Science of the SpiritS


Eye 1

7 things covert psychopaths, narcissists and sociopaths do differently

Shahida Arabi, M.A.
PsychCentral Blog
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 10:15 UTC
7 things psychopaths, narcissists and sociopaths do
© Shutterstock
The only truly effective method for dealing with a sociopath you have identified is to disallow him or her from your life altogether. Sociopaths live completely outside of the social contract, and therefore to include them in relationships or other social arrangements is perilous. ~ Dr. Martha Stout, The Sociopath Next Door
When many of us think of malignant narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths, the image of the egotistical megalomaniac is called to mind: overly proud, boastful, arrogant, vain, self-centered, even violent, depending on how psychopathic we think they might be. Yet many of the most conniving and dangerous manipulators are not overt in their tactics - and their violence does not leave visible scars.

Predators who fly under the radar are able to so because they disguise their tactics behind false humility, a convincing facade and an arsenal of underhanded tactics meant to keep their victims bewildered, gaslighted and striving to regain the abuser's approval.

Here are seven ways covert malignant narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths differ from their more overt counterparts.

1. They apologize strategically to keep you hooked

It is a common misconception that those who have narcissistic or even sociopathic tendencies never take accountability for their actions. While it's true that more overt narcissists rage at any perceived slight and suffer narcissistic injury, covert manipulators are able to keep their contempt in check if it means sustaining a relationship or furthering an agenda. For example, an abusive relationship partner may still apologize and acknowledge what they did wrong if they find it more convenient than to disagree.

Comment: See also: Political Ponerology: A Science on The Nature of Evil adjusted for Political Purposes

Read More...
Attention

Social contagion: Trigger warnings are a mass psychogenic illness

Stewart Justman
Quillette
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 16:56 UTC
hospital gurney
Contrary to the tradition of free inquiry, many college students now demand the suppression of ideas they find offensive. As if to raise the stakes by transforming the issues in play into medical ones, many also claim that such ideas traumatize them. Implying as it does that offensive material doesn't just insult decency or pollute the public realm but wounds the very psyche of those exposed to it, the term "trauma" as deployed by the critics of free inquiry has indeed taken the argument to a new level. What are we to make of the contention that students are so vulnerable that the syllabus of a lit course should carry a "trigger warning" to the effect that their psyches might suffer damage merely as a result of the reading?

A medical argument calls for a medical reply.

Suppose rumors begin to circulate in a small town that the insulation stuffed into local walls and attics contains a toxic substance. Literally surrounded by toxicity, the residents begin to report symptoms like nausea, headache, dizziness and poor concentration, with each new case producing others in a cascade effect. The Emergency Room overflows. Upon investigation, however, no toxic source can be found. According to the medical literature, we have here a case of mass psychogenic illness (or mass hysteria): a social phenomenon in which people suddenly fall ill, and inspire others to do so as well, in the belief that they have been exposed to a toxic agent, though in fact the belief itself is making them sick. Such an outbreak poses a spurious emergency.


Comment: In other words, a social contagion:


Comment: Jordan Peterson recently interviewed Lukianoff and Haidt on their book, pointing out that the trigger-warning approach is actually the exact opposite of how to deal with fears and trauma. Rather than shield oneself from triggers, the only thing that actually works is to build resilience by exposing yourself to 'triggers'. Trigger warnings only make things worse.



Read More...
SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: The Truth Perspective: Churches Behaving Badly: How Religions Succeed or Fail to Prevent Pathocracy

Harrison Koehli, Elan Martin and Corey Schink
Sott.net
Sat, 03 Nov 2018 16:00 UTC
inquisition
Some critics of organized religions argue that religions are the root of all evils. Some of the faithful argue that atheism and secular ideologies like communism or capitalism produce the worst atrocities. But is either side correct? Or are they missing an important piece of the puzzle?

