

{"id":35948,"date":"2019-03-26T06:04:01","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T06:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=35948"},"modified":"2025-10-26T13:14:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:14:26","slug":"how-to-deal-with-a-sociopath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/how-to-deal-with-a-sociopath\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Deal with a Sociopath Who Is Also Your Spouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35950 size-full\" title=\"How to Deal with a Sociopath Who Is Also Your Spouse\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/How-to-Deal-with-a-Sociopath-Who-Is-Also-Your-Spouse.jpg\" alt=\"How to Deal with a Sociopath Who Is Also Your Spouse\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&rsquo;re wondering how to deal with a sociopath, we can assume that you have a very well-founded belief that your spouse is one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you do have doubts about this, they <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">probably are<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. More precisely, chances are that you knew this all along, but were tricked into second-guessing your instincts.<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Also Try:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/quizzes\/am-i-dating-a-sociopath-quiz\">Am I Dating a Sociopath Quiz<\/a><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/pre>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As this article will show you, sociopaths are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/recognize-and-handle-manipulation-in-relationships\/\">master manipulators<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will make you question your sanity, they will change your personality, and make you incapable of thinking straight. To deal with a sociopath, you first need to understand what&rsquo;s going on.<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/therapy\/masquerading-as-a-real-partner-signs-that-you-married-a-sociopath\/\">Signs That You Are Married to a Sociopath Husband<\/a><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MrMiss-Right\"><\/span>Mr.\/Miss Right<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both men and women can be sociopaths, both equally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/domestic-violence-and-abuse\/5-reasons-of-abuse-in-a-marriage\/\">abusive<\/a> and destructive. So, when you first meet the sociopath, you will think that the universe has just blessed you. You won&rsquo;t be able to believe how absolutely perfect the person is! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will say the right things, do the right things, and smile the right way&mdash;just plain flawless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But let&rsquo;s break the myth right away. They&rsquo;re not. In fact, they might be the furthest thing from perfect possible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What they truly are is a manipulator. The best of their kind. And what they also are is a person breathing and living in control over others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can read others like children&rsquo;s books, and they will always use this to gain control over them. Which is why they seem like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/relationship-tips-for-women\/\">perfect partner<\/a> for you &ndash; they need you under their spell, and they know exactly how to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/female-sociopaths\/\">Female Sociopath Checklist<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-the-reality-begins-to-twist\"><\/span>How the reality begins to twist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With every day, your world will begin to change once you are engaged to a sociopath. The moment they feel they have control over you, the honeymoon phase will disappear for good. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although you can expect Mr\/Miss Right to stop by occasionally, as they need you so that they can maintain control over you in every way, fairly soon after you have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/dos-and-donts-of-new-relationship\/\">started your relationship<\/a>, the sociopath will begin to show their inner ugliness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This might be a very nasty, insensitive, and often dangerous side of them. But you will believe that it&rsquo;s just a temporary weakness, just a slight character flaw. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will be certain that&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Mr.\/Miss Right is who they really are. But the reality is&mdash;they&rsquo;re not.&nbsp;Mr.\/Miss Right was a mask. Who<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/behavioral-and-brain-sciences\/article\/sociobiology-of-sociopathy-an-integrated-evolutionary-model\/A5F1DDC8F0D32E036B725FE7BFA761AF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">&nbsp;they really are<\/a>&nbsp;is this impulsive, manipulative, aggressive, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/quizzes\/signs-of-an-abusive-man-quiz\" target=\"_blank\">abusive person<\/a>. They will stay like that forever;<\/span> don&rsquo;t be fooled into thinking otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/\">Can Sociopaths Love<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your-new-life\"><\/span>Your new life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sooner than you think, you will find yourself in a highly abusive relationship. Sociopaths are no strangers to<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">verbal, emotional, physical, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/physical-intimacy\/\">sexual abuse<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After they have seduced you enough for you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/love\/fall-in-love\/\">fall in love<\/a>, they will slowly begin to use all the tools of manipulation there are. They will separate you from your friends and family. