Psychopathology Of Sociopaths, Con Artists And Scammers

Recently in the American news scene, there has been the unravelling of two intriguing sociopath con artists and scammers.  One, Anna Sorokin, a Russian born wannabee wealthy socialite heiress and the other, Keith Raniere a self-proclaimed self-help guru in a physically and psychologically abusive cult called Nxivm.

A few years back, Bernie Madoff, the wall street swindler who stole millions from his investors took his fall and is now serving a life sentence in prison.

It seems these types of people eventually get caught, even after a very careful and meticulous choreographing of their respective illusionary false images and corrupt activities.

What compels these con artists to devote all of their energy into fabricating a life of lies and deception?  Where was their inner moral compass?  Did they not have any guilt or remorse for harming others and stealing their money?

They are all pathological sociopaths, and yes the world is full of them in all fields and all levels of government and leadership from the top on down. Their moral corruption is very hidden beyond their charismatic personas.

They are all malignant narcissists.  But not all narcissistic personality disorders are sociopaths.

There are plenty of ordinary narcissists, that you will run into that are not into defrocking someone of money but are of course exploitative and abusive in their interpersonal relationships.

Deception for the sociopaths becomes a way of life for them.  They are strongly driven to create an image that they think would give them the most esteem and power in their eyes.  Be it a healer, spiritual guru, pilot, physician, wall street whiz,  politician or socialite, etc.

Some are well educated and some are not.  But all of them are universally very intelligent.  You would have to be to concoct their web of lies, weave a deceptive illusion that is believable enough to convince others of their fabricated image and maintain their illusionary life.

Not all of them are physically violent in nature, but all are destructive and abusive in so far as they subject others to falsehoods that exploit them and can deplete them of money, protection and trust.

Though I am writing about impostors, I want to emphasize to please not confuse the impostor syndrome with sociopathy as it is totally different and in no way resembles the marauding sociopaths, but instead reflects the opposite.

I would also like to further explain that when talking about narcissistic personality disorder, there is a spectrum to the degrees of pathology!

Clinicians have to define what constitutes malignant narcissism versus other forms of subtitles of narcissism that have most recently been emerging, such as grandiose versus vulnerable narcissism.

To further complicate the picture is what is often described as normal healthy narcissism, which I think should be redefined as having a healthy real sense of self with complimentary decent self-esteem.

The DSM V lists several explicit criteria in order for someone to be diagnosed as a Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  At least 5 out of 9 is needed.  DSM V is published by the American Psychiatric Association.

A grandiose sense of self-importance

A preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

A belief that he or she is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions

A need for excessive admiration

A sense of entitlement

Interpersonally exploitive behaviour

A lack of empathy

Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of him or her

A demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviours or attitudes

The hallmark symptoms are grandiosity,  over seeking admiration, exploitive relationships and lack of empathy.  Most narcissists display all of the criteria in my experience.

The DSM V does not have criteria for sociopaths but instead does so for antisocial behaviour, which always entails sociopathy. When the malignant narcissist has antisocial traits, then you have a sociopath.

1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
a.Identity: Ego-centrism; self-esteem derived from personal gain, power, or pleasure.
b.Self-direction: Goal-setting based on personal gratification; absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour.
AND
2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):  a.Empathy: Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another.
b.Intimacy: Incapacity for mutually intimate relationships, as exploitation is a primary means of relating to others, including by deceit and coercion; use of dominance or intimidation in personal relationships.

a.Manipulativeness: Frequent use of subterfuge to influence or control others; use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve one’s ends.
b.Deceitfulness: Dishonesty and fraudulence;  misrepresentation of self; embellishment or
fabrication when relating events. c. Callousness: Lack of concern for feelings or problems of others; lack of guilt or remorse about the negative or harmful effects of one„s actions on others; aggression; sadism.
d. Hostility: Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults; mean, nasty, or vengeful behaviour.
2. Disinhibition, characterized by: a. Irresponsibility: Disregard for – and failure to honour – financial and other obligations or commitments; lack of respect for – and lack of follow through on – agreements and promises.
b. Impulsivity: Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing and following plans.
c.Risk taking: Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard for consequences; boredom proneness and thoughtless initiation of activities to counter boredom; lack of concern for one’s limitations and denial of the reality of the personal danger.

In order to be a successful con artist, these people have to fabricate a false persona that comes across as generally caring about you and therefore likeable.  Most can be superficially charming and even charismatic.

Most are very skilled in being able to detect in others what they need, and therefore will tailor make their personality to fit what you want from them.

This could be called “grooming” in order to gain trust.  Once trust is established, then the exploitation of the relationship starts, generally with subtle manipulation.

Their sense of a grandiose inflated sense of self is a defense against a gnawing core of self doubt and low self-esteem from abuse or neglect in childhood.

Along with this is a long-simmering hostility, aggression and deep resentment of authority.  They can project these feelings onto others and often feel paranoid and that others are jealous of their superior accomplishments, intellect and status.

They are true masterminds at long term strategic planning to how they will create a deceitful image and convoluted activity to exploit others without being caught.

They have a sense of invincibility of being above the law in what they consider a masterfully crafted scheme of deceit. This sense of uniqueness is what feeds their sense of grandiosity and feeling special.

The majority of sociopaths thrive on adrenaline, being it fear, or taking risks.  They heavily identify with fantastical themes revolving around power and recognition, which they crave with such intensity that it becomes the major motivation to continue their deceitful schemes.

Of course, they all must be gifted in lying, but in the end, have trouble in remembering all of their web of lies, which will eventually reveal discrepancies in what they say and do.

They are quick to defend themselves with anger when their behaviour or motives are questioned or rebuked by those who they prey upon.

They have no moral compass whatsoever and zero remorse for their victims, and any suffering they may inflict upon them.  They generally may look down on those who fall into their deceitful trap for their naivety, feeling intellectually superior to their victims.

Most of them though, know how to fake empathetic responses when needed, so it can be very difficult to weed out these corrupt con artists, scammers.

There are no sure-fire signs to unmask a sociopath initially when you first encounter them.  These are very slick characters.  Very intuitive ones may have an uncomfortable feeling around them except when the seductive “grooming” is meeting some deep-seated unmet needs of the victim.

It is usually only after you have become involved with them and the exploitation becomes increasingly evident. This along with their pattern of lack of remorse for any abusive behaviour you suffered because of them.

Catching them in their tangle of lies and discovering discrepancies in their stories will eventually lead you to question their authenticity.

Sociopaths accumulate victims, and when they realise how their trust was stolen from them, they often feel shame and terribly naive for not knowing earlier that they were baited and preyed upon.  Shame leads to silence out of fear of looking vulnerable and stupid.

When other’s tales of abuse, manipulation and exploitation from them start to come out with a similar modus operandi, your own questions and feelings around them are validated.

We have seen that repeatedly with sexual predators.  This invites other victims to have the courage to speak out and share their particular abuse.

Only then can the victims conjointly start to unravel the deceit and corruption.  There is power in numbers when catching and dismantling sociopaths.

Recovery for the victims is a painful process of looking at their own vulnerability and unmet needs.  Financial losses are generally not compensated nor restored to the victims’ post-conviction of the sociopath.

My post on Montflanquin is a perfect example of this, in addition to how multiple family members can be fooled and taken in.  Most of us can fall under the spell and be victims of sociopaths.

The best we can do is be on guard.   Like in the Gospel of Mathew 7:15 we are warned.  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, for inside they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.”