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James Silver

Are politicians psychopaths?

In his landmark book on psychopathy, The Mask of Sanity, researcher Hervey Cleckley theorized that some people with the core attributes of psychopathy — egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm — could be found in nearly every walk of life and at every level, including politics. Robert Hare, perhaps the leading expert on the disorder and the person who developed the most commonly used test for diagnosing psychopathy, has noted that psychopaths generally have a heightened need for power and prestige — exactly the type of urges that make politics an attractive calling.

There is more at work than just the drive to seek office, though; psychopaths may have some peculiar talents for it, as well. Research has shown that disorder may confer certain advantages that make psychopaths particularly suited to a life on the public stage and able to handle high-pressure situations: psychopaths score low on measures of stress reactivity, anxiety and depression, and high on measures of competitive achievement, positive impressions on first encounters, and fearlessness. Sound like the description of a successful politician and leader?

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Is this a trick question?

ElectricPhase on August 2, 2012 at 10:34 AM

Harry Reid.
Nancy Pelosi.
Barack Obama.
Need I go on?

nobar on August 2, 2012 at 10:35 AM

egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm

O_O

The last four years just got explained.

Bishop on August 2, 2012 at 10:35 AM

egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm

Obama 2012!

mankai on August 2, 2012 at 10:35 AM

Yes. Yes they are.

The Rogue Tomato on August 2, 2012 at 10:37 AM

Is water wet?

OldEnglish on August 2, 2012 at 10:39 AM

~~Harry Reid.~~
~~Nancy Pelosi.~~
Barack Obama.
Need I go on?

nobar on August 2, 2012 at 10:35 AM

Reid and Pelosi are just old fools, teetering upon the precipice of senility..

Obama is a dangerous psychopath with delusions of grandeur that should scare the living **** out of any red blooded American.

turfmann on August 2, 2012 at 10:40 AM

This is still a question?

I thought it was pretty common knowledge by now that politicians are narcissistic psychopaths.

ButterflyDragon on August 2, 2012 at 10:41 AM

egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm

mankai on August 2, 2012 at 10:35 AM

And these are their Good points..

ToddPA on August 2, 2012 at 10:41 AM

“There’s a Preezy in the White House, Dear Leader, Dear Leader, there’s a Preezy in the White House, Dear Leader a Preez.”

“Then fix it Dear Voter, Dear Voter, Dear Voter, then fix it Dear Voter, get rid of the sleaze!”

Difficultas_Est_Imperium on August 2, 2012 at 10:43 AM

Psychopathic liars certainly.

HotAirian on August 2, 2012 at 10:44 AM

If they’re doing it for power, then yes, of course.

beatcanvas on August 2, 2012 at 10:44 AM

Is there someone you don’t like that’s successful – why they must have a mental illness and that can be diagnosed from afar.
.
Just another attempt to expand a pseudoscience

LincolntheHun on August 2, 2012 at 10:44 AM

People who decide as early as their teen years that they are going to have a laser-like focus on a lifetime political career probably could at least do with some behavioral therapy.

jon1979 on August 2, 2012 at 10:45 AM

Politicians love to help people. They lie to them, make them feel hopeful, and then think they’ve “helped.”

RBMN on August 2, 2012 at 10:49 AM

I feel obligated to note that Ted Bundy was very interested in politics, serving as a worker on campaigns during his reign of terror in Washington state.

teke184 on August 2, 2012 at 10:53 AM

That is the most succinct description of democrat leadership I have seen.

tom daschle concerned on August 2, 2012 at 10:56 AM

This is what happens when you close the mental institutions. They all wind up in Washington DC.

vityas on August 2, 2012 at 10:56 AM

Yes, and that’s the best argument for limited government ever.

Seth Halpern on August 2, 2012 at 10:57 AM

I read an article about this a while back that had the premise that business leaders were psychopaths.

I thought politicians fit the description much better – especially top leftists like Silky Pony and Obama.

forest on August 2, 2012 at 11:03 AM

All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.

– Frank Herbert

The problem is more obvious in fully liberalized societies — where the leader is the person most ruthless in brainwashing and/or murdering anyone who might potentially oppose him.

But it’s still there in partially-liberalized societies. Anyone who’s willing to prostate himself to the insane circus of the political media today must be at least partially mad. Whenever anyone even CLOSE to normal tries to enter politics, they are at first attacked in a perfectly cold and calculating manner. But the second it looks like they’re gaining some sort of prominence, they’re pounced upon with what can only be described as a rabid fury.

By far the vast majority of Congressmen today belong in an institution. But not that one. While the media constantly declare these bizarre twisted freaks “approved” and “safe” for public consumption, and all the perfectly normal and successful Americans living next door to you as deranged or even mentally deficient.

logis on August 2, 2012 at 11:04 AM

Is there someone you don’t like that’s successful – why they must have a mental illness and that can be diagnosed from afar.
.
Just another attempt to expand a pseudoscience

LincolntheHun on August 2, 2012 at 10:44 AM

This is over the top, but I am definitely wary of defining pols I don’t like as “psychopaths.”