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will make you doubt your every thought. They will make you lose yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At one point in your life, you&rsquo;ll look at yourself and realize that all you do is bending over backward to please your sociopathic partner. <\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it is never good enough. You will follow the rules, even when they&rsquo;re not there. You will be constantly walking on eggshells. You will be alone, exhausted, and lost. You will not know how to leave when you finally get to the point of realizing that you need to.<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/divorce\/\">Divorcing a Sociopath<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-essentials-to-deal-with-a-sociopathic-spouse\"><\/span>5 essentials to deal with a sociopathic spouse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-32168 size-full\" title=\"Five essentials to deal with a sociopath spouse\" src=\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Defining-the-Traits-of-a-Sociopath-and-Discovering-How-to-Spot-One.jpg\" alt=\"Five essentials to deal with a sociopath spouse&nbsp;\" width=\"804\" height=\"350\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-Understand-what%E2%80%99s-going-on\"><\/span>1. Understand what&rsquo;s going on<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What we talked about is just marriage with a sociopath in a nutshell. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/recognize-and-handle-manipulation-in-relationships\/\">educate yourself on manipulation<\/a>, mind control, and abuse, as well as on sociopathy, and understand how this relates to your life. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Observe patterns and their effects on you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/\">Sociopath vs Psychopath<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-Re-establish-contact-with-your-friends-and-family\"><\/span>2. Re-establish contact with your friends and family<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isolation is one of the main tools of a sociopath to be able to control you better. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know it&rsquo;s easier said than done, but you should think of ways to slowly re-establish relationships with other people in your life.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/experts\/maggie-martinez\">Maggie Martinez<\/a>, LCSW, says<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This also means always having an escape plan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/\">Sociopath vs Narcissist<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-Get-rest\"><\/span>3. Get rest<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another means of control that the sociopath uses is keeping you exhausted and sleep-deprived. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is by making you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/parenting\/first-year-of-having-children\/\">take care of children<\/a> on your own, making you work like crazy, take care of the household, or keeping you up fighting with them, they use this as a weapon. Make sure you get rest anyway possible.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/dating-a-narcissistic-sociopath\/\">Dating a Narcissistic Sociopath<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-Get-professional-help\"><\/span>4. Get professional help<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If dealing with a sociopath is getting out of hand, you should really think of getting professional help from someone who understands sociopathy, is objective, and can help you get out &ndash;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/therapy\/the-role-of-psychotherapy-in-healthy-relationships\/\" target=\"_blank\">psychotherapists<\/a>, attorneys, social workers.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Maggie Martinez further adds,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This will help put your situation on the radar and have another person keeping an eye on it if anything were to happen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<pre><em><strong>Related Reading:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/\">Can a Sociopath Change<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-Get-out-of-there\"><\/span>5. Get out of there<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, the only way to survive <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marriage with a sociopath<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is to get out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A lot of people think they can change a sociopath but this is not the case.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>says Maggie Martinez<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It might be one of the hardest things you&rsquo;ll ever do, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/mental-health\/living-with-a-sociopath\/\">living with them<\/a>&nbsp;is far worse. Save your life and get out.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&rsquo;re wondering how to deal with a sociopath, we can assume that you have a very well-founded belief that your spouse is one. And if you do have doubts about this, they probably are. More precisely, chances are that you knew this all along, but were tricked into second-guessing your instincts. Also Try:&nbsp;Am I Dating a Sociopath Quiz&nbsp; As this article will show you, sociopaths are master manipulators. They will make you question your sanity, they will change your personality, and make you incapable of thinking straight. To deal with a sociopath, you first need to understand what&rsquo;s going <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1419,"featured_media":35950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[93],"tags":[2716],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35948"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113455,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35948\/revisions\/113455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}