I think you are so right about the fact that where the “rule of law” is not what governs a country, sociopaths DO become the rulers.

Having spent a great deal of my life working with and studying animals, both wild and domestic, your explination of the dominance exerted in “group living” situations, such as wolves, elephants etc. as well as in the apes, is very good.

I think in many situations now, even in our country, in the “gang culture” where there is no “rule of law” but literally the law of the jungle, where the biggest meanest macho guy in the group is the “leader” we are seeing more psychopaths rise to the “top” in these subcultures in our society, where these people do not even attempt to abide by the “rule of law.”

As has been discussed in other threads here too, these psychopaths in these sub-cultures of western society are procreating faster than non-psychopaths.

Thank you for this insightful post.

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But as for this topic I always thought they were like animals. My cousin has this weird ice cold stare that she does but if you look at it, its not like a cat its more reptilian like a alligator or snake before they attack. Its so striaght had consistant its very evil. Whenever she does it, it reminds me of a snake so I always thought sociopaths had reptile animal thing going on. Because they are animals that dont show any affection, tigers and other mammals do show affection especially to there young but snakes and other reptiles do not.

Just my thought.

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Just putting in some points to start with my story. I will revise it as I think of more points, and will put it into a better format later.
These points are mainly regarding my XP.

- he was neglected by his parents who worked a lot as they had 10 children, he was the youngest.
- his Brothers (7 of them), used to beat him up, throw him around, tease him, and psychologically abuse him. They did this all his younger years. I.e.: They tried to get him to kill his Dog when he was a child, with a large kitchen knife.
- he left home at a young age, fending for himself, living the street life, selling drugs etc…
-he joined the Navy at 17, and was discharged with a medical discharge at 19 – two days before his time was done, he went awol. He was evaluated by the Military Psychiatrist, who said he ‘was nuts’. He never told me an actual diagnosis.
-he claims to have blown up a building when he was in his teens, as it was a hangout for some guys who raped his girlfriend.
- he killed another teen around his age when he was younger, apparently in self defence. It was in the local papers apparently.
- he claims to have been kicked out of the city, and escorted out by the Police, claiming they said he was a danger to society locally.
- he claims to have done ‘second story’ work, and been paid well for it regarding obtaining the files of political figures locally.
- he was tested in the Navy to have an IQ of 140, which his mother confirmed.
-he claims to know members of the Mafia, and by their first names.
- he has a violent streak in him that i have witnessed on many occasions. He has hit me numerous times, tried to strangle me twice, thrown, smashed, and broken windows, furniture, doors etc… while in rages that he claims to have blacked out during.
- he has used emotional blackmail on me regarding our son, threatening to take him away from me. (which is why I stayed).
- he has used just about every form of manipulation that I can think of to control me and my whereabouts.
- he has tried to isolate me from my Family.
- he has made more threats than i can count towards myself, my family, my friends.
- he has hit, thrown against the walls and down the stairs our cats in the past, and kicked them.
- he killed my one dog by snapping it’s neck while I was at work. He said it attacked him. Funny it never attacked me.
- he has told so many stories that i don’t know what to believe that comes out of his mouth.
- he has never been able to hold down a job for long. His anger and problems with Authority always got the better of him.
There is much more, but that is a sample for now.
I had been with him for 19 years.
- He tried to convince me that a religious group had broken into our townhouse, and stolen information on the book he was writing about them, and then crashed our computer. So the information was lost.

- He had me believe that this religious group was out to get me and our son, to kill us. So, I was afraid to go anywhere without him.

- He had me believe I was the brunt of a bunch of religious conspirators.

- He put me up on a pedestal of religious significance, and claimed that the said religious group was trying to kill him to get him away from me and our son, so they could control us.

- He claimed that the FBI/CIA has a file on him.

- he claimed that the local police had a file on him, but that it was deleted by an officer on his behalf, as he was helping to find a murder suspect of a local girl that was killed back in 1983.

- He claimed that a bunch of organizations are all into Satanism, New World Order, type of stuff, and are all run by s Secret Society as sub groups of their order.

- He claimed that our house had been bugged, the phone tapped on several occasions.

- He claimed that all of this was happening because of things his Father did.

- He had friends who claimed to be in a Secret Society.

- He had me afraid of everything and everyone.

- He still claims that all of the above is true.
- He also claims that these people have blackballed him, so that he can’t get work.

- He claims that these people are out to destroy him.

Now for the Story of My Childhood:

- I am an incest survivor.

- I was abused by an Uncle over a period of approximately 10 years, (from age 5 to 15). He died at age 42, that’s when the abuse stopped.

- The Uncle that abused me was apparently diagnosed as Schizophrenic. They alledgedly teated him with Electirc Shock Therapy on many occasions, but it didn’t work. They didn’t have many treatment options back then.

- He had me fearing for my safety by telling me that if I told my parents, they would send me away to a Home. (His Daughter was sent to a Home as she was mentally disabled). He told me they would think I was a bad girl.

