The Female Psychopath: A Master Escape Artist

The name Houdini is synonymous with escape… illusion… magic… tricks. Harry Houdini, a master escape artist and illusionist, defied gravity, life and death. His acts were each more daring than the next and his popularity soared in the early 1900s. Large audiences packed theaters to watch him make his way out of handcuffs while submerged in a sealed, three-foot-high metal milk can filled with water. Thousands crowded streets and gaped as he escaped a straitjacket while hung upside down with ropes slung from a skyscraper or crane.

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Female Psychopaths Escape Responsibility for What They Do

Female psychopaths are daring and they too are masters of escape – escaping responsibility for what they do and the devastation that they cause.

The female psychopath is notorious for pitting one person against the other, creating conflicts, fights, divisions, and feuds -- only to walk away after causing destruction and ruination. The victims are confused and often have no clue that they were targeted by a psychopath. The female psychopath leaves a trail of pain, shock, disbelief and despair behind them. People around them are bewildered and stunned, feeling hopeless as they try to unravel the mystery.

The Meaning Behind a Female Psychopath’s Smile

The female psychopath’s smile is an illusion. She is probably not smiling at you like you think she is. She is instead plotting how she is going to use you. How exactly will you fit into her plans? She has tricks up her sleeves that no one sees. She is the great magician camouflaging her act. When she finishes trampling your life, she casually moves on to her next prey. You feel destroyed. She feels nothing.

Giving Female Psychopaths a “Pass”

Female psychopaths often evade responsibility and escape because we make excuses for them. We are prone to blame ourselves, or we accuse others when the psychopath causes damage. Female psychopaths are frequently given the benefit of the doubt. After all, we rationalize that “she’s not really a bad person.”

I witnessed the unique loyalty that some others gave to two psychopathic females in my life. Both were expert manipulators who exploited many people by kindling false friendships, so they could gain cover when pursuing a target. These “friends” would often swear by them, feel sorry for them, go to bat for them, defend them and even revere them. This “friends” network insulated and protected them from attack, often by saying, “She wouldn’t do that.” If challenged, they will defend the female psychopath and turn on you, questioning, “What kind of a person are you?”

Tricks of the Female Psychopath

The female psychopath has many tricks. She will target you depending on her needs. She can appear helpless, looking for sympathy while she bleeds you. This is Karpman's passive parasite.¹ Or, she can try to act big, portraying herself as a larger than life heroine who is here to help you while she fleeces you. This is Karpman's aggressive predator. The female psychopath weaves a web of intrigue and mystery, escaping from one situation to the next … making Houdini’s act look like mere child’s play!

Let me emphasize the endless pain and suffering that the female psychopath can bring. She can captivate and charm – that is her allure. She may appear larger than life – that is her illusion. She will turn on you in a minute and keeps others on the sidelines to protect her. Don’t be fooled by the acts displayed like the magician. They are distractions meant to trick you. This is the magic of the female psychopath!

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^{1. Benjamin Karpman, a prominent psychiatrist and researcher from the early– to mid–1900s, developed the concept of the aggressive – predatory psychopath and the passive – parasitic psychopath based on his clinical research. They are two distinct types of psychopaths who can be distinguished by behavioral characteristics. They can both be lethal.}