![willing victim sociolath willing victim sociolath](https://www.wmhi.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Psychological-Self-Defence.jpg)
![willing victim sociolath willing victim sociolath](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/jumpstartpure/image?url=https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/1125866826/700c90a9-4996-4518-9105-1dc355f1b929/e7734d73-521f-4cdc-97d7-898ba781f0a8/1280x720/match/image.jpg)
This is not to say that people who court are automatically sociopaths (far from it), but it is to say that what might otherwise be a warning sign gets glossed over as normative in some cases. Perhaps most importantly, sociopathic traits are actually encouraged in certain courtship circles.
![willing victim sociolath willing victim sociolath](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59baef0259cc6842d2987503/1549553329738-9XONRMU42TE677TI2P8T/sociopath.jpg)
Sociopathic and certain other aberrant behavior is relatively easy to mask in such situations, and in structured environments where there is an obviously-expected answer, it’s harder to spot falseness. There are times, however, when the “courtship” model, and hierarchy in general, actually contribute to the thing it’s trying to prevent - becoming entangled with unfit life partners. This is assuming, of course, that our family and friends are wise, and kind, and have no agenda of their own. We would do well to pay attention to what our families and friends think of this person or that person, particularly if they’ve spent quite a bit of time with him or her. The idea behind it is that by involving family or friends in a blossoming romantic relationship, we can protect naïve individuals from becoming entangled with men or women who would hurt them, or who are in some way unfit life partners. Cultural study is something I’m sort of supposed to specialize in.īut subcultures are typically more fascinating than the mainstream, and one that hits close to home is the courtship culture. Now, hierarchy exists in many forms, and in many cultures, and it’s something that we actually reduce to points on a scale sometimes - we cite Geert Hofstede, for example, to describe the difference in “ power distance” between a typical man and woman in the Netherlands, as opposed to a typical man and woman in the United Arab Emirates. For a long time now, I’ve been reading personal stories of people who have been hurt by hierarchical relationships and the cultures that surround them.