What’s the easiest way to spot a sociopath or psychopath?

They like to hurt animals, or they did this when they were kids.

The real clever ones are your friends and community leaders already.

They aren’t stupid, they’re not incapable of reading emotion. They’re not gonna get caught out by some stupid “gotcha” questions.

There is no overall easy way to spot them. Life isn’t a video game.

Complete lack of empathy and sympathy

To be honest follow your gut. There’s little tells you get from other people (like cold eyes or weird looks).

Initially they can make you feel proud, but eventually you feel anger, shame, or fear – as a result of their gaslighting – when you are near them. These are feelings that they project on to you, because they don’t have a functioning emotional system to deal with them. They are not your feelings. They have simply been ‘delegated’ to you.

Extremely selfish but charming. Initially very charming, curious, and they overshare personal information to loosen you up and much later take advantage from knowing details about you. Combative behavior when under ‘stress’, but typically no display of fear. Treats others as ‘lesser beings’, for example by addressing them in some diminutive form. No display of shame or excessive display of shame (burning cheeks). Excessively selfish behavior. Easily ‘bruised’ and responds to perceived slights with revenge.

“Saviour” syndrome. They “help” you in some “grand” way and you suddenly owe them a favor of some sort, where you are at a disadvantage and repaying the favor is not in proportion to the initial help, but they put you in a bind of some sort, like “selling your soul”.