How to be a Psychopath - chapter 3 - seen and heard

***seen and heard***

 

This chapter is not about narcissism. Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection and perished; see the final chapter. The wannabe psychopath must begin the same processes of perishing but not before the tools of demise are understood. First the psychopath must learn how to be seen and heard - by their-self.

Do not read: We all have a desire to be seen and heard. Receiving a reflection from society helps us refine our social viability and gives us valuable data as we help build a cohesive community. The psychopath is receiving the same data, but their filters are less sophisticated. Also, any looking and hearing they engage exists to be seen and heard by themselves first. Their sense of self must be continuously substantiated. Therefore, be aware of anyone who believes a conversation is an exercise in waiting for their turn to talk.

Psychopaths must make noise and displays to substantiate their sense of self. The noise and displays need not be overt or overbearing. But every action exists to confirm a flimsy notion of who they are; this image must lack complexity. The most effective psychopaths are quiet and insipid. They beguile by appearing incapable of managing an unpredictable world and lean heavily on the empathy of others. They will trigger the nurturing tendencies in the people around them; they will ensure other people make sacrifices towards the stabilising of an unpredictable world. Be warned however, seeing and hearing yourself pretending to be incapable of copping means you are learning to not be self-reliant; in other words, subconsciously you will begin to believe your own lies, and you will perish. 

For emerging psychopaths, it is important that you understand the power of first impressions. Significantly, the first impression you make on your-self. Take a moment to process this concept. Every utterance and any reflection you generate has an audience. What you see in the mirror and what sounds you hear yourself make must be absorbed by that audience exclusively. The audience, most significantly, is your-self.

Do not read: What you see in the mirror and the sounds you make also exist, in the first instance, as valuable information for self-definition. This information is processed by a well-adjusted individual sympathetically to the needs of their community. The psychopath lacks this sympathetic outlook. The image and noise they create exists for an audience of one; themselves.

Unlike reasonably well-adjusted people, who use the reflected images and sounds they generate to fine tune an inclusive sense of self, the psychopath must limit their appreciation of this data. It is something like Pinocchio, realising for the first time that he is alive, but not yet a ‘real boy’. Except, the psychopath must have no ambition to become ‘real’. Instead, they must fall in love with the puppet they believe they truly are. This will require them to believe that, everything they say and every image of themselves they generate, is correct and without fault.

Do not read: Know-it-alls suffer. I am not trying to invoke your sympathy. Suffering with the burden of vanity or to be correct all the time, is two of many ways the psychopath suffers. The psychopath’s desire to know everything has nothing to do with a secret ambition to help their team win trivia nights at the local pub; so don’t feel bad for them. In reality, they are needing to hear themselves say correct things and look a certain way relative to the circumstances towards reinforcing who they believe they are. You will notice this phenomenon whenever they are proven to be wrong or are challenged by the laws of the physical universe. Often, in the face of a blaring truth, instead of owning their errors, the psychopath will casually change topic or, most peculiarly, will repackage their falsehood to regain legitimacy. The legitimising exists solely to help stabilise their dimensionless self; it has nothing to do with fact or proof.

The skinny: The bourgeoning psychopath, must therefore, be not concerned for the accuracy of anything they say and any gesture they make; so long as it appears to have integrity (gaslighting is the next chapter). The burgeoning psychopath must understand that the noise and images they make exist in the first instance to reassure their self of its apparent substance. Be warned, a self desperately seeking to make noise and images solely in the pursuit of its own definition will perish; it is a severely polluted pursuit of happiness.

How to be a psychopath lesson 3: You are your own best audien(t).