- I used to hide away from him so that he couldn’t touch me. I was an avid tree climber, roof climber, fit in to small places anywhere I could type of girl. I would hide in places where I knew he wouldn’t reach me. Even in a damp, dark basement full of cobwebs, under the stairs, which I was terrified of, as there were spiders. I was however, more afraid of him.

- He used to abuse me in all manner of places: His Car, In my Bed, in my GrandParents beds, Even in my Parents Bed.

- He was relentless in his abuse of me.

- He taught me about all manners of sex at a very young age. I was practically a baby.

- He had a violent streak. One time he punched me in stomache so hard that I flew across the room into the couch, and couldn’t breathe for a few minutes. He did this cuz he heard me say I hated him on a dare by my cousin. My cousin took off when he saw him coming. My Parents, when i told that he had punched me, said i must have deserved it. I was 8 years old at that time. Hence I could not trust my Parent’s for fear that they would say that I was the one that was wrong in all the other things he was doing to me. This reinforced all the things the Uncle said to me about my Parents thinking I was the bad one, and sending me away to a Home.

- My Mother actually threatened to send me away to a Home when i was a child.

- My Dad actually took me up to one. On the Mountain here. I think it was a convent. I screamed and carried on so much that the Sister said she didn’t think it was a wise idea. I wouldn’t let go of my Dad’s leg, I was so afraid. That place still gives me the creeps!

- I grew up in a fearful environment. Living a double life so to speak. There was the normal me, and the abused me that i hid from the world. He never hurt my soul though. I came to believe that my Soul was the real me, and my body was just a house for my Soul, and was expendable. I came to this realization at a young age (around age 8 yrs.).

- there was also physical abuse from my Dad, and threats of it from my Mother. i.e.: Wait until your Dad gets home. Which usually resulted in getting the belt.

- the last time I got the belt, i was 14 and on my period. My Dad belted me 18 times. My Mom had to come upstairs and check to see if I had any cuts. I was defiant though, i didn’t cry!

- I took the belt one time to protect my sister, and got belted across the stomach. My Dad later apologized for it.

- My Mom was an alcoholic. she became that way after finding out that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, when I was 9. Just after she had given birth to my Brother.

- Consequently, i raised my Brother until i was 18 yrs. old. I moved out at that time, as I couldn’t take living there anymore.

- The worst part of it all, was that the whole family, including the abusive Uncle, lived in a Tri Plex, until I was 12. I find it hard to believe that they didn’t know that he was abusing me.

- My Grandmother caught him abusing me once, and didn’t say anything. Of course, she was mentally slow, and he was her Son that could od no wrong. She had a grade 2 education, and her Mother died when she was 5 or so. Her father was a coal miner who died of Black Lung in Scotland.

- My Parents would often have this Grandmother babysit us, as my Dad was Musician and a Booking Agent for Bands. My parents were quite busy with the Agency. The Uncle would give my Grandma money to go to Bingo when he had it, so that he could have access to abuse me.

- I do not know whether the Uncle ever abused my Sister or Brother. I gave myself up so that he wouldn’t harm them.

- I felt I had no way out, nowhere to turn, no one to trust, and all I could do was protect my siblings as best as i could, and my parents in a way as well.

That is the basics of my story.
- My mom tried to stab me with a steak knife when I was 17 cuz she didn’t like my boyfriend (Brian).

That was a big defining moment for me, and is when I decided I needed to leave home, at 18.

Kind Regards To All,

Scoobie

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Remember that higher mammals don’t just act on instinct they have a higher brain and can make decisions about what to do. They make choices between competing impulses.

421dmb2 asks about a better explanation of moral reasoning. Morals are basically language based thoughts about rules for behavior. We have the capacity to allow these thoughts to guide our behavior. Sociopaths do not use these language based thoughts to guide themselves. They are like animals in that they only choose between competing impulses, as in your stories about your husband’s love for the couch and himself.

One of the main reasons why sociopaths are lawless is that the law is something greater than ourselves. I trust that usually the law knows more than I do, so I follow it even when it is not convenient for me. There maybe times that competing values cause people to have to disobey laws but when they do they can cite another moral law that led to the disobedience i.e. Rosa Parks and the bus situation.

In contrast, to a sociopath there is nothing greater than himself. He’ll break any moral law if it suits him. Thus his moral intelligence is below that of a normal three year old (who will at least try to avoid punishment). In the moment, the sociopath does not comprehend that his greatness does not make him immune to punishment.

Spreading false rumors can be lack of moral reasoning, lack of ability to love and lack of impulse control. All three are required for moral behavior. Also to have moral reasoning one must be committed to the ideas of laws, not just able to repeat meaningless words.

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I have a question — Animals act on instinct. Do psychopath’s do the same? Act only on instinct, using whatever tools they have to get what they want, regardless of the consequences or impact upon the rest of their ‘society’?

BTW, I love the concept that our laws stay the same regardless of who leads. Very powerful.

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