WillGymForPizza. You are probably right.
I would look on the internet for definitions, or better, how to recognise a psychopath or a sociopath or someone with anti-social personalty disorder or a narcissist. The term Psychopath has disappeared from the diagnostic manual for mental disorders and debate goes on all the time about the distinction between psycho- or socio- path. But it does not matter much to us as lay people. What matters is the abuse they do. Keep that uppermost in your mind. You need to get very sharp at noticing the abuse, writing it down, noting the time and the context and who was targeted or involved. To sharpen up your discernment and recognition of abuse, look up everything you can under the headings of psychopath, sociopath, abuser, narcissist, bully.
There are lots of things on the internet to help understand what is psychopathic. You will be able to discern those which are well written.
I was watching this yesterday before I read your Post.:
Scott Lilienfeld: The Search for Successful Psychopathy
. It's quite academic so may be a bit boring - I did a fair bit of research so I kind of "do" this type of lecture.
This one is a more of a light- although that isn't really possible with this subject - approach to psychopathy. It's a long discussion but they come out with so many human truths from their experience. The accents are gorgeous! (I only have a rather dull kind of English accent). It's:
Psychopaths Explained, Thomas Sheridan, James Corbett, Jay Weidner
If you like something academic, I would watch YouTube:
Dr Katherine Horton Recognising Psychopaths
and look at the page about her:
stop007.org/home/about/
Use the internet to make yourself aware of what to look out for.
Psychopaths are cunning. They are con-artists. Usually charming. But their main ingredient is their lack of ability or desire to empathise, closely followed by not having a conscience. They can act as if they care, they can suck you in. They like to act the victim too. They enjoy the suffering of others. AND they are liars! OmG do they lie! They would rather lie than tell the truth even if the truth were better. Also you/I/we will never understand them because with a normal logical kind mind, we just cannot possibly understand what they are saying/thinking. We can't follow their twisted "logic". There has been research on the language they use, actually and it finds they come out with things that are illogical sometimes and hold to them without seeing the lack of logic. People have spent years analysing them! Mostly from the Prison population because they are a ready available group (captive audience?). However, as Scott Lilienfield above says, that means we haven't been looking at all of them - only those who broke the law and got caught! There are so many more who are not in prison whom he calls "successful psychopaths", like your Head Teacher. It's not at all a surprise it's the Head either. They always aim for the top. They like uniforms, places of drama, money, (the stock exchange) the Church - makes people easy for them to pick on. The list always quotes they are: CEO. Lawyer. Media(TV/Radio). Salesperson. Surgeon. Journalist. Police Officer. Clergy Person.
I have met many of different types. I was married to a Covert Narcissist (School Teacher) with psychopathic traits. It was impossible for me to understand what was going on and to try and be happy. That is a long story and could have led me to study my Psychology Degree and subsequent career.
I have of course read quite a lot! And studied and done research. It is a very absorbing subject but also too distressing a lot of the time.
If you are being tortured by someone who has the behaviours which come under the heading of psych/sociopath, you will become distressed, depressed, anxious, and find yourself getting exhausted. In a school you will be going crazy trying to protect the children. In my first career I too was a Teacher and worked under a very Psychopathic female Head in a Primary School. I reported her to the Inspectorate. They sort-of got rid of her by pensioning her off several years early. Then they paid me to be an Inspector! Anyway, where ever they are, they will turn people against each other, have favourites, and do all kinds of manipulative things to upset the harmony in the staff room. You will not know who to trust, even the kindest people will have been manipulated. Remember too that people will be frightened. It will be best to say little but listen a lot. You are unlikely to unseat the Head, these people are too cunning and will have people supporting them. Start looking for your next job. Meanwhile, catalogue the abuses you see, hear about and come across. It's what she does that will trip her up. You only need to have a name for the behaviour in order to look it up and get information so you are well informed. Don't try to do your own labelling, or worse, diagnosing. It's ok to say that a behaviour was a typically psychopathic type of behaviour.
I really hope you will be safe, Willgym, and that this person soon leaves this school and works where she cannot hurt children. By hurt I include distress them or upset their progress. Bad experience in early years can prevent a child from ever reaching their full potential.
Good luck. Protect yourself. There are more good people out there than bad, but they do get confused by these horrible people. Lots of love.