Diagnosed sociopath explains personality traits that mean you were probably born one
A woman who was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) has explained whether she believes nature or nurture makes you a sociopath.
Experts don't know exactly what causes these kind of mental health conditions, but believe it's down to a combination of genetics and environmental influences during the early years of your life.
But if you ask Kanika Batra, most sociopaths are 'born' that way.
The model and author has never been shy about discussing her experience of living with ASPD and she has built up a huge following on social media doing so.
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Kanika previously shared the techniques she used to disguise her condition from others, revealed how she can spot a fellow sociopath and discussed what it's like to date her.
Now, the content creator has sat down with LADbible for an episode of Honesty Box to share some further insights into what living with ASPD is like.
Explaining what a sociopath is, Kanika said it's a person who 'does not have empathy, remorse, or guilt'.
Sociopaths have a severe form of ASPD, which relates to irresponsible, impulsive and even criminal behaviour - and they can be manipulative, deceitful and reckless, while having little regard for others feelings.
In Kanika's case, she reckons she is the 'most manipulative person you will ever meet', while boasting that she can 'lie better than anybody'.
Essentially, you'd hate for her to be sat at the same poker table as you thanks to her A* bluffing skills.
Still, she says there are a lot of misconceptions about people with the mental health condition, as she pointed out: "A lot of people claim to be sociopaths and they think, 'I've done bad things before. Am I a sociopath?'
"And the answer is no. Most of you still have empathy, guilt, and remorse and what people like to call a conscience. We don't have that."
The Barcelona-based, Australia-raised model received her ASPD diagnosis when she was aged 21, but reckons she was 'born with' the condition.
She 'firmly believes' that sociopaths who display traits such as 'callousness, grandiosity, the glibness and charm' were brought into this world with these characteristics ingrained in them.
Detailing some further aspects of living with ASPD, Kanika - a former Miss Universe and Miss World finalist - said that she tends to play the long game rather than acting out of impulse.
Although she can be 'reckless' when it comes to adventures, she says she is 'calculated' when it comes to getting her own back on someone.
"I can spend a year, two years working on a plot to get back at somebody," Kanika said. "I do not get into fist fights. I do not get aggressive. I do not do things that will cost me my freedom, my life, and my social circle."
As ASPD can impact individuals very differently, it can be difficult to spot a sociopath in your midst - but the author of The Sociopathic Dating Bible says there is an easy way to tell if someone is one.
"What I notice in a fellow sociopath is the eyes," Kanika said. "The eyes are pretty soulless. If you see me get angry, you'll see my eyes become soulless.
"I personally had to teach myself how to blink more often because I was freaking people out."
The social media star explained that sociopaths it's difficult to beat a sociopath in a staring competition, as they typically have the 'ability to hold eye contact for as long as possible because we don't have the same stress response as other people.'
"So when you notice someone who is exceptionally calm, exceptionally good in stress, it's highly likely that they could be a sociopath," she added.
Despite all of this, Kanika said she wouldn't change her mental makeup for the world, as she likes that she can do things 'that other people would be scared to do' and doesn't 'worry about rejection, anxiety or abandonment'.
On the other side of the coin, having ASPD means that Kanika sees both romantic and platonic relationships a lot differently to others.
She explained that love is 'an act, not a feeling' in her book, saying: "I will appreciate someone's value in my life and I will decide to love them. I will do whatever's in their best interest because I see them as an extension of myself, and I would never want myself to be harmed. So if anyone with me is, you know, attacked or bullied or treated poorly by anybody, I will be there no matter what.
"If I've decided to be in a relationship with you, I will put you above all else and I will every single day love you as an action. I don't just do flowery words, like, I will go out and do the exact things that make that person happy.
"And I think it's a more effective way to love than empaths."
Topics: Mental Health, Lifestyle, News
Olivia Burke