Today on the Truth Perspective we discuss a chapter in Andrew Lobaczewski's Political Ponerology on religion and pathocracy: how religious ideologies get infected with pathological material, which can remain semi-dormant for centuries; how religions can be hijacked by malevolent individuals and groups; how the same pathological influences produce secular systems that then attack the faithful; and how despite their errors, religions still offer the best defense against political and interpersonal evil.

Religion is both our greatest aid against evil, and also - because of its importance - one of the greatest portals for evil to manifest itself. Both sides of the debate are correct, in a sense. Ponerology fills in the holes of our understanding of spirituality and evil, bridging the gap between the two and pointing the way to a reconciliation between the scientific and religious domains, where each has an important role to play.

Running Time: 01:42:40

Download: MP3

Read More...
Family

Researchers identify three different types of depression

Dr. Jeremy Dean
Psyblog
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 13:32 UTC
nervous breakdown depression
Three sub-types of depression have been identified for the first time, new research reveals.

One type does not respond to SSRI antidepressants, the most common treatment for depression.

The type that does not respond to antidepressants exists in people with experience of childhood trauma, along with certain patterns of brain activity.

SSRIs are thought to work by boosting levels of serotonin in the brain, but they do not work on some people.
Read More...
People 2

Like attracts like: Study shows psychopaths attracted to each other

Eric W. Dolan
PsyPost
Sat, 27 Oct 2018 18:16 UTC
couple man woman
New psychology research suggests that most people do not view psychopathic personality traits as particularly desirable in a romantic partner. But the study also provides evidence that psychopaths are more attracted to other psychopaths.

"To a large extent, our findings support a 'like attracts like' hypothesis for psychopathic traits," wrote the authors of the study, which was published in the Journal of Personality.

"Until recently there has been scant systematic evidence bearing on the question of whether people are especially attracted to psychopathic individuals, and if so, which personality traits may account for such attraction," they said.

In the study, 696 participants were asked to imagine a good-looking young man or woman, and then construct his or her personality from a list of 70 traits.

The researchers found that the participants preferred Factor 1 psychopathic traits (such as superficial charm, manipulativeness, and lack of empathy) over Factor 2 traits (such as impulsiveness and irresponsibility). But, overall, romantic interest in psychopathic traits was low on average.

However, participants who themselves scored higher on a measure of psychopathy tended to prefer higher levels of psychopathic traits in their ideal romantic partner.
Read More...
Marijuana

Well, whodathunkit! When adolescents give up pot, both learning and memory quickly improve

Rachel D. Cohen
NPR
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 06:01 UTC
pot marijuana cognition learn and remember
© BURGER/Canopy/Getty ImagesEven a week without marijuana use improves young people's ability to learn and remember.
Marijuana, it seems, is not a performance-enhancing drug. That is, at least, not among young people, and not when the activity is learning.

A study published Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry finds that when adolescents stop using marijuana - even for just one week - their verbal learning and memory improve. The study contributes to growing evidence that marijuana use in adolescents is associated with reduced neurocognitive functioning.

More than 14 percent of students in middle school and high school reported using marijuana within the past month, finds a National Institutes of Health survey conducted in 2017. And marijuana use has increased among high-schoolers over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

At the same time, the percentage of teens who believe that regular marijuana use poses a great risk to their health has dropped sharply since the mid-2000s. And legalization of marijuana may play a part in shaping how young people think about the drug. One study noted that after 2012, when marijuana was legalized in Washington state, the number of eighth-graders there that believed marijuana posed risks to their health dropped by 14 percent.

Researchers are particularly concerned with marijuana use among the young because THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, most sharply affects the parts of the brain that develop during adolescence.

Comment: Marijuana's effect on the brain is controversial - some studies show neuro-protective effects and potential amelioration of diseases such as Alzheimer's while others claim it actually shrinks the brain:

Read More...
Brain

Hallucinations are everywhere

Joseph Frankel
The Atlantic
Tue, 02 Oct 2018 13:36 UTC
hallucination
© DAN KITWOOD / GETTY
Experiences like hearing voices are leading psychologists to question how all people perceive reality.

