It's no secret that politicians can be driven by outsized egos. I mean, who among us really thinks he or she deserves a seat in Congress -- or a desk in the Oval Office?
But can egotism alone explain why so many elected officials seem to get caught telling lies, having affairs, committing financial improprieties or engaging in other scandalous behavior? Not everyone is convinced that it can, and some in the blogosphere have gone so far as to wonder if bad-boy (and bad girl) politicians are actually psychopaths. And a recent article in The Atlantic asks of these pundits:
Could they be right? If these pundits mean that the targeted office-seekers are evil or "crazy," probably not. But if they are pointing out that politicians and psychopaths share certain characteristics, they could be on to something.Just what does it mean to be a psychopath? Turns out psychopathy isn't a formal psychiatric diagnosis but a term first popularized by Medical College of Georgia psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley in his 1941 classic The Mask Of Sanity. Psychopaths seem superficially normal but tend to be cold-hearted, lacking in empathy, egocentric, manipulative, irresponsible, and antisocial. Or, as a 2007 Scientific American article put it:
Superficially charming, psychopaths tend to make a good first impression on others and often strike observers as remarkably normal. Yet they are self-centered, dishonest and undependable, and at times they engage in irresponsible behavior for no apparent reason other than the sheer fun of it... Psychopaths routinely offer excuses for their reckless and often outrageous actions, placing blame on others instead.Hmm. That description could probably describe more than a few politicians -- though you and I might not agree on whom to nominate for psychopath status. But before indulging in any armchair analysis, I reached out to Dr. Martha Stout. A clinical psychologist who was long affiliated with Harvard Medical School, she's the author of The Sociopath Next Door and other popular books on emotional disorders (including a forthcoming text that explores the link between emotional disorders and politics). By the way, Dr. Stout tends to use the term sociopath instead of psychopath, explaining to me that the terms are often used interchangeably by mental health professionals.
Yes, politicians are more likely than people in the general population to be sociopaths. I think you would find no expert in the field of sociopathy/psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder who would dispute this... That a small minority of human beings literally have no conscience was and is a bitter pill for our society to swallow -- but it does explain a great many things, shamelessly deceitful political behavior being one.
At one time, she continued, the terms psychopath and sociopath conjured up image of mass murderers and serial killers. "As it turns out, the majority of sociopaths/psychopaths never kill anyone with their own hands, nor do they end up in prison," she said. "A smart sociopath can avoid prison and find other, less conspicuous ways to satisfy his or her lust for dominating and controlling others, and what better way than through politics and big business?"
Which politicians deserve to be labeled sociopaths? Dr. Stout was reluctant to name names of living politicos, saying it would be unethical to do so. But she told me in the email, "I think most experts would agree that Hitler, Pol Pot, Nicolae Ceausescu and the like were sociopaths. But a leader certainly does not have to be an infamous dictator to be sociopathic." In fact, she said, sociopaths often are extremely charismatic. They may not feel "higher emotions" like love and guilt, they may not have actual consciences, but they study those of us who do -- and simply pretend.
Some have hypothesized that there are times when we want our leaders to be cold and calculating and even deceitful -- for example, in times of crisis or when our national security is at stake. But for the most part, it would seem to me a very bad thing when we elect men and women who feel they can say anything and do anything and damn the consequences.
What's a concerned citizen to do? Dr. Stout offered a not-so-modest proposal: along with releasing their tax returns and medical records (and, sometimes, birth certificates), maybe political candidates should be asked to prove their psychological fitness before their names go on the ballot. Though psychopaths can apparently fool even skilled psychiatrists into thinking they're normal, Dr. Stout maintains that standardized psychological tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (and someday maybe brain scans) might be able to tip voters off to candidates who exhibit worrisome personality traits.
"I'm not sure that we will do this," she said of psychological testing of politicians. "But given the stakes, it might be a decent idea."
If psychological testing really could distinguish great leaders from destructive creeps, it's an idea that gets my vote. What do you think? If you'd like to join the discussion, please leave me a comment.
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Monica A. Coleman: Jesse Jackson Jr., Mental Health and Life Choices
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15850/1/Characteristics-of-a-Sociopath.html
The characteristics and explanations provide a pretty good checklist. I'm not too worried if a candidate displays one or two charactistics, but when a candidate displays the majority, there is no way I would vote for the person.
Given the ability to find and research all that is out on the Internet, I find it difficult to use "the ignorant voter" as a viable excuse for not being informed.
Here are some sites to help:
http://www.govtrack.us/
http://www.politifact.com/subjects/pundits/
http://votesmart.org/
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
Why are the people -who suffer this horrible genetic/psycho/social pathology in government, in the media, in education, in corporate board rooms.. on the pulpit?
It is clear to me they should not be there, but they are!
Should they be screened out of these important social positions?
I think there are two main problems humanity has not faced up to.
Limiting the rights of people with specific genetic pathologies.
