Have you ever encountered/had to deal with an actual psychopath?

You try to de-escalate the situation. You ask for their name Seems odd, right? But. That’s the first word, most people are taught. Their name. You repeat their name, as much as possible. It taps, deep into their minds. You say their name, in every sentence. “Jon, you were having a good time.” “Jon, what happened? ” “Jon, what can we do, to help you? ” Etc…
Repeating a person’s name, can really have an affect… All of their earliest memories, are tied to that name. I had great success with this strategy, when I was a LEO… It calms them, a bit. To hear their own name. I guarantee that someone, in their past, spoke to them with love and authority, using their name. It helps to refer to yourself, in your name… You form a bond…
You’re no longer stranger 1, and stranger 2…
You know each other. To an extent.
Then. You’re both on a personal level. And you build the conversation, from there. Mentioning their name, as many times as possible.

Nothing is 100%. But. It really helps.

You build a bond. Then, you go from there. You pick their brain. You listen to them. You deduce their triggers, and try to alleviate them…

Regardless of whom you are talking to, respect is a two way street. Even if you don’t agree with them.

If all else fails, it helps to know how to defend yourself. Most defenses fail, if there is a plan involved. You need to be able to improvise. That means that while you are interacting with such a person, you are also sizing them up. Observing every detail. Examining what your strengths and weaknesses are, versus this person. Understanding where you are, and what your potential advantages are, given your surroundings. Can you outrun this person? Can you pick a better spot, to defend yourself, and maybe walk the person there? Are there LEOs, nearby?

There are many variables…

There is no perfect defense. But. You can increase your odds, by being aware of the the person you are confronting, and your surroundings…

If possible. Your best bet, is to get away from them.

That can be as simple as spitting in their eyes, and running away. Anything that buys you time, to do what you’re best at…

NEVER underestimate an opponent, or overestimate your own skill.

Most importantly, document everything. If it comes down to a court case, the more evidence you have will work in your favor.

Unfortunately, there are those who are psychopathic. They are beyond civilian help. But. In many cases, there is law enforcement, or agencies, to deal with them…
Lean on those people.

It’s their job, not yours, to handle such people.

Report such people. You may be saving others…

I encountered multiple people who would fit the description. They often need help…

“What, “Jon”?
I’m not your pal, mate.
I’m not your brother, bro.”

@MrGrimm888 thank you so much!!

Learn to spot them and create as much emotional and physical distance as possible. Be a background person and do nothing that would allow them to focus on you at all. I have known a handful and the extent of destruction they are capable of is hard to describe.

Yes.
I’d keep contact with them to a minimum.What else can you do?
Sociopaths are another story.
They are a dime a dozen and I have read that one in four people are sociopathic.They are capable of a lot of damage and the minute you spot this type of person, it’s best to keep your distance.

It’s not that high, like 2 out of 100.

@MrGrimm888 That is a fantastic, insightful answer. i am fortunate that I have no experience with such a situation but I’ll keep this in my back pocket.

(and the LCP in my front.)

I lived in a duplex with one. She had been in and out of mental faculties her full adult life landlord failed to mention that.
She called the police and reported a couple who were international drug traffickers. She gave he license plate number of my husband’s van. I was using it while he was stationed on board a ship. I was on my way to the base one morning, ad was pulled over by a cop with his gun drawn. He called for back up as he approached mmy door. My hands were on the wheel. He went into hyper fit over the knife on my console. I explained that I was a deck seaman, and it was a required part of my uniform.

She had her son kill my new kitten. She also put sand in the carburetor of the car my husband was working on. Her husband finally had her go back to in patient care. The landlord relocated us.

It is frightening and frustrating.
By the way, I showed the officer my military ID, and a call to the base cleared me, also got me out of trouble for arriving late for muster.

@ARE_you_kidding_me -I’ve always run into one out of four stats and in my experience, I believe it.
It’s on a scale of course so when they say sociopathy, they are not necessarily talking about a murderous serial killer.

It’s between two and four percent.

@ARE_you_kidding_me -Even at that, it’s more than enough. Have you ever looked at Hare’s checklist?