There's a good chance you've hallucinated before.

If you've ever felt the buzz of your phone against your thigh only to realize the sensation was entirely in your head, you've had a sensory perception of something that isn't real. And that, according to the psychologist Philip Corlett, is what makes a hallucination.

To many, this definition may seem shockingly broad. Hallucinations were long considered the stuff of psychoses or drug trips, not a regular and inconsequential part of life. But Corlett operates on the idea that hallucinations exist within a hierarchy. At the highest level, according to Corlett's collaborator Albert Powers, they would be something like hearing "whole sentences of clearly spoken speech of a being who seems quite real." But, moving further down the line, hallucinations can be far more banal: an imagined text message, a phantom raindrop, a new parent's mistaken sense of her child by her bedside.
Read More...
Info

How to silence your inner critic: Practical ways to stop negative self-talk

Sara Fabian
Upliftconnect.com
Fri, 03 Aug 2018 13:50 UTC
self critic
© Kristina Flour
Have you ever heard an inner voice telling you disempowering things, like "I don't think I can make it," "What if I fail?", "I'm not that smart," "I'll never have that," "This is too hard," "This is too big for me," "It's impossible," or "It's too good to be true" ?

If this rings a bell for you, know that this was the voice of your Inner Critic.

What is Your Inner Critic?

It is that voice in your mind that often speaks to you when you want to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone. It is a voice of fear.

Its purpose is to keep you in the safe zone and protect you from any possible emotional injuries like judgment, rejection, blame or shame. It is an internal resistance to change and the unknown, and the main reason for you playing small and not daring to go for your dreams.

Comment: Read more about Learning to silence critical self-talk:

Read More...
Cross

Putin's Orthodoxy: A few words about his religious views, values and spirituality

Matthew Raphael Johnson
The Barnes Review
Thu, 12 May 2016 00:00 UTC
Putin in Church
Vladimir Putin is fairly mute about his own religious views. Being a member of the Communist Party is no evidence of atheism. Its evidence only of conformity. Party membership was essential for having any a career of any substantial kind, especially in the security services. Military and police careers were, as in all societies, attractive to patriots and nationalists, though it had to be a "Soviet" rather than a specifically Russian nationalism. However, he does say that he was secretly baptized by his mother at 18 months in Petersburg at the Cathedral of the Martyrs Alexandria and Antonia of Rome. From this, it is safe to say that Putin was secretly taught the faith from a young age.

According to his mother, it was the day of St. Michael and all the Angels, so it had to be November 21st. Putin's views are, in his own words, to be internal, and never the subject of a show. The cross that his mother gave him at the Sepulcher Church in Jerusalem he wears always. In his house many years ago, a fire broke out from the heating unit of the sauna malfunctioning. Worried that the cross, which he had left near his bed, was gone forever, once of the workmen found it perfectly intact in the midst of all the rubble.

Comment: Clearly, it is not only Putin's remarkable intelligence, fortitude, wisdom and insight that has made him such a successful leader for his people and for the world; but something more. And that something is informed by great faith in a higher power - and an awareness of his own soul that has connected him to something much, much larger than himself.

Read More...
Bulb

How to harness your anxiety

Alicia H. Clark
New York Times
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:07 UTC
anxiety
© Aart-Jan Venema
Research shows that we can tame anxiety to use it as a resource.

Anxiety has long been one of the most feared enemies in our emotional canon. We fear its arrival, feel helpless and trapped under its spell, and grant it power to overtake us in new, exciting and challenging situations. But what if we've been going about it all wrong?

Research shows that anxiety can actually be a pathway to our best selves. A range of new neuroscience, along with ideas from ancient philosophy, Charles Darwin, early social scientists and positive psychology, have all pointed in this direction.

To be sure, severe anxiety can be debilitating. But for many people who experience it at more moderate levels it can be helpful, if we are open enough to embrace and reframe it.
Read More...