“Perhaps the scariest of all liars are the ones who exhibit antisocial behaviors. They are organized and methodical psychopaths (like cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer and serial killer Ted Bunny) and more disorganized and impulsive sociopaths (like wife and unborn baby killer ScottPeterson). Despite these and other subtle differences, they tend to share essentially the same traits.
I will now talk about the profile of the psychopath and sociopath. You will learn about some common body and facial language “tells” that may indicate you`re in the presence of conscienceless individuals. Understanding this profile and learning about these common “tells” may help save your life, as you learn how to recognize the toxic and dangerous people who comprise just one to two percent of the population. (Note: For expediency I will refer to them as just psychopaths, but keep in mind that the terms are not interchangeable).
Psychopaths are most easily recognized by their distinctive speech patterns. Constant use of the past tense can be an indicator of psychological detachment. Indeed, researchers have found that psychopaths use the past tense more often than the present tense as compared to non psychopaths, especially when describing their crimes.
They also tend to have a more disjointed speaking style, replete with filler words like “uh” and “um” that interrupt the flow of speech. This is likely because this allows the psychopath more time to think about the lies he/she must conduct. It is their attempt to try to control their words.
Because psychopaths are entitled and see the world and others as theirs for the taking, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that they used more words such as “because” and “so what” – basically, cause and effect statements. This indicates that they tend to view their crime as the logical outcome of a plan, something that “had” to be done to achieve a goal.
They will also lie and use charm to take what they see as theirs. Thus, a psychopath may try to cajole you by excessively complimenting or flattering you. For this reason, such people usually make a good first impression because they are highly attuned to peoples reactions and then saying what they want to hear. They will also ask a lot of questions to quickly figure out your emotional hot buttons – what makes you sad, angry or happy – so they can play upon these emotions (emotions they lack by the way). They have noe feelings; no remorse, and certainly no conscience. Their verbal manipulations can be persistent and inexorable.
As charming and engaging as they try to be, they will often inadvertently reveal who they are trough an insensitive, unfeeling remark of comment; you may even hear a disturbing sadistic or macabre comment. Never ignore your body`s response to something like this, as it is warning you that something is very wrong with the person in front of you. As well most psychopaths have had a history of being cruel to animals, so don`t be surprised if you hear an intensive or sadistic comment about your pet.
Studies also show that psychopaths seem to be most occupied with basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and the like. They tend to use twice as many words related to the basic psychological needs and self-preservation as nonpsychopaths. in contrast, non psychopathic murderers will talk more about spirituality, religion, and family.
If a psychopath commits a crime, he or she (usually he) will often speak of him or herself as the victim, just as Aileen Wuornos did, a serial killer who blamed her actions on the police (for allowing her to keep killing numerous men) as well as society (for allowing her to be sentenced to death). As she maintained in her final interview the night before she was executed, “I didn’t do anything as wrong as they said … And I saved a lot of people`s butts from getting hurt, and raped, and killed.”
Charles Manson does a lot of this kind of blame shifting from behind bars, as well. Like most psychopaths Wournos also expressed a grandiose opinion of her self. This type of grandiose speaking has also been evident in the many interviews Charles Manson has granted throughout the years. This over-inflated sense of self is due to the psychopath`s sense of entitlement, which yields a certain braggadocio and cockiness. Thus, the psychopath will speak of himself in grandiose terms while blaming others and taking absolutely no responsibility for his actions.
Psychopaths are, surprisingly, highly sensitive to what they perceive as slights against them. They can respond in kind by becoming verbally or even physically hostile. Perhaps the most chilling thing I`ve ever seen is a video of psychopathic murderer Richard Kuklinski being interviewed by psychiatrist Park Dietz. Kuklinski informs Dietz that the Psychiatrist made him angry but doesn’t`t know why. When the doctor asks him if he felt that he was being judged and whatever that was what angered him, the serial killer openly admits that to be the case.
Psychopaths who don`t kill also tend to go on the defensive if they feel they are being judged or criticized. They will verbally assault you with a barrage of hostile words. They also tend to hyper articulate or precisely pronounce their words when they are lying. You can see this clearly in serial killer Ted Bundy`s last prison interview, hours before he was executed.
When the garden-variety sociopath uses this precise, staccato articulation and stops using contractions, know that he or she most probably is lying. This clipped speaking pattern could also be heard in the courtroom when financial swindler Bernard Madoff made his final “apology” before he was taken away to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The staccato tone may also have been a reflection of hostile or mocking feelings against his victims.
Perhaps the most telling speech pattern of the psychopath is that they will often contradict themselves, even within a single sentence. For example, they will lie or omit information when you ask them a question, but they may tell you the truth if you rephrase the question slightly. Researchers have discovered that this has to do with the particular way their brain is wired.
Because psychopaths show no remorse and indeed harbor no feelings of guilt, their vocal tone mirrors this lack of feeling and emotions.In analyzing the voice patterns of of such notorious serial killers as Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacey, Ted Bundy, “Nightstalker” Richard Ramirez, and mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski, there is one overriding distinct similarity: they all speak or spoke in a monotone devoid of emotion, seemingly detached as they spoke of their heinous crimes. Even in those sociopaths who are not murderers, you can hear a dead, hollow monotone.
