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Welcome back to the Transform Your Mind to Transform Your Life, the podcast. You're listening to Five Minute Fridays with Coach Myrna. Today I want to talk on the topic of sociopath. How you can recognize the signs of a sociopath. You know, a lot of women are in sociopathic narcissistic relationships. If you were a um a coach for couples, you will find that a lot of people have relationships with sociopathic narcissistic people. So today I just wanted to highlight some of the behaviors because you know a lot of times we as women we ignore direct flags, but before you can ignore anything, you have to at least know something about it. You have to have some knowledge. So that's what this episode is attempting to help you with. So if you are new to the podcast, then I just want to welcome you. For those returning visitors, I want to say welcome back to the Transform Your Mind Podcast, the show where we renew our minds, heal our hearts, and transform our lives. Today's episode is an important one, and for some of you, it may hit very close to home. We're talking about the signs someone may be a sociopath. Not so we can label people, diagnose anyone, or live in fear, but so you can protect your peace, sharpen your discernment, and recognize patterns that can cause real emotional and psychological harm. Yes, once you have a relationship with these people, you are changed forever. It causes a lot of psychological harm because you know what they do? They make you think that there's something wrong with you, right? They are the perfect gaslighters. So many women that I work with ignore red flags for years because they are empathetic, forgiving, spiritual, or hopeful that someone will change. And you know who are the biggest culprits? The Christians. Because we all live in hope. We all think that God can work it out, we all think that. Hey, give it to God and He will change them. But you know what? God can only work with people who are willing to help themselves, right? He can't change mindsets, he gave it, he's given us free will. Okay, so, and also those very strengths were used against them. So a lot of times um someone will find out your strengths or weaknesses and use it against you. They are very, very good at that. So if you've ever found yourself constantly confused in a relationship, walking on eggshells, question your own reality, or wondering how someone could lie so easily without remorse, this conversation is for you. So, in this episode, I'll walk you through the most common behavioral patterns associated with psychopathy and how they tend to show up in relationships and what healthy boundaries actually look like when you begin to spot them. So take a deep breath, get comfortable, you know, go for a walk or something, and let's talk about what discernment really looks like. So, signs that someone is a sociopath. Sociopaths are a fascinating and terrifying breed of people, they make up just about 1% of the population, but they can be from all walks of life. Sociopaths are often difficult to spot because they are experts at manipulation and hiding their true intentions. If you think you know someone who is a sociopath, it is essential to take steps to protect yourself and to stay safe. If you're unsure, this post will point some signs that someone may be a sociopath. That way you can identify them easily. So let's define sociopath or sociopathy. What exactly is it? A sociopath is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and a propensity for recklessness and impulsive behavior. Sociopaths are often intelligent and charismatic people who can manipulate others to get what they want. They usually have a history of legal and financial problems as well as issues with relationships. While sociopaths can be in from all walks of life, they are most likely to be found in positions of power where they can take advantage of people. Sociopaths are very often challenging to diagnose because they don't believe anything is wrong with them. The typical gaslighters. You tell them that something is wrong and they point it right back to you. You're the reason, you're the reason I do it. It is your fault. Something is wrong with you, right? That's what they tell you, right? So if you think you know someone who might be a sociopath, the best thing to do is get as far away from them as possible to avoid further contact. They seem to be drawn to power, right? They use power to manipulate people and they use power to control you. And it doesn't mean they have to be a CEO or they have to be your boss. It can be the man in your relationship that's telling you what to wear, what you do, what to dress, how to speak, how to show up, because he's controlling you with power. So one of the most common traits of sociopath is a strong sense of power and control. They usually seek out positions of authority where they can have a direct impact on others. They're often drawn to politics, businesses, or other areas where they can exert influence. This need for power can be motivated by a desire to control others or simply by a need to feel important and appreciated. However, it is also important to note that not all sociopaths are drawn to positions of power. You know, like I said earlier, they can just be your boyfriend or your husband or your friend, right? Um, any relationship where they think that they can control others, right? They easily become hostile when they don't get their way. Many people display sociopathic tendencies at some points in their lives, but only a small minority of individuals could be true sociopaths. One of the most common telltane sides of a sociopath is a quickness to anger and hostility. While everyone gets angry from time to time, sociopaths tend to react with disportunate rage to even the slightest provocation because they feel little empathy for others and see them as objects to be manipulated or controlled. So when things don't go their way, they get really, really angry, right? So, yes, and that is another way of control. Because if you know that your