Are you concerned that you’re dating a sociopath?

It’s a good idea to double-check because they’re bad partners. Early detection of sociopath signs can mean the difference between a happy life and a tragic one. By the end of this article, you’ll know how to spot dangerous sociopaths and hopefully avoid them.

Sociopath Signs

Recognizing a sociopath early on, before becoming involved, is the best line of defence.

Then avoiding any involvement at all.

Keep an eye out for the following signs:

1. Gaslighting

Psychopaths use gaslighting as a “technique” to make their partners appear and feel insane.
Small-scale gaslighting is possible.
They may say something only to later deny saying it.
You’ll be left wondering if it was all in your head.
They may also use deception to make you envious, angry, or agitated.
You’re too sensitive, bipolar, or “crazy” if you’re naturally emotional or react inappropriately.
You’ll examine your own emotional behaviour and conclude that “perhaps I am indeed overly emotional.”

As you become sicker and sicker, and the sociopath has more and more control over you, you will begin to take more and more responsibility for any problem.
Gaslighting is all about deceiving people into believing something they don’t want to believe.

To begin, the sociopath will elicit emotional responses from you. They’ll then accuse you of being emotional, which will put you on the defensive. As you become more emotional, they will remain calm and collected, whereas you will become increasingly flighty. You’ll think you’re going too far if you look at the differences between you and him. You’ll start to relax, retreat, and possibly apologise at that point.

They may appear offended and hurt when you apologise. They might drag it out for a while just to inflict more pain on you.
Finally, they’ll say, “Pardon you.”
They effectively take the power position when they forgive you.
They first made you feel irrational, then made you feel irresponsible, and finally, they assumed the role of the parent who grants forgiveness.
You’re humiliated, defeated, and perhaps even grateful for the forgiveness. And for accepting you for who you are: a crazy person (again, gaslighting).

The steps are as follows:

Make you emotional and accuse you of being a drama queen
Please accept my apology (power position for them)

2. You’re Explaining Simple Feelings That Shouldn’t Need Explaining

If you’re having trouble expressing yourself, you have two choices:
You could be extremely sensitive (Borderline Personalities are)
He is unable to comprehend your emotions.
Before pointing fingers, it’s always a good idea to take a good look at ourselves.
However, if you’re explaining very basic and common reactions, you’re raising a big red flag.
Sociopaths don’t have the same feelings as you. They don’t even have the emotions you’re attempting to convey.
You might be staring at a soulless individual if they stare at you with a blank expression. Something is also wrong if you find yourself explaining the fundamentals of social interactions and common decency.

3. He Demands a Lot While Giving Little (Hypocrisy)

They demand a lot of you, but you don’t give them anything in return.
This includes demands for loyalty, despite the fact that they frequently cheat.

4. There Are Constant Lies and Excuses

Sociopaths lie all the time, even when it would be pointless to lie about something minor.
Many sociopaths’ partners are perplexed by this. They ponder, “What’s the point of lying about that?”
Many sociopaths, after all, are pathological liars.
Of course, as sociopaths, they have no remorse if they are caught.
However, they may become enraged or give you the silent treatment as a “punishment” for exposing their lie.

5. They Always Draw Attention to  Your Mistakes

Any small mistake you make after you’ve passed through the initial idealisation phase will be noticed.

They, on the other hand, despise being chastised when they make a mistake.
Sociopaths, manipulators, and toxic individuals despise taking responsibility.

They’re quick to return the conversation to you, particularly to remind you of whatever minor blunder you’ve made.

6. You Wonder if They’re Normal

You might wonder if they’re normal at times.

Or even a human.

They are terrified of being exposed as being devoid of human feelings and conscience.
That’s probably one of the reasons they try so hard to convince you that you’re not normal.

7. He is Selifh and Attention-Seeking

They are the centre of the universe.
They expect undivided attention and adoration at all times.

As a result, they frequently have a small crowd of supporters cheering them on.

You won’t realise it at first because they only want your attention.
However, as the relationship progresses, they will become less reliant on you and more reliant on sources outside the relationship for validation.
This is also a part of their evaluation process, and if you’re addicted, it could be excruciating.

8. You Are Playing Detective

Another sociopath sign is if you have never been jealous before and are now researching and stalking them.

You’re playing detective because they’ve given you a reason to be suspicious and distrustful of them.
Sociopaths sometimes do it on purpose to keep you on edge.
They want you to think they’re involved.
It demonstrates to them that you are under their control. And they take pleasure in it.

