Women with Psychopathy in the Community | Bullying
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Where might one cross paths with a woman with strong psychopathic traits? Anywhere. She could easily be the little old lady in the house down the street. She could be your co-worker, professor, or the parent of your child’s best friend. She could be an online member in a narcissist survivor group. For some, a woman with psychopathy is their romantic partner.
Psychopathy is more common among males, however females can have the disorder as well. The male to female ratio is estimated at 4 to 1. Although individuals with strong psychopathic traits tend to be male, there are many women with this disorder as well. Cluster B personality disorders are present across both genders.
Just as ‘normal’ men and women are different from each other, women with psychopathy are slightly different from her male counterpart.
In comparison to males with psychopathy, research indicates that ‘she’ tends to demonstrate fewer antisocial behaviors (e.g., criminal acts, physical violence, etc). However, when it comes to manipulation, control, dominance, pathological lying, conning, and lack of remorse – she is on par with males.
Many psychopathic women target different areas when they express their aggression when compared to males. For example, a woman with strong psychopathic traits might try to control and dominate others via humiliation or group exclusion. She is apt to put forth significant effort to exclude their victims from the community (Wynn, Høiseth, & Petterson, 2012).
One example of ‘group exclusion’ utilized by psychopathic women is internet trolling, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, or bullying in general. She uses public humiliation and slander to have the group/ community turn against their target.
You might wonder, “Why do they do this?” | “It’s hateful and dangerous! Someone could fall into a severe depression over such harassment!”
We agree, it is hateful and dangerous. And many people (particularly young people) have taken their lives as a result of such antisocial acts (bullying, harassment, abuse).
Psychopathic women engage in these specific antisocial behaviors for the same reasons that psychopathic males engage in such behavior.
They enjoy the act of hurting others.
Domination and control are preferred states.
No matter how minor or perhaps even unintentional the slight from the non-psychopathic individual, the psychopathic person often retaliates with a punishment significantly incongruent with the offense. It is often hateful, intimidating, vile, and unnecessary.
Some individuals with strong psychopathic traits will attack others for merely existing (e.g., psychopaths who target strangers online). Many are strongly attracted to people they perceive as “weak” – in order to harass and intimidate them. Again, this behavior is hateful and socially unacceptable.
Cyberbullying, harassment, and bullying by psychopathic women is done not only to punish and humiliate, but also with the goal of destroying the victim emotionally, financially, and/or socially. This display of domination tends to bring pleasure to the psychopathic female.
Many engage in this behavior because they really enjoy it. She considers it fun and it likely stimulates the reward system of her brain (region associated with pleasure).
However, like many with psychopathy, when confronted or exposed, she will re-label her vile act as a joke, mistake, or most disturbingly, twist the truth to portray herself as the victim causing an innocent person (her victim) to hold the blame.
Given that she has strong psychopathic traits, when it comes time to give an explanation for her behavior, lies are first on the list. Manipulation is the ‘go to’ behavior, altering the reality of others. She is often able to talk her way out of trouble, and dodges responsibility.
It is rare that someone with psychopathy will admit to their hate and call it what it really is –
‘An intentional effort to hurt and damage another person and I liked it!’
Given that she lacks empathy, remorse, shame, regret, or accountability, she tends to be proud of her behavior. Often she will defend it, by trying to reframe it into an innocent act –
“I didn’t know she would take it that way. I was just joking around!”
This is clearly deception and manipulation (playing innocent or ignorant). The act was intentional and they engaged in the behavior because they knew it would hurt.
Psychopathic women tend to derive pleasure from domination and humiliation – bullying or abuse. It reinforces her (perceived) superiority and punishes her victim.
[Image Credit: Presentermedia.com]
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References
Wynn R, Høiseth M, and Pettersen G. (2012) Psychopathy in women: Theoretical and clinical perspectives. International Journal of Women’s Health. 4, 257–263.