Are you afraid of being accused of a crime you didnt commit?

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I am afraid that one day I'll be accused of a crime I didn't commit. Why? Because in the eyes of many laypeople I fit the psychological profile of the stereotypical psychopathic loner.

Let's see: I don't have friends; I rarely talk; I am socially awkward; my body language is unconventional; I'm college-educated, which implies that I am not stupid and, given the image I portray, could mean that I'm potentially dangerous; and there are lots of people, including family members, who can testify to all this.

Right now, as I'm typing this, I'm picturing two cops in my mind, one telling the other that I am a textbook example of a sociopath, and the other one responding in a conceited manner: "yeah, big time." (The first cop has a black mustache. The second cop is wearing sunglasses.)

It could very well be that one day I'll be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and I'll be considered the prime suspect of a crime I didn't commit. Or it could very well be that one day I'll make a socially insensitive comment, either defiantly or unwittingly, and someone will ask the authorities to keep and eye out for me; and then, if one day if I accidentally commit a minor crime, one of those things that you'd never guess are considered unlawful let alone a crime, they'll use the knowledge of what I said against me.

I'm afraid of being accused of a crime I didn't commit. Are you?

I once had a detailed nightmare where I was in a courtroom, watching scenes of a murder, and then finally realized somewhere into the dream, that I was being found guilty for the murder. However, I could not remember any of the murder, and the details didn't make sense. But they were saying with such certainly I started wondering if I could have forgotten.

An interesting coincidence was very shortly after the dream a total stranger accused me of committing various (far lesser) crimes against them, but that person clearly had massive reality problems. It was still a bit of a mindf*** though, in general it is when people say with massive conviction that you're someone you're not or have done things you haven't.

dude... all that profiling stuff about loner, no friends, rarely talks, strange nonverbal gestures... they do use it against you >_< i was caught with a knife at school once and everyone thought i was trying to kill people cause i had no friends and i had never spoken to anyone all year ; ; i almost got expelled >_<wasnt even my knife... was borrowing my moms purse to carry money in on a day when i wore a skirt with no pockets and she forgot to take her pocket knife out of it, and some prick decided hed take it and go through it (stole my money) and ratted me out -.-

What you have described is not the profile of a stereotypical psychopath, unless you left out the part about torturing animals and setting fires...'ya know...stuff like that. Otherwise, I think you will be OK. And to make you feel even better...I also sometimes have paranoid thoughts about people plotting against me in certain ways, or trying to get me into trouble I do not deserve. I think it just boils down to trust issues.

I have sometimes felt that way myself that I would be arrested and dragged to the police station on some phony or trumped up charge because of some misunderstanding or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I am just wondering if part of the reason for this is due to past experiences of being treated unfairly by authority figures when there were past disputes with someone.

Lol, yes, this has always been a fear of mine. One story I saw on TV always chilled me to the bone-- an intruder had broken into a woman's home and killed someone, she ran to her neighbors. and in explaining what happened, she began laughing nervously. Because she laughed, and this seemed inappropriate given the goings-on, the neighbors suspected her, and told the police, who in turn suspected her because of the laugh. All the suspicions snowballed and instead of focusing on obvious evidence of intrusion, they zeroed in on her and she was convicted of the murder, though the conviction was later overturned.

That is completely the kind of thing I would do in a dramatic/ frightening situation-- laugh nervously or do something else socially wrong. And I know I always look tense and anxious, which could be interpreted as vestiges of a guilty conscience. I either smile too much or too little, and uneasy eye contact always makes people think something is amiss. How many times has Judge Judy yelled, "LOOK AT ME" while pointing at her eyes?

I used to be afraid of this happening because I was taken advantage of in my elementary school years and kids still tried to take advantage of me in my middle school years and high school years. That's why I wished I was ret*d because I thought they couldn't get in trouble for committing crimes but they do so I am glad I am not ret*d. I was also scared of being with people unless I trust them well because I was afraid I would get hurt.

I fear this sometimes.

I'm lucky to be a short, fat female. I don't fit the stereotype of the psychopath. If I were a tall male I would probably be a lot more worried. It's like every time they talk about an autistic person, they mention that he's big and therefore dangerous... or else surprisingly strong... people talk about feeling threatened by five year olds.

I'm more worried about having a public meltdown and getting stuck in the psych ward again. That can ruin your life... if people find out, you lose your apartment and your job and your enrollment at school or college... I know 'cause last time it happened, I did.