模杀人犯
psychopathy n.精神病，精神障碍
disguise v.假扮，伪装；掩饰，隐瞒 n.伪装物，伪装
disorder n.混乱，杂乱；骚乱，动乱；紊乱，疾病
debate n.讨论，辩论
agree upon 达成一致的
remorse n.懊悔，自责
reckless adj.鲁莽的，不计后果的；粗心大意的
stems from 源于，来自于
tendencies 倾向
wired v.（用电线）接通，连接；用金属线固定（或加固）（wire 的过去式和过去分词）
diagnosed v.诊断；被诊断为（diagnose 的过去式和过去分词）
grocery n.食品杂货店，食品杂货业；食品杂货
risk factors 风险因素
likelihood n.可能，可能性
the most common 最常见的
serial adj.顺序排列的，一连串（系列）的；（重罪案犯或重案）连环的，连续的
predisposed adj.先有倾向的，先有意向的 v.预先有倾向的；预先处置好的（predispose 的过去分词）
trauma n.痛苦经历，挫折；精神创伤，心理创伤
set them off 引爆他们
liars 说谎者; 撒谎者（liar 的复数）
deceive v.欺骗，蒙骗
empathy n.共鸣，同情；感同身受，产生共鸣（的能力）
keep them in check 控制他们
fool 愚弄
closest 最亲密的
harmless 无害的
right up until 一直到……为止
fall apart 破碎，崩溃
camaraderie n.友情；同志之爱
goes down the drain 失败
blind adj.失明的，盲的；未察觉的，视而不见的
sucker n.<非正式>易受骗的人
punched 用拳猛击；（punch 的过去式和过去分词）
No.1 Exaggerated Egotism
One of the most recognizable signs of a psychopath is their consistent egotism. Now in their eyes, there’s no one in the world who could ever be their equal. They’re the best at everything they do, there are 100% certain they could never be replaced. This inflated self-importance comes from the selfish way that psychopaths view the world around them. They think people are always looking out for themselves, and if anyone says otherwise, they’re lying. To a psychopath, they’re not doing anything different than everyone else. They’re just doing it better. If for example, psychopaths think the rules are only there for people who aren’t clever enough to break them and not get caught. That’s one of the primary reasons why so many psychopaths engage in violent crimes. When they want something, no one else is opinions or rules could possibly outweigh their own. This is often how psychopaths avoid taking responsibility for their actions. If you were supposedly asking for it, well, they don’t think it’s their fault. If they go behind your back, they’ve blame you for trusting them. Egotism and a lack of responsibility is a dangerous combination. So, don’t let these two psychopathic traits go unnoticed.
Exaggerated Egotism 夸张的自负
recognizable 可识别的
consistent 一贯的
egotism n.自负
inflated adj.通货膨胀的；充了气的
looking out for 留意，关注
says otherwise 不这么说
clever 聪明的
supposedly adv.据说，据传
unnoticed adj.被忽视的
No.2 Behavioral Chaos
Psychopaths are rarely in control of their own behavior. They endanger themselves and the people around them by following impulse desires and Instincts. if you’re used to the stereotypical psychopath, this might sound a little backwards to you. The media’s version is diligent and calculated, they plan out their crimes to the smallest detail, making sure that nothing ever goes wrong. Well, part of that is true. Psychopaths are exceptionally rational, but they have a hard time controlling their behavior. They’re prone to fits of anger and can become suddenly violent. One little insult might shatter their ego which sets off their explosive temper. When they’re angry, psychopath stop thinking about what they’re doing and just do. Have you ever noticed your extra careful around someone you know? If you have, ask yourself whether or not they’re really in control of their behavior.
impulse adj.一时兴起的，随兴的
Instincts 本能
stereotypical adj.刻板印象的，类型化的
backwards adv.向后；倒转，相反；（时间上）回溯；倒退，每况愈下
diligent adj.勤奋的，勤勉的；细致的，潜心的
prone adj.有做……倾向的，易于……的
fits of anger 发怒
insult 侮辱
shatter v.（使）破碎，碎裂
sets off 突出
explosive adj.易爆的，可能引起爆炸的
temper n.坏脾气
No.3 Insincerity
Most of the things we say have meaning on multiple levels. Let’s say you’re leaving work and a co-worker shouts, “Great job today!” On the surface, it’s an encouraging comment, but how often do you take things at face value? You look for subtext, you analyze the way someone phrases their sentence or emphasizes different syllables. You pay attention to the feelings behind the words, and not just the words themselves. Most psychopaths struggle to put genuine emotion into what they say. Their sentiments are hollow and fabricated, their emotions might seem fake, because, well, they usually are. This doesn’t mean psychopaths can’t feel, they’re definitely capable of emotion. The problem is relating those emotions to the people around them. Imagine a psychopath says something sympathetic like, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” Well, it seems like they’re trying to lift your spirits, right? In reality, a psychopath would only say something like this if they have something to gain from you, they’re imitating sympathy to motivate you to give them what they want. So, even if their words sound the same, the emotional connection just isn’t there. So, where does this come from? A group of researchers found that people diagnosed with psychopathy also miss out on metaphors and abstract ideas. So, if there’s a deeper emotional meaning behind something, it will probably fly right over their heads. It’s not because they’re stupid, in fact, many psychopaths are incredibly intelligent. They simply specialize in logic and reason. They are adept at manipulating concrete ideas, but they get hazy when things dip below the surface. It turns out psychologists have actually seen this difference in action. In the 1990s, researchers measured the brain responses of two groups of people, one with psychopathy and one without. Both groups were shown a list of different kinds of words, some were supposed to provoke an emotional response while others were completely neutral. Sure enough, the non-psychopatic group reacted to the emotional words more than the neutral ones. On the other hand, the group with psychopathy showed no difference in brain activity. This study concluded that psychopaths’ insincerity comes from this difference in neural responses. They won’t grasp or relate to or care about their deeper meaning, because their brain just doesn’t work that way.