@Patty_Melt exactly. We’re neighbors with one family that are all psychopaths/sociopaths. From petty crimes to scams and even murders, they’ve done it all. I can’t even sleep properly because I’m always scared. Dealing with them consumes your entire being. They’re capable of anything and everything, and what makes it worse is connections with political socialites that makes them practically immune from law enforcement.

Fortunately not.
I did once have a rather bizarre encounter with a local village idiot wearing a family sized steak pie for a hat.

@Nuggetmunch . Make sure you have deadbolts, on all your doors. Keep your windows locked.
If you buy anything nice, bring it in in the dark, and don’t leave the packaging outside in plain view. A dog, could help. I would carry mace too.
If you can move, I would.
Most importantly, like I said, document everything. You can call the cops. Just make sure you can meet them somewhere. You don’t want them parking in front of your house, and giving the neighbors a reason to retaliate against you. If you have personally witnessed any crimes, just walk into your local police department, and spill the beans. You can possibly request that police patrol your area more often.
If you suspect drug activity, that’d be relevant. A narcotics unit, will probably stake them out. You won’t even know they’re there. They’re sneeky. They’ll probably appear like drifters, in an old beat up car…If they pick up on anything, they’ll raid the residence. One thing that nobody can elude, is drug charges. Especially distribution…

I recommend you take a basic self defense class. But. That doesn’t mean that you should confront them. They sound like hardened criminals. If you aren’t, then don’t provoke them…
Get that mace. If you have to pull it, don’t hesitate. Spray in a figure 8 pattern, focusing on nose and eyes. Be prepared to potentially suffer the effects, of the spray. The effects, are very unpleasant. DO NOT USE IT INDOORS, if possible…
If you aren’t already experiencedwith firearms, don’t acquire one. You could make a bad situation, far worse.

Again. If you can get a rescue dog, fully grown. It’ll at least alert you, if someone is trying to break in. And. You’re saving a dog’s life. Something like a Chow, or Retriever mix, would be ideal.

Good luck. Use your head.

In a defense scenario, you have your wits, and your mits. In that order… Out think these guys. Use all resources available. Be careful…

Peace n love.

Correction above. I typed facilities, not faculties.

In case you don’t know, chows are bred to protect their owner ONLY. They look cute, but they can be very good protection. I had a friend who had one. It saw me regularly, but always wanted to kill me.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t personal.
And yes, their tongue is supposed to look like that.
If you are not into dogs, I trained my cat to attack on command. They are wicked on attack, and a clan would slice like crazy.

Yes. Chows, are really one-two person dogs. That’s why I recommended them. The pounds, are flooded with their mixes. Anything that has purple on their tongue, is probably a Chow mix. And it is exactly these characteristics, why I recommended that breed, for this type of situation. They are fiercely loyal. And not even your best friend could come up, without warning…

A perfect dog, for protecting a single person, or small family. I don’t like them. But. They aren’t attack dogs. They’re barkers.

Retrievers, can be trained to do anything. And they also, aren’t attack dogs.

But. If something is amiss, they’ll let you know.

A lot of people are more afraid of dogs, than guns… Interesting fact…

Yes. I will expound tomorrow.

@MrGrimm888 – When I was dating my husband, he had two chow-chows.they were mother and daughter.
They were both very well trained (obedience with off-leash and were never aggressive with me. In fact, I would groom them regularly and there was never any problem.They were good watchdogs though
My husband’s mother had a male from the same litter. He did show aggression to some people and I put the blame squarely on her.
She just didn’t/doesn’t have the skill to handle a strong willed breed and it showed.

It ultimately, comes down to the owner.

Ultimately it comes down to the personality the dog is born with. Just like humans.

I read a book years ago by a veterinarian, Micheal Fox, I believe, on dog behavior.
He stated that it was very rare for a dog to be born with a Cujo-like psychosis that would cause random acts of aggression.
I believe him and put the blame on the owners.

