From what I understand, the term "psychopath" is being phased out of the vocabulary of mental health professionals. Most professionals now use "sociopath" or "antisocial personality disorder" as a blanket descriptor of what I see as a highly abusive personality.

I think all abuse starts when the abuser fails to see his or her partner, children, parents, etc. as human beings and instead perceives them as objects. For example, the most abusive people I, personally, have encountered speak interchangably of their vehicle and their spouse as something "I have." [have as in 'own']

Progressing from that sort of thinking, I'm sure it's as infuriating for the abused spouse to say 'no' (or otherwise speak or act in opposition to the will of their abuser) as it would be for their car to not start when the key is turned in the ignition, or turn left when the driver is turning the steering wheel to the right. From that viewpoint, one can almost empathize with the resulting fear, rage, and abuse that ensues on the part of the abuser. Almost. Because, really, as sane and decent humans, we understand that people and even pets are NOT objects to be owned, but living beings with their own needs and desires, just as we are.

Anyway, enough editorializing. I wanted to share exerpts from a website I found http://www.churchcorporate.com/Psychopaths.html

This page speaks of viewing religous leaders in terms of pathology, and being careful which spiritual shepherd to trust with your sheep, so to speak. But I think there is a whole lot in common between religious cult leaders and abusive people in one-on-one relationships.

Psychopaths

Psychopaths are predators.

People who fall prey to psychopaths are always damaged.

It may take a very long time to recover.

It is worth taking a little time to learn who and what they are to avoid the pain.

Psychopaths are not understood by people who are relatively reasonable and responsible citizens because most do not have a view that a psychopath is that much different from themselves or other people they know. Psychopaths catch people unaware because most people are not out seeking to harm others as are psychopaths. Most people do not understand the damage that psychopaths do to others; most people have grave difficulty understanding what happened to them and why after they encounter a psychopath who damages them, often forcing people to spend a life time attempting to recover from the encounter.

Up until people actually encounter a psychopath, they are fascinated with the psychopath. People are curious: What makes them tick? Why do they do the things they do? How do they get away with that stuff? After the encounter, most people are hurting, determined never to repeat the experience.

Psychopaths are proficient in reading people. They know how people will react to them. They push all the buttons. One psychopath said in a rare moment of honesty:

"It's so easy!"

He meant that it is so easy for a psychopath to manipulate people, to do whatever the psychopath wants to do to others. Professional researchers doing studies on psychopaths, knowing that the person they were researching really was a psychopath, have fallen into the trap of cooperating with the psychopath. Their lives have been ruined, and they knew better. Psychopaths are persuasive because they not only read a person's desires, their body language, the speech patterns, the psychopath can pinpoint a person's weaknesses and exploit them for all they are worth. Psychopaths are experts on techniques of seduction.

People who want to be prepared for an encounter with a psychopath should consider purchasing and reading Without Conscience--The Disturbing World of The Psychopaths Among Us by Dr. Robert Hare. Dr. Hare reveals research which indicates that between 1% to 2% of the general population is made up of psychopaths and prisons have as much as a 40% population. The book details the features of a psychopath with definitions, research and personal experiences.

To simplify the basics of what a psychopath is, the following are the characteristics of a psychopath:

A psychopath is a narcissist
A psychopath has no conscience
A psychopath has poor behavior controls

True psychopaths also have a poor integration of the two hemispheres of their brain. Dr. Hare also noted that the psychopath does not have human brainwave patterns. For functional purposes, psychopaths could very well be considered not human. At the very least, they do not have any value systems akin to that of humanity. Psychopaths can be determined by both contextual behavior and by physiological components of the brain. Psychopaths generally come to full flower in the last years of adolescence. Some researchers believe that a component of negative stressful personal experience is needed to set the personality of a psychopath.

Poor behavioral controls mean that a psychopath will do pretty much whatever he thinks to do: The only reason he does not kill you today is that it does not appeal to him. If a psychopath wants to do something, he goes and does it and has little or no self-control.

Narcissistic behavior means that usually a psychopath is looking for a narcissistic source. The psychopath is generally quite possessive about his narcissistic source. This is found in evidence with the girlfriend of a psychopath who is generally regarded by the psychopath as his property, in the same way an inanimate object is a possession. A psychopathic cult leader views his followers as his property. Any interference by an outside force that would remove the "possession" of a psychopath is met with extreme hostility, usually accompanied by corresponding extreme force.