9. They Have a Small Band of Admirers

Sociopaths are frequently surrounded by people who admire and admire them.
They could be used by the sociopath for favours, money, attention, or… To make you envious of them and boost their appeal. Because you are the only one who is really close to them, you may be the only one who can recognise them. And if they’re ex-partners, chances are their undiscerning or low-quality individuals.

10. You’re Afraid For Fights to End the Relationship

If you’re afraid that any disagreement will end your relationship, you’re probably already hooked.

They’re taking advantage of it, keeping you on your toes and using your fear to control you.

Sociopaths threaten to end the relationship covertly or overtly.
When they don’t directly threaten to do so, their actions speak for themselves. Their actions indicate that they are no longer interested in you or the relationship.

This is all part of their “dread game,” and they’re playing cat and mouse with each other.
Dump them yourself: it’ll be less painful.

11. They Started Having a Contemptuous Attitude

This is a result of assuming the role of the judge in the relationship.

A negative judge in this case.

In simple terms, what does it imply?

They criticise you with a superior attitude.
They have a smirk on their face or a mild disgust on their face as if you’ve challenged them.

Teasing can become an important part of your relationship, but it’s not always funny. It’s venomous and vexing.

You may begin to feel resentful at this point, and the relationship has deteriorated into a truly toxic one.

12. They Withhold Attention

The use of attention as a test and control tool is another sign of sociopathy.

They will go radio silent when you do something wrong when they want to punish you, or simply when they want to feel powerful and hurt you.
They know they have you the first time they do it and you chase them worried and scared.
And they’ll enjoy it.

13. They Expect You to Read Their Mind

Even if some sociopaths don’t communicate basic information, they expect you to understand what they haven’t said.

This is a result of their inflated sense of self-importance and entitlement mentality.

14. You Know Something is Wrong, But You Want Them to Like You

If you answered yes, you are most likely in a toxic relationship.

You’ve finally caught up to some of their games -and to the reality of things- if you realise there’s something wrong with your relationship.
They have their fangs in you and are deeply controlling you if you still want them to like you.

15. There Are Lots of Crazy or Abusive People in Their Past

Another telltale sign of a sociopath is when they tell you about crazy people they’ve met in the past.

Abusive bosses, violent parents, bipolar exes, crazy exes who still want him… Is it possible that the entire world is on their side?
Or are they the ones who are insane?

Also, don’t be fooled: you could be the next crazy person they talk about.

16. They Make You Jealous Through Other People

While they focused all of their attention on you at first and had no interest in anyone else, they will do everything they can to make you jealous in the middle of the relationship.
It could start with resurfaced exes, FB flirting with mysterious girls, comments from other women, and so on.
They’re trying to sow doubt in your mind, making you feel increasingly insecure.
If you want to play the game, read this article on how to increase his value so that he will reciprocate.
However, keep in mind that the only way to move forward is to leave them behind.

17. They Pursued You With Abandon 

Some types of womanisers, who aren’t necessarily psychopaths, pursue with abandon as well.

However, love bombing, as it’s known, is a major red flag that you’re dealing with a sociopath.

Their twisted plan to make you fall in love is love bombing.
Consider the following scenario:

Reflect on your hopes, fears, and dreams.
First and foremost, he writes to you.
Move as quickly as possible.
I’m always complimenting you.
They claim they’ve never felt this way before.
They are completely enthralled by you and imply or state that you TWO are soulmates.
And you like it a lot.

… Until you don’t need it any longer.
Keep an eye out.

18. They Compare You to Others

They will compare you favourably in the beginning.
You are the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to them.

Maybe you’re giving them new hope in life, or maybe you’re making them forget about their bad ex-boyfriends.
Also, keep an eye out for compliments on your physical appearance or body shape, as sociopaths are notoriously superficial.

In the devaluation phase, however, the comparisons become negative.
What used to be your best qualities can sometimes turn into major flaws. After all, their ex-boyfriends weren’t so bad, and maybe… Simply put, you don’t measure up to them.

If you’re hooked, something interesting will happen: their criticism will motivate you to prove yourself to them. You’re making a last-ditch effort to reclaim their affection.
But don’t even try or hope. They never loved you, the truth is. It isn’t about you: sociopaths are incapable of loving.