When I was in a college class getting the final requirements so I could enroll in Kansas Newman, there was this guy in my class. He struck me as a little odd, but I was nice to him. I noticed he always seemed to be waiting for me, kind of lurking. Again, odd, but I was still polite. I mean, a lot of guys tended to lurk and just show up where I was.
The 2nd to last day of class we had a take home final. the teacher passed it out. It was one sheet of instrucitons.
Suddenly, as class was letting out, that weird guy gave me a bizzaro, lovesick love letter and left. And it was terrifying. In scrawling hand, that changed often, he carried on about how we were meant for each other, and we needed to be together always and….it was terrifying. That fact that his handwriting changed so many times in the “letter” was scary.
I talked to the teacher and told him that guy would not be turning in his final because he’d written that letter on the back of it!
The teacher read it with dawning horror. He told me I didn’t have to come back to the last day of class, and I could just mail it in.
My girlfriend wanted to keep it for me. I just messaged her daughter asking her to ask her mom if she still had it, and if so, could she take a picture of it and send it to me. I can’t ask my girlfriend directly because she unfriended me and blocked me when it hit her I’d become an atheist! I guess blocking me would stop any Satan from leaking through!

^When I was bouncing, at this one place, I had a lady who would bring me gifts (nice things.) She would stand by me, and talk to me gfor long stretches of time. As it was my post, I was kinda stuck there. Then, she got in the habit of giving me long hugs, smelling me.
It was awkward.

One night, the owner told me that she would talk a lot about suicide, to the bartenders, and they were basically burnt out from dealing with her. He wanted her, not just kicked out, but banned. I was the Head of Security. So. I had to do it…
It broke my heart, because I knew she would take it rough. Especially, coming from me…

When I told her the situation, she cried a LOT… I told my other men, to stand down, and escorted her off the property. I never saw her again.
It was a relief. But. I also felt very sad, for her…

I had several situations, like that. I always felt like shit doing it. Some women would become furious, and curse me out. Nobody likes rejection… It can bring out the crazy, in some people…

I am sure you were as horrified and terrified as I was @MrGrimm888. Looking over your shoulder to make sure they werenot following you out to the car.

^No. It’s admittedly, a different scenario. I wasn’t afraid, physically, of these women. And I always keep my head, on a swivel, to watch for a tail. Now. Some of the women tried to get groups of men to attack me. But. I had multiple plans, along my route to my truck. Almost every 25 yards, I had a weapon hidden. Like a 2×4, a piece of rubarb. Something nobody knew about, but me. I was usually armed, or had a pistol, in my truck. Check points, if you will.

I respect, and admire women. But. If one charged me, in the dark, I wasn’t below putting her down. I had many tricks, up my sleeve.
One night, four guys followed me, as I left. When I got in my truck, I had them right behind me. I drove straight to the nearest police department, and parked. If they were going to try something, it’d be right in front of the police station. Once I parked, they drove off…

And I wasn’t afraid to fight multiple people. I am human. So. I would shake, and have to calm.down afterwards. Often, I sustained injuries. I have plenty of scars, to prove it.
I was/am, quite capable in hand to hand combat. But. That grew tiresome. It was a matter of time before I got beaten to a pulp, or killed. So. I hung it up. No more law enforcement, for me. I have a unique appearance. So. I still have to be vigilant, no matter where I am.

Women were always a threat. But. A 130 lb female, vs a 315 lb experienced male, was not my main concern.
I understand the difference in our situations.
I was always more worried about them getting me fired, or thrown in jail.
I went to court, a LOT. Charges, were always dismissed. And rightly so…
There are cameras, everywhere. They saved my ass, plenty of times…

Anyways. I understand that you would feel afraid of a crazy/drunk man. While I would just be violated.
Rich/powerful women, would do as they pleased to me. I never pressed charges. I just took it…
I didn’t like it. But. I was afraid for my job…

Both situations, aren’t fair. And they aren’t excusable. But. Men aren’t physically threatened, and females have more freedom to act legally, if they are assaulted. I guess I just see it, as social differences. No self-respecting LEO, presses sexual assault charges, on a female. Myself, and all of my men, were groped by females. We simply took it, as part of the job…

But. Like I said. I get it, to an extent. It’s different when a man puts his hands on a woman…

“No self-respecting LEO, presses sexual assault charges, on a female. ” I would if I was a LEO and a woman started physically sexually harassing me. If a guy harrassed me, I’d have him in handcuffs and up on charges in a heart beat. It has nothing to do with self respect, or may be everything to do with self respect.

It’s just a different world.