insincerity n.伪善；无诚意；不诚实
encouraging 令人鼓舞的
take things at face value 看事物的表面价值
subtext n.潜台词；潜在的意思；潜在的性格
phrases v.用话表示
syllables n.[语]音节（syllable 的复数）
sentiments 情绪 [心理] 感情 感想
hollow adj.空的，空心的
fabricated v.编造；制造（fabricate 的过去式及过去分词）adj.虚构的
relating v.关联
sympathetic adj.同情的，有同情心的
imitating v.模仿，仿效；仿造，伪造（imitate 的现在分词）
miss out 错过
metaphors n.隐喻（metaphor 的复数形式）
stupid adj.笨的，傻的
intelligent adj.聪明的；有智力的；智能的
specialize in 专攻，专门从事
reason n.理性
adept at 擅长于
hazy adj.雾蒙蒙的，朦胧的
dip v.浸，蘸；下降，下沉
It turns out 结果证明
provoke v.激起，引起；刺激；挑衅，激怒
neutral adj.中立的
Sure enough 果然
grasp v.理解，领会
No.4 Parasidic lifestyle
Psychopaths have no problem mooching off the people around them, like lice or tapeworms. Psychopaths often live a parasitic lifestyle, they’ll latch on to you and never let go. They’ll casually steal your money and use your property without feeling the slightest bit bad about it. They do this because psychopaths don’t respect anyone but themselves. To them, their time and energy is significantly more valuable than yours, they don’t mind wasting your resources as long as it saves them some trouble. So, if you’re in a parasitic situation, don’t expect a psychopath to leave willingly, you have to take the initiative and cut them out of your life, otherwise, they’ll bleed you dry.
parasidic adj.寄生的（等于 parasitical）
mooching off 靠某人或某物的慈善行为获得某物
lice n.虱子（louse 的复数）
tapeworms n.条虫；绦虫类（tapeworm 的复数）
latch on 抓住
steal 偷
property n.所有物，财产
slightest adj.极不重要的，最少的
willingly adv.欣然地；愿意地，乐意地
initiative n.措施，倡议；主动性，积极性；主动权
cut them out 切掉他们：指停止或削减某种行为或习惯
bleed v.流血，出血；给……放血
No.5 Disgust Threshold
Have you ever wondered how those famous psychopaths could stomach their crimes? Most people can’t even look at pictures of them. You might be repulsed by the smell of blood, or maybe you feel like throwing up when you watch someone else get hurt. That’s how most people react. But psychopaths aren’t like most people, on average, their threshold for disgust is significantly higher. In other words, gruesome images and foul smells, they don’t really freak them out. Something horrifying or heartbreaking for you might not affect a psychopath at all. Psychologists attribute this tolerance to their lack of emotional investment in others. So, if someone genuinely doesn’t care what happens to other people, they may not be a sensitive to the sights and sounds of suffering.
disgust n.反感，憎恶；厌恶，憎恶 v.使反感，使憎恶；使感到恶心（作呕）
threshold n.门槛，门口；阈，界，起始点；开端，起点，入门；机场跑道入口，跑道头
stomach v.忍受，承受；吃得下
repulsed 1. 击退，抵挡 2. 使厌恶，使反感
throwing up 呕吐
gruesome adj.可怕的；阴森的
foul adj.难闻的，令人恶心的
freak <非正式>（使）吃惊，不安，恼怒
horrifying adj.令人极其震惊的（或厌恶的、恐惧的） v.惊吓，（使）惊骇；（使）厌恶（horrify 的现在分词）
heartbreaking adj.令人心碎的；让人心疼的
sensitive adj.过敏的，易受影响的；灵敏的；善解人意的
sights and sounds of suffering 苦难的景象和声音
No.6 Facial Attention
If you think someone has psychopathic tendencies, pay attention to the way they look at you, say you’re tearing up about something terrible they said. As you tell them how you’re feeling, watch their eyes, are they looking right back into yours? Or are they more interested in staring at your mouth? A study from 2015 found that psychopaths focus on different areas of emotional faces. When someone is being vulnerable, most people automatically make eye contact, but someone with psychopathy would spend more time looking at their mouth. Why? Well, because your mouth gives as much or more information but lacks the same personal intimacy. Psychopaths will subtly disconnect by recognizing your expressions without the emotional bond of actual eye contact.
attention 关注
tearing up 流泪
make eye contact 进行眼神交流
intimacy n.亲密；性，性关系；亲昵的言语（或行为）；熟知，精通；亲切宜人，幽静；私事
subtly adv.精细地；巧妙地；敏锐地
No.7 Missing Distress
Further research into facial attention revealed another interesting weakness about most psychopaths. Their decent at detecting everything from happiness to anger, but there’s one emotion that psychopaths rarely notice – distress. According to a 2018 study, psychopaths can’t tell when someone is really upset or just faking it. They’re significantly less likely to notice if someone is experiencing emotional distress rather than physical. Since they can’t process distressed expressions, psychopaths rarely do anything to help. But even if they could tell the difference, researchers came up with another explanation. The same study showed that psychopaths don’t really care if someone is actually distressed. In most cases, the psychopath wouldn’t help them either way. So, if someone you know ignores you, whenever you’re upset, either they can’t tell, or they just don’t care.
distress n.忧虑，悲伤；贫困；危难，险情；（肉体的）剧痛
detecting v.发现；调查（罪行、罪犯）；察觉（细微或不易发觉的东西）（detect 的现在分词）n.侦查
explanation n.解释，说明；解释性说法，说明性文字；理由，原因
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