"Don’t make the mistake of confusing a psychopath for a psychotic". Those are the words of retired special agent and unit chief in the United States Federal Bureau, and author of Mindhunter, John E. Douglas.

As Season 2 of the Netflix show approaches, we will once again find ourselves immersed in the criminal profiles of serial killers, but the question remains - who are psychopaths? We already know that violence doesn’t define a psychopath, and many psychopaths lead perfectly ordinary lives. But how do you know if someone has psychopathic tendencies?

Experts at micro-learning app and platform Blinkist (www.blinkist.com), looked at what most resonated with readers when they read about psychopaths to find out what the key signs could be, in a special feature to celebrate this week's edition of True Crime Tuesday.

Dangerous Personalities by Joe Navarro

‘Narcissists generally believe they’re above the law, exempt from society’s rules, and they’ll lie, cheat or even kill if it’s in their best interest.’

Narcissism is one of the key aspects of psychopathy, but it is important to remember that not all narcissists are psychopaths, yet all psychopaths are narcissists. While this can be confusing, the key distinction is in the final part of this quote - a psychopath will disregard the law on purpose and do what they want with active intent. A narcissist will only do so due to a lack of awareness. So, if you notice someone do something wrong and feel ashamed afterwards - they’re a narcissist. If they feel no shame or remorse, they’re more likely to be a psychopath.

‘Emotionally unstable individuals are highly unpredictable – they’re like an emotional rollercoaster: they might be riding an ecstatic high one minute and then spiraling down and feeling victimised the next.’

When we look at the lives of famous psychopaths, there are two patterns that emerge as particularly distinctive - many of them (although not all) live chaotic lives, filled with antisocial behaviour and inconsistent relationships, and they are ruled by their desires and a craving for enhanced sensations, which can often lead to rule-breaking. This inconsistency follows psychopaths throughout their lives and can lead them to being emotionally unstable, fluctuating from extreme highs to extreme lows.

Snakes in Suits by Robert D. Hare

‘First, in the assessment phase, psychopaths will evaluate their victims’ utility to them, e.g., the victims’ ability to provide them with money, power, sex, celebrity, recognition and so on. At the same time, psychopaths will also assess their victims’ weak spots. Not distracted by emotions or social inhibitions, psychopaths are experts at reading people, and can easily identify their needs, likes, vulnerabilities and emotional hot buttons.’

Psychopaths don’t experience emotions in the same way as other people, yet they are able to intellectually understand emotional responses and use them to their own advantage. A psychopath’s ‘friendships’ are always purposeful - they have to give the psychopath something in return, and once this purpose is identified, a psychopath will manipulate the person to get what they want from them.

‘Second, in the manipulation phase, psychopaths extract what they want from the victim. They do this by changing their personality into a completely fictitious character: whoever is needed to manipulate the victim. Psychopaths are pathological liars and can quickly make up whatever stories they think will strengthen the bond with their victims. They are incredibly adept at managing the impression they make on others and can change their apparent personality to suit any situation: anxious victims find them soothing and bored victims find them exhilarating. A chameleon changing its color to snare a fly seems an apt analogy.’

A well known fact about psychopaths - they are incredibly charming. They can be engaging and sympathetic, their stories are always exciting and believable, and, after speaking with them, you will often leave feeling happy and positive. The only sign that something might be amiss is if you notice that their stories don’t quite add up. Even so, if this is pointed out to them, they will likely manipulate their way out of the situation, convincing you that you are wrong.

The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton

‘Psychopaths rarely hesitate, e.g., to take a risk: if they want to do something, they simply do it without being afraid of failure. Which can ultimately lead to time in prison – or to powerful financial and political positions.’

This is one of the key aspects of psychopathy to remember - not all psychopaths are violent criminals, and if they are, the main reason for them committing crimes in the first place is a lack of risk perception or consequences. For the average person, anything that might cause pain, discomfort or negative consequences is generally avoided. For a psychopath, anything they want to do, they will do, irrelevant of physical or emotional pain to themselves or others.

‘[Psychopaths] tend to act immediately rather than just sitting around thinking about acting. That’s because they have a low tolerance for boredom, among other things, and always need to keep themselves busy. Every activity is rewarding for them.’

Boredom is one of the most clear-cut sensations that a psychopath will experience. For the average person, feeling bored is something that is relatively fleeting and can be alleviated by doing something else. For a psychopath, boredom is a near-constant sensation which they want to remove by any means possible. It is thought that the reason for this is that psychopaths rarely have meaningful relationships, which means that they get distracted and restless very quickly, needing constant entertainment from new sources.

‘On the surface, psychopaths are extremely engaging most of the time: they’re often very charming, good speakers and entertaining to others – all of which distracts from what’s going on inside them and covers up their “evil” side.’

While not all psychopaths are ‘evil’, all of them are adept at hiding the fact that they don’t think or feel like those around them. It can be extremely difficult to ‘spot’ a psychopath in your life, as the majority of them learn to assimilate and act just like everyone else.

MORE: Graham Young, The Teacup Poisoner

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