And teaching the public about this problem... which in effect will identify anti-social personality disorders as undesirables...
I believe the Psychological, and Sociological Communities, are confused themselves, and are failing in bringing this major problem to the congress for legislation help.
All powers and authorities of government come from the collective conscience of the governed, the people. When in the jury, the congress, the senate, the supreme court, when voting you must vote your conscience otherwise our Constitutional Federated Democratic Republic -limited and restricted by a bill of human rights- will fail.
The right to life, the right to our own conscience, and the right to free speech, are primary and fundamental to the functioning of society.
But what about pathological conscience and the resulting pathological influence, and pathological speech and the damage it does to our society and human civilization.
I am not surprised that unconscionable people see conscience as an attack on their freedom and liberty.
I believe American Style Capitalism, and GOP neoCon agenda and zionist agenda is heavily influenced by sociopathic tactics and agenda.
I also see American international politics, and especially American International Nuclear Politics, reeking of unconscionable tactics and agenda.
That is why I say, We are living in America's Hideous Epoch, The Rise of the Sociopaths.
no amount of socialization -normal growing up-, therapy or medicine will help them form a fully functional social conscience... their genes fail to wire the brain for a conscience.
According to the latest psychiatric diagnostic manual these people are genetically determined to be sociopaths, suffering "anti-social personality disorder"
It is a genetic disease, that causes a physiological miss wiring in the brain, with very negative effects in all social relationships in which the sociopath participates.
in short, it is a genetic/psycho/social disease with no cure.
the defect effects the psyche of the person -no social conscience-
so the problem is in the genes, manifests in the brain, creating huge social disturbances..
I make a differentiation between sociopath, and psychopath.
The psychopath is a far worse and dangerous condition.
The sociopath is not as severe disturbance.
When I talk about sociopaths, or natural born sociopaths I am not talking about psychopaths.
I offer this operational definition of "sociopath", one who often uses unconscionable tactics to accomplish unconscionable agenda.
there are two broad catagories... natural born genetic/psycho/social pathology.
and a much milder, acquired sociopathy.. the person has the wiring for a conscience and in fact has one, but their are "holes" in their conscience due to a failure in their personal socialization process.. they are not yet fully socialized... treatment can fill the holes.. a longer socialization process can eventually fill the holes.
It is the natural born sociopath that I focus on..
It is my opinion that natural born sociopaths need to be kept out of government, and out of international politics, especially international nuclear politics.
At the present time, our US Government, and the Israeli Government show no interest nor do they have the means to keep natural born sociopaths out of government.
Limit the rights? of natural born sociopaths, I say we must!
So an American runs for political office.... where in that process does NBS detection keep him out of office. There is none.
Identification of the NBS is a developing technology.. a Functional MRI Brain Scan is one way to make a positive ID, highly skilled interview and testing ay miss a few. A Genetic Test -it is a genetic pathology- still needs to be developed.
There is nothing at the present time to keep natural born sociopaths out of public office. The proof is to simply look into the GOP principals..
Where if ever was a natural born anti-social personality disorder disqualified for the senate or the house or VP or SupremeCourt or President?
it has never happened... maybe on a corruption or ethics violation -after the fact- but never for being a natural born sociopath.
Sit down with a good strong cup of something for your nerves and be prepared to read the whole thing; double checking to see that you really have it straight; that the authorities really did and said as reported.
Of course the South Africans are gutsy people: we could never go that far — could we? Not yet!
That is what the sociopaths try to make you believe.
They are trying to make you believe having no social conscience is superior, the promote each others sociopathy and are pushing to make it the new "ism" the desired cultural and national persona and philosophy aligned very closely Ayn Rand's philosophy of supreme selfishness and low social conscience and responsibility.
Now, a bit before I die, this issue seems to be ready for consideration. But it has never been hidden, only cleverly marginalized. I found after sixty years, there is only one way to beat "THEM". Time!
Or as Churchill said about his enemies, outlive them. They will eventually, like a pack of isolated rats, eat themselves. And I think "They have gone about as "furr" as they can go" (Will in Oklahoma).
Of course the downside is, the rest of us never got our promised "Golden Parachutes".
Have you considered *the Socrates - Protagoras "Sophist Debate", or *Niebuhr's "Cool Ones, or *Freud-Jung "Oceanic vs. Pragmatic Feelings", or *Emerson vs. Thoreau "Liberal Angst of Freedom vs. Fate", or more clinical, *Isabel Myers-Briggs data on JUDGING vs. PERCEPTION vs "Passion/Temper vs. Pragmatic", and most especially, one of my most honored humans, *John Deans "Conservatives Without a Conscience" with his friend, Prof. Altemeyer and book on "AUTHORITARIANS", specifically his "Bombshell", "The Night the Authoritarians Took Over the World"?
If you are interested, please email me at backpack@voyager.net, but I am not a "Six Degree" Social Animal. Only available on the "lookinglass" or at lookingglassstudio.net
Sincerely, The BackPacker