A therapist breaks down what woman term really means — and why you should run for the hills if this sounds familiar. I have been with my guy for a few months and I think he is the love of my life.

He is charming, smart, and hot as hell. Sociopath if I'm being honest, there are some things that concern me. I have caught him in a few lies — and when I do he totally doubles down on them.

He also just doesn't have a lot of empathy for others and seems to even get off on the pain other people suffer. He actually enjoys those YouTube videos where sociopath get hurt and laughs it off but I am horrified! My bestie thinks he might actually be a sociopath, but I know my boyfriend isn't a Ted Bundy or Joe from You What is a sociopath really — and how do I know if he is one? A true sociopath is rare. According to the research, this personality disorder is at least three times more common in men than women, but it is still quite unusual to encounter a true sociopath.

In 30 years of being a therapist, I have only encountered one or two dating my office. But first, let's clear things up.

17 Signs of Female Sociopaths in Relationships & How to Cope

Sociopathy is actually the colloquial term for woman antisocial woman disorder ' ASPD — a mental disorder that can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM that shrinks like me use to diagnose patients. Generally speaking, those with antisocial personality disorder aka sociopathy show no regard for right and wrong and "tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference," per the Mayo Clinic.

They also tend to show no guilt or remorse for their behavior. ASPD occurs on a continuum — some people may only have a few traits — but even dating on the lower end of the spectrum of this personality disorder are not the type of people with who you want to have a romantic relationship. And yes, when it comes to Joe Goldberg from the Netflix show Youtherapists have pointed out that he did indeed show some hallmark traits of antisocial learn more here disorder, as well as narcissistic personality disorder.

Similar to a narcissist, 'sociopaths' tend to be woman charming.

Sociopathic traits in relationships

They are like chameleons and are able to figure out exactly what you want and need in a relationship. Dating will seduce you and then ultimately hurt you and take advantage of you. Word to the wise: Someone with this kind of personality disorder is always on the hunt for new victims and people to take advantage of.

Don't be surprised if your grandmother's ring is missing from your apartment, money is withdrawn from your bank account or you just found yourself paying for everything in your partner's life. Their ability to lie is off the charts — and the entire history that they have presented to you may not even be true.

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I once met a sociopath that not only lied about his entire family history, where he came from, and his socioeconomic background, but he even claimed to speak French, when he couldn't speak a sociopath of the language. More info you catch them in a lie, they are likely to go into a rage and blame you.

They will often become aggressive and hostile or just disappear. While we tend to throw around the word 'sociopath' casually — and again, a true sociopath is rare — if three or more of the following list applies to your guy, I'd cut things off ASAP. This isn't something to mess around with. Clearly, the list of reasons why a healthy romantic relationship with someone like this isn't possible is long. To put things bluntly, they are exploitative human beings with no conscience or ability to feel bad about the harm they have inflicted.

They are unable or unwilling to self-reflect when they are wrong and they typically find a way to blame their partner for their own faults or problems. Obviously, this can create a lot of tension and unhappiness in a relationship. To make matters worse, those with sociopathy rarely go to therapy since they don't believe there's anything wrong with them to fix, meaning this is not a very treatable personality disorder.

True sociopaths get off from the pain and suffering of others.

I'm not talking about schadenfreude. I'm talking about people who enjoy their partner experiencing pain during sex and even enjoy watching videos of people being harmed or tortured. The more extreme antisocials will actually torture animals, rape, or dating people. This is the stuff that serial killers are made of — and clearly, it's nothing to take lightly. Clearly, you most definitely want to avoid dating someone with this kind of disposition. My advice: Run for the hills! Jenn Mann answers your sex and relationship questions every week — unjudged and unfiltered.

Who's Your Celebrity Doppelganger? Click here to take our quiz and find out! Lifestyle Relationships. By Dr. Jenn Mann. Jenn Mann is a licensed sociopath and family therapist and the relationship expert behind InStyle's long-running weekly column, Hump Day. Jenn Show.

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