19. Some Behavior Doesn’t Add Up

A mask is worn by high-functioning sociopaths and psychopaths.
They act as if they have felt as if they understand your feelings, and as if they are nice and kind.
They are, however, projecting a persona.
They have no feelings, no empathy for you (or anyone else for that matter), and they are not kind.
Even the best actor, on occasion, will make a mistake.
Their mask will be removed, and you will be able to see through it.
Take notice if something doesn’t add up: it could be a sign of a sociopath.

20. They Are Easily Bored, And Need Stimulation

Sociopaths get bored easily.
One of the reasons they surround themselves with people and play machiavellian games is because of this: They require constant stimulation.

21. They Try to Make You Feel Guilty

Some sociopaths will use your guilt or willingness to help others to their advantage.

If that’s the case, their bad behaviour is always excused by their pain and hurt.
Who is it that is to blame? Abusive parents, a bitter ex, or even you, if you’re being particularly cruel to them.

22. There Is Lots of Drama in Your Relationship

Sociopaths may claim to despise drama.
Despite this, their lives are always filled with drama. And there’s a lot of drama in your life right now, too.

One way that sociopaths combat boredom is through drama.
If you’ve never had a lot of drama before, but now you do, it should be easy to figure out who’s to blame.

23. You’re Experiencing Emotional Roller Coaster

In a relationship with a sociopath, there are often wild emotional ups and downs.

They’ll get closer to you if you’ve been too cruel, so you’ll stay under their control.
Alternatively, they may treat you differently in public and in private. They may be rude and disrespectful in public but then reel you back in behind closed doors.
Alternatively, He could be nice in public but treat you with contempt in private.

24. He Is Becoming Your Entire Life

Do you find yourself thinking about him all the time and spending all of your time with him? This has the potential to be the greatest love storey ever told.
Or the most devastating heartbreak ever. Take it slowly and carefully.

25. You’re Enjoying Great Sex

Some sociopaths and abusive men use sex to entice their victims to fall in love with them.

They make it a point to do it right, to entice you in and fulfil your fantasies.
Sociopaths and psychopaths will sometimes push the boundaries of sex and force you to engage in sexual acts that are unfamiliar to you.

According to experts, some psychopaths will also dominate or demean you during sex in order to gain power and control.

26. They Are Arrogant

Sociopaths may appear modest and unassuming.
But it’s all part of the persona they’ve created to make them seem more approachable and likeable.

They become more and more arrogant and mean as the relationship progresses.

27. They Gossip, Demean, and Backstab Others

“Normal people” are often despised by sociopaths.
And a strong sense of envy for those who are more successful than them.

They’ll talk behind people’s backs and gossip about them. You might feel special at first for hearing their confessions.
You may even begin to dislike or resent some of the people they discuss.
And that’s part of their strategy: enlisting more supporters.

However, their side is always changing. And it’s very likely that they’ll say the same thing about you.

28. There Are Lots of Games and Manipulation

Games and manipulations are at the heart of a sociopath relationship.

Here are a few examples:

You’re on the defensive (and when you explain yourself you sound guilty)
Makes you feel bad
Make another woman envious of you.
Make you envious of another woman.

29. When You Corner Them, They Talk Nonsense

You might be able to back a sociopath into a corner at times.
You might, for example, have conclusive evidence of their wrongdoings.
Alternatively, you could read this article and inform them of their activities.

In that case, they might come up with the “word salad,” as psychopath survivors refer to it.

Word salads are meaningless conversations that only serve to perplex you, muddle the waters, and possibly put you on the defensive.

They are as follows:

Returning to topics that have already been discussed and resolved
Bringing up old wrongdoings of yours in a condescending tone to make you react irrationally
To get you to overreact, they accuse you of their own wrongdoing.
To perplex you, switch personalities and techniques.
Play the role of the victim.

Finally, if you maintain your composure and keep pushing, you will witness the face of the sociopath you have never seen before.
They lose their cool, and as they struggle to regain control, they will implode.
That’s fantastic news for you: you’re no longer under their control.

30. Your Feelings Are Telling You Something Isn’t Right

Last but not least, pay attention to your emotions.
And pay attention to what I’m saying.
If you’re in the following situations, it’s not a good relationship:
You’re walking on eggshells, afraid he’ll abandon you.
When you’re disrespected, you’re always defending yourself.
Are you wondering if you’re crazy?
Trying to make him happy
I’m desperate for him to like me.
I’m devising a strategy to reclaim him.
Experiencing mood swings you’ve never experienced before
You are completely reliant on him for your happiness.
Anxiety (especially if you haven’t had it before)
All the time crying and apologising
I’m afraid he’ll lash out.