How a Psychopath Succeeds by Deceiving and Dividing

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“Deception is ubiquitous within the psychopathic process," notes psychopathy researcher J. Reid Meloy, Ph.D. "Deception within the psychopathic process is characterized by intent, goal direction, and a facility to change both the logical content and the target of the deceit as necessary."¹

Division caused by deception

All psychopaths create division by their deception. For the psychopath, their charm is their glitter. Many people cannot get past this and experience division caused by deception. According to psychopathy expert Hervey Cleckley, “Psychopaths notoriously deceive and falsify, with strict awareness of the intention and about any sort of situation.”²

Having had a mother and a sister who possessed high levels of psychopathic characteristics, I noticed differences in their demeanor early on; both projected a certain charisma and social charm, yet both could be rude, terse, and arrogant depending on their strategy and goal. I witnessed the divisions they caused. Psychopaths can be a source of conflict because of their deceptive nature.

My own mother’s deception and division took on many forms in our family. One day, I placed a telephone call to my mother expressing a need to discuss a sensitive matter with her privately and confidentially. She reassured me that she was alone in the house and that the phone call was private. As I neared the end of the call, my sister piped up, saying that she had heard the entire conversation with my mother’s consent. Shocked by this type of behavior, I realized that no psychopath is trustworthy—not even your own mother.

Deception and division can lead to workplace promotion

In the corporate world, psychopaths can bully their way to the top using tactics that divide through deception. Psychopathy researcher Paul Babiak has analyzed and identified the deceive-and-divide strategies psychopaths use to advance in the workplace. In his famous work, Snakes in Suits, he paints a picture of a psychopath who plagiarized, failed to carry out assignments, and exhibited disruptive behavior, yet was able to use his charm and deceptive strategies to curry favor with his superiors.³ While co-workers at his level felt he was selfish, self-centered, unreliable, and irresponsible, his superiors were impressed by his charisma, charm, and assertive self-confidence. Even though he created divisions within the corporate organization and left a trail of confusion in his wake, he was promoted.

Confusion results from psychopathic deception and division

Confusion is the natural and expected outcome of a psychopath’s deceit and division. As British psychiatrist Neville Symington has noted, “One of the most evident signs of psychopathy is the presence of confusion and bad feelings. One person is set against another, and suspicion is rife, but the cause is never rooted out.”⁴

Paul Babiak observes that many fail to see the psychopath for what they really are. They refuse to blame the charming person who may be a friend, a relative, or a co-worker for malicious intent. They create such confusion that even with evidence against the psychopath, many believe the psychopath anyway. He notes that this tendency can be so compelling that, “more often than not, victims will eventually come to doubt their own knowledge of the truth and change their own views to believe what the psychopath tells them rather than what they know to be true.”⁵

Personal experiences illustrating psychopathic confusion

Whenever psychopaths are near, expect confusion from the division their deceptions bring. They often use their charm to ingratiate with one person while simultaneously creating bad feelings and confusion in others. As I observed families coming to visit our home, I noticed a pattern when a mother came with her two daughters who were close in age. Using her divisive tactics, my mother fawned all over one daughter with flatteries of beauty and intelligence while completely ignoring the other daughter. Puzzled by this behavior, no one realized my mother was enjoying her deliberate ruse and the reaction.

The psychopath does not think anything they do is wrong, resulting in countless schemes of deception and division.

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