That said, there clearly is an attraction:

I feel obligated to note that Ted Bundy was very interested in politics, serving as a worker on campaigns during his reign of terror in Washington state.

teke184 on August 2, 2012 at 10:53 AM

I remember hearing this too.

Doomberg on August 2, 2012 at 11:06 AM

I thought politicians were more sociopaths than psychopaths but whatever, po-TA-to, po-tah-to. I think Clinton is a sociopath but Obama might be a psychopath.

Characteristics of a sociopath are as followed :

1. Sociopaths are very charming.
2. Sociopaths can be extremely manipulative and will try to con you whenever possible.
3. Sociopaths feel that they are entitled to everything.
4. Sociopaths will lie continuously to get what they want. They can even sometimes manipulate a lie detector.
5. Sociopaths have no remorse, shame or guilt.
6. Sociopaths will show love and happiness only when it serves their purpose. None of the feelings are genuine.
7. Sociopaths have no room for love in their life.
8. Sociopaths need to have excitement in their lives or live on the edge.
9. Sociopaths have lack of empathy hen their victims suffer pain that they have caused.
10. Sociopaths believe that they are all mightier than tho, there is no concern on how their behavior impacts others.
11. Sociopaths usually have a long history of juvenile delinquency as well as behavior problems.
12. Sociopaths will never take blame for anything they have done to anyone no matter if it is family or friend.
13. Sociopaths have many sexual partners and tend to act out many sexual acts.
14. Sociopaths rarely stay in one place for a long time (home/work).
15. Sociopaths will change themselves if they know it will keep them from being found out.

Characteristics of a psychopath are as followed:

1. Psychopaths use superficial charm to lure their victims.
2. Psychopaths are extremely self-centered.
3. Psychopaths must always do something to keep themselves from boredom.
4. Psychopaths are very deceptive and tend to lie continuously.
5. Psychopaths show no remorse of guilt towards their victims.
6. Psychopaths are very predatory and usually will live off other people.
7. Psychopaths have many sexual partners in their lifetime.
8. Psychopaths are very impulsive with their lifestyle.
9. Psychopaths are always blaming other people for their actions.
10. Psychopaths never have a realistic view of their lives. (king of the world or from another planet)
11. Psychopaths always want psychological gratification in sexual and criminal activities.
12. Psychopaths tend to try suicide, rarely succeeding.

Fallon on August 2, 2012 at 11:16 AM

I read an article about this a while back that had the premise that business leaders were psychopaths. I thought politicians fit the description much better – especially top leftists like Silky Pony and Obama.
forest on August 2, 2012 at 11:03 AM

Every businessman has to deal with a little something called “reality” every day of his life — and to succeed in busienss, he must does so successfully. That is the definition of sanity.

Politicians, like media figures, live in a completely subjective world. Their whole job is to cynically manipulate the emotions of other people — on a mass scale.

In the first case, it’s always possible there could be some skeletons hidden in the background.

But in the case of a career politician, one must strain credibility to imagine that he might secretly NOT be the consummate sociopath he’s spent every waking moment of his entire life desperately trying to emulate.

logis on August 2, 2012 at 11:24 AM

I feel obligated to note that Ted Bundy was very interested in politics, serving as a worker on campaigns during his reign of terror in Washington state.

teke184 on August 2, 2012 at 10:53 AM

Yep. And on the Dem side, “Killer Clown” John Wayne Gacy (shown with Rosiland Carter)

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on August 2, 2012 at 11:25 AM

I read an article about this a while back that had the premise that business leaders were psychopaths. I thought politicians fit the description much better – especially top leftists like Silky Pony and Obama.
forest on August 2, 2012 at 11:03 AM

That article – as far as it goes – may well be correct. It’s certainly conceivable that 1 in 25 businessmen might be crazy.

But I’d say it’s right around the opposite for career politicians. It’s likely that 1 in 25 of them AREN’T sociopaths.

logis on August 2, 2012 at 11:31 AM

Doomberg on August 2, 2012 at 11:06 AM

The moment psychology uses empirical methodology in diagnosing and a standard efficacy in treatment I’ll stop considering it one step up from shamanism.

LincolntheHun on August 2, 2012 at 11:33 AM

I believe there’s a certain narrow personality type that is driven and able to get elected to public office. It’s not psychopathic but sometimes overlaps it. The large majority of politicians-our “leaders”,left and right- are this personality type and don’t nearly resemble the public at large.

Bat Chain Puller on August 2, 2012 at 11:36 AM

Are politicians psychopaths?
Yes.

Exhibit A: Barry Obama

Exhibit B: Harry Reid

Exhibit C: Nancy Pelosi

AZCoyote on August 2, 2012 at 12:04 PM