husband, boyfriend, boss, or whatever gets real angry, what are you gonna do? You're gonna tippy toe around them, you're gonna become a pleaser, right? So that is one of the ways of control because who wants to be around when someone loses it and you're afraid that they might hit you, you know, whatever they want to, you know, whatever they do when they're angry. So, yeah, you try to avoid that as much as possible. So, another sign is they make irrational decisions. It is believed that sociopaths are known for their capacity for violence and lack of empathy. However, another key trait of sociopaths is their propensity for making irrational decisions, which may seem counterintuitive, as it would seem that someone incapable of feeling empathy would also be incapable of making emotionally driven decisions. However, their complete absence of fear distinguishes sociopaths from other people. While the rest of the population may hesitate to take risks or make choices that can result in negative consequences, sociopaths have no such fear, leading them to make impulsive, destructive decisions that appear completely irrational. In reality, however, these decisions are often calculated risks that a sociopath is willing to take to achieve their goals. No risk, no reward, right? In this way, the capacity for making irrational decisions is one of the defining characteristics of a sociopath. Another sign is they seem to lack a moral compass. Yes, no moral compass. You know, there they say that we're all born with a conscience, right? But that's something that sociopaths don't seem to be born with. They have no conscience, they can rip you apart or rip your life apart or steal all your money, you know, send you to the poor house, and they have no remorse whatsoever, right? So it's another one of the notable traits is lack of moral compass. To a sociopath, there's no such thing as right and wrong, only what works for them at the moment. This lack of morality can manifest itself in many different ways. For example, a sociopath might have no problem lying, cheating, or stealing if it means getting what they want. Yes, they will send you to the poor house so that they can build up their bank account, right? They will lie and cheat in a relationship and don't feel when you ask them um uh when you when they get found out or they get caught, they says, oh well, it's your fault. You drove me to it, you know. Yeah, no moral complex whatsoever. So they struggle to keep close relationships. And ladies, this is a red flag. If you're starting a relationship or a guy that can't seem to be in a relationship for more than six months, three months, two weeks, or whatever, and he's just gone through a lot of them, that is your red flag, okay? Because sociopaths cannot form long, close relationships. It is often said that the best way to tell if someone is a sociopath is by the relationship. Just said that. Sociopaths are notoriously bad at keeping close relationships because they have difficulty empathizing with others and cannot truly connect at a deep level. As a result, they often come across as cold, distant, and uncaring because they are. They also have a history of short-lived relationships and cannot commit to a long-term relationship. While it's true that sociopaths struggle to maintain close relationships, there isn't always a surefire sign of sociopathy. Many other factors can contribute to difficulties in relationships, such as childhood trauma, which is what we talk a lot about on this show, or mental illness, right? Yes, even the spectrum of autism, Asperger's, right? That's one of the things that you know happens where they can't connect. Or, you know, I was a foster parent, and a lot of the kids in foster parent cannot form attachments. They have something called attachment disorder. So it doesn't always mean as sociopathy, but we're talking here about the signs, the red flags that you shouldn't ignore, look deeper and understand before you jump in and get your heart broken and your money stolen and your peace disrupted. Right. So as we wrap up this episode, right? If this, if today's episode stirred something in you, you've been in a relationship, you got out of one, you're in one, right? Clarity, validation, maybe even grief. I want you to know this. You are not weak or miss for missing the signs. Manipulative people are often incredibly skilled at hiding who they truly are. And awareness is not about blame, it is about freedom. When you learn what unhealthy patterns look like, you stop spiritualizing abuse, excusing cruelty, or explaining away behavior that keeps harming you. You can start trusting yourself again. So if this episode resonated with you in any way, I encourage you to share it with someone who may need it. Your girlfriends, right? The one that keeps going through all these relationships and she always peaks, um, keeps picking the wrong one. Because psychopaths and narcissistics, they all can pick up your weakness. So share it with someone who you think might benefit from this information quietly, lovingly, and without judgment. You just give it to them so that they can listen and form their own opinion. Remember, the goal is not to become suspicious of everyone, the goal is to become so emotionally healthy that dysfunction can no longer stay hidden in your life. We're taking off the blinders. If you're ready to go deeper in your healing journey, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast and signed up for um, you know, subscribe to the podcast so you can definitely um get the new episodes every week. I do solo episodes twice a month, and um the other times I interview guests, but every episode is so that you can transform your mind, transform your life, transform your relationships and your emotional health, your failed faith and transformation. All these conversations is so that we can take you down that path. So thanks again for tuning in. Until next time, remember to renew your mind, guard your heart, and keep becoming the woman God created you to be. Thanks again for tuning in. Until next time, Namaste.