This was evident in Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff`s voice for example. This monotone is particularly evident when the sociopath is blaming others and saying that it is everyone else`s fault but his own. You will sometime hear them deviate from their normally monotone speech when they are trying to manipulate someone. They will get louder, the pace of their speech will quicken, and the pitch of their voice may go up as they try to enroll people in their schemes.
If you ever see a psychopath shed a tear, as many do during court proceedings, you will notice that they are empty or fake tears. First, there are usually no actual tears involved. Second, they will often be seen wiping wiping underneath each eye, one at a time. When people cry genuine tears they cry with both eyes, and so they will tend to wipe both eyes at once. As well, the small muscles on either side of their bottom lip droops downward. When the psychopath cries, you won`t see any of this. Instead, you`ll see that the lower lip will remain stationary or even turn upward in a slender smile called “duping delight”.
In essence, the psychopath`s delight in his ability to fool others leaks out in his or hers facial expressions and movements. In Diane Sawyer`interview with Scott Peterson, this was the dead giveaway that he was lying and faking distress over not knowing where’s pregnant wife was, when of course he knew all along where she was – at the bottom of the bay. The same held true for Susan Smith, who will be spending the rest of her life behind bars for killing her children. When she gave a press conference and cried about her missing children, her fake tears were actually what raised suspicions that she was the killer.
When people cry genuine tears they usually don`t go immediately from tears to neutral or happy state. There is a lag or transitional time required before the different emotional state can set in. With the psychopath there is no transition time needed, as they can switch from tears to smiles in a millisecond – another indication of deception. As Scott Peterson and Susan Smith and countless others have done, psychopaths will often feign emotion by trying in order to gain sympathy and suck people in.
Psykopatens ansiktsuttrykk
Because the psychopath lies and manipulates so well, it is important to pay close attention to his and hers gaze. If he or she stare at you without looking away, know that the psychopath most likely are out to manipulate you. This weighty stare is a type of control. This was quite evident in former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson who now is in prison for killing one of his four wives.
If you watch his Today Show interview years before he was convicted, you will see his intense, compelling gaze as he attempts to convince the host and the public of his innocence. When a psychopath has little to gain from you, however, he or she will have a hard time maintaining eye contact because they cannot relate to other people as separate entities. They only see people as objects, vehicles to satisfy their desires and needs.
The psychopath will also endeavor to manipulate by playing a kind of cat-and-mouse game: intensely staring at you and then suddenly completely ignoring you. This is essentially intermittent operant conditioning; it`s meant to keep you off balance and vulnerable (and hence more likely to be bullied and manipulated).
The smile of a psychopath is almost never genuine. They don`t smile naturally, with the apples of their cheeks raised and their eyes squinting and teeth showing. Instead it`s a mask-like, tight-lipped smile that looks phony, as though they are mimicking a smile.
Because they are essentially devoid of emotions, many psychopaths have trained themselves to maintain a pleasant expression on their face so that others won`t see the coldness in their soul. Ironically, they end up alienating many people this way because they lack a normal range of emotion through their facial expressions. That may be the reason why serial killer John Wayne Gacy dressed up as clown and painted a happy expression on his emotionless face, in his efforts to lure young boys.
Psykopatens kroppsspråk
Psychopaths will usually display their emotional reactions – usually rage – via their autonomic nervous system. You may see them suddenly sweat or their skin flush as they literally heat up with anger. While they may keep a cool, calm and collected tone, their skin belies them. They will also often move in closer or lean toward others when they speak.
They will also often sit with their hands interlocked, with a rigid, fixed body posture. When Drew Peterson appeared on the Today Show to discuss his missing wife Stacy Peterson, he sat there with hands clasped and did not deviate from his body position throughout the entire interview. The psychopath is not able to feel or express the full range of emotions (other than rage), so their body movements tend to be similarly mechanical and artificial. It is also not common to see them holding on to themselves as they remain in that immobile position.
Psychopaths will often contradict what they say with their body language. For example, while saying yes, they will shake their heads, which mean no, and vice versa. While their words say one thing, their body language tells a different story.
It is also not uncommon to see a puffed-out chest and a swagger, especially with male psychopaths. Even though Drew Peterson was in shackles, wearing his orange jailhouse jumpsuit, he still managed to present a cocky demeanor as he proceeded to his trial.
Even with this air of cockiness and self-confidence, the psychopath may still inadvertently show that he had something hide, as you could see in the previous photo of convicted child molester and former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky on his way to the courtroom for his trial.
While he is all smiles, the fact that he is walking with his hands in both of his pockets shows that he had something to hide – his guilt. Since the psychopath`s aim is to lure you in, they will often feign illness or a physical ailment to incur sympathy. This is precisely what Ted Bundy did. He used a removable cast on his arm to feign injury and lure in hapless young women.”
Fra boken The Body Language of Liars av Lillian Glass – https://www.adlibris.com/no/bok/the-body-language-of-liars-9781601632807