The psychopath can never be expected to be reasonable. As a narcissist, he does not care about other people's feelings. Although a psychopath may be able to read and manipulate the emotions of other people, the psychopath--just as the narcissist--can never feel one real shred of empathy for anyone else but himself. For this reason, there are no emotional repercussions for a psychopath to lie, cheat, steal, practice deception, murder, slander, libel, rape, distress, oppress, enslave, victimize, abuse, assault, neglect or break promises. The psychopath follows no rules but his own and sees other people as objects to use as his own personal property as it suits him. Most people cannot understand this aspect of the psychopath. It is this lack of understanding that makes people so vulnerable to the psychopathic predator. Be aware that if you do any of those things to him, the psychopath will stop at nothing to exact painful revenge on you. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord", and the psychopath is the Lord.

Psychopaths like to take chances--for example, taunt investigators with risky behavior which may result in their discovery and capture--because it stimulates them. Most psychopaths also seem to have a high tolerance for pain.

While there are some female psychopaths, the predominance of the population of psychopaths is male.

Many people may be wondering at this point about how to deal with the psychopath. Conviction and execution are good, although few psychopaths commit outright cold blooded murder, again, only because it doesn't appeal to them at the time of opportunity. The truth is that there are only two truly effective means to deal with a psychopath:

Overwhelming brutal superior force;
avoiding them.

Most people do not have sufficient force to influence a psychopath. Implied threats toward a psychopath will only leave him with the accurate belief that you are weak. Most people cannot outsmart a psychopath because of the willingness of the psychopath to get their way, not because of superior intellect or wit: The means justifies the end and any and every means will be employed to achieve that end.

Never buy into the "innocent" act of a psychopath. They are method actors who can slip into their role of looking benign as easily as changing underwear. They will cock their head and knit their eyebrows as if to say, "What are you talking about!?!". They know very well. They are chameleon crocodiles who seem to blend in with sane reasonable people. They are nothing of the kind. Don't be fooled by their "I'm just one of you" acts. You will regret it. They have no understanding of empathy and don't really know what other people are feeling--and they don't even care, but they are really good at artificially simulating it. Never expect to be treated fairly: It's not in them any more than a cobra knows how to treat its prey with caring outgoing concern. They have an agenda and if you are a part of it, you will be forced into your role of completing whatever it is the psychopath has in mind.

Psychopaths will create out of thin air anything they need to invent to achieve their desired effect and make it seem reasonable. It may be completely crazy, psychotic, self-conflicted, absolute twaddle, but to the unwary it will be clear, neat, logical [and completely wrong]. We are not to be ignorant of Satan's devices, but most of us seem to be when it comes to psychopaths.

As soon as you realize you are dealing with a psychopath, it is time to run for cover and sever yourself from their sphere of influence. The alternative is to stay with them to be a toy for their private amusement.

Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Robert D. Hare describes the psychopath within the corporate environment--or at least purports to.

Dr. Stanley Bing in his book, What Would Machiavelli Do? tells how to "get what you want when you want it whether you deserve it or not. Without fear. Without emotion. Without finger-wagging morality. "The following are some of his exhortations:

Be coldhearted: Replace decency and thoughtfulness with insensitivity and hardheartedness.

Work hard to become bad: Most people aren't naturally horrendous. . . but with work we can improve.

Be narcissistic: View others solely as a function of your needs . . . You have enormous selfishness within you . . . Let it out.

Be unpredictable: Very nice. Very mean. Big, big swings. Gigantic pleasure. Towering rage.

Be ruthless: For your competitors and those who would bring you down, "Crush them. Hear their bones break, their windpipes snap."

These are all part of narcissistic behavior.

The psychopath pursues his drama in three acts:

Assessment

Manipulation

Abandonment

Assessment begins immediately to determine if each person in the environment is a

Benefit

Threat

During the Assessment phase psychopaths look for:

Pawns

Patrons

Patsies

Manipulation builds and maintains the environment:

Gaining access to those in authority

Using those who are their patsies

Undermining those who may be a threat to them

Abandonment ensues when the psychopath

becomes bored

seeks new opportunities

has been exposed or is about to be exposed

Be aware that a psychopath holds everyone in contempt: There is no way to win honor because the psychopath sees himself or herself far superior to everyone else.

The lesson of the book, Snakes in Suits, is that psychopaths always win. It is well to keep that in mind.