Have you met or know a psychopath/sociopath?

[socialjustice_fsu]

many sociopaths/psychopaths throughout my career as a clinical social worker. I did some advanced studies at our large state hospital (this can be confirmed on the forensic/criminally insane unit.) I had to go through a multitude of focused training in personality disorders before I could put a foot into 'the' unit. Without becoming repetitive about what has been pointed out as traits of such folks...this is what I walked away knowing from there after spending nearly 18 months with them: They (the pt.s) are some of the most charming and engaging people you would ever hope to meet. Many times I questioned the treatment team as to the rationale for their hold at a state hospital. These were some of the type of people you might even want to take home to the family to meet them. Their charming and engaging ways are a perfected facade. They have an uncanny way of detecting one's weak area and will succinctly attack it in the most subtle ways. I was fortunate because I worked with a solid, trustworthy team of psychiatrists and psychologists. It was the team that helped me stay sane in the midst of this comfortable quagmire. These pt.'s were not only convincing but had honed the trait of manipulation. Often times, in session, with a pt. (rapist) he had every possible reason to not 'be guilty,' when I printed his charges - he was awaiting competency to stand trial - he could dispute every charge, provide detailed images of where he was at the time of the rape (it had been captured on a surv. camera of a parking lot) and still look at each of his team members and deny it was him. Interesting, though, more often than not as you push a sociopath one can sometimes watch the unraveling of their thinking. I can recall way too many times I watched as an emptiness/lack of emotion come over them through their eye contact and non-verbal cues.
I spent many hours reviewing pt. after pt. cases trying to come to terms with their history and the factors that led them to this place in their lives. Many shared the same traits from an early childhood to the present.
Another odd perception/observation was that I almost always felt 'safe' on this unit. I learned that a clinician (one who had the credentials to be an expert witness in court) was seen as the 'savior' to the patients. They viewed us as their ticket 'out.' They spent an enormous amount of time trying to convince us of their sanity. If we testified to such it could mean a reduced jail time or less time on that particular unit. Of course, there are many factors that feed into such a trial. The pt.'s played the game expertly. It became the challenge to the clinician to remain grounded when attempting to provide services for this population.
I can only remember thinking on my last day on the forensic unit...at least these people are getting some form of treatment...what about the ones that walk side by side of us all throughout our lives and never, ever get the treatment that might evoke change if they wanted to make their lives healthier? Of course, the answer lies within the scope of does the individual recognize their maladaptive lifestyle and, if so, are they motivated for change? Unfortunately, many sociopaths and psychopaths have had these 'successful' skills for years and it has gotten them many things they never would have been able to have if they had used accepted societal means to get them. So these skills have been reinforced albeit negatively...and on and on it goes.

I have spoken some about the forensic results of these disorders. I wanted to add that following some training at the Jimmy Ryce Center in South Florida (this is the location for sexual predators/murderers/rapists of children under the age of 18 reside) the residents of this center are so advanced in their level of personality disorder there is very little chance of any recovery/rehab. These are people that cannot even be in the general population of a forensic/secured state hospital unit due to their likelihood of being threatened or physically hurt. To me, these are the people that are often beyond any scope of rehab. They epitomize the profound psychopath at every level.