The June, 2016 issue of Discover Magazine contained a very interesting article titled, “Into the Mind of a Psychopath.” (“Fifty years ago, his chilling experiences as a prison psychologist led Robert Hare on a lifelong quest to understand one of humanity’s most fascinating — and dangerous — disorders.”).
The word (“psychopath”) has become a synonym for a certain type of evil, denoting a specific breed of cunning, bloodthirsty predator who lacks empathy, remorse and impulse control, readily violating social rules and exploiting others to get what he or she wants.
Among all those who campaigned this year, for President of the United States, which one(s) do you believe best fit that description? Any? Some? All?
Psychopaths are capable of the most heinous crimes, yet they’re often so charming and manipulative that they can hide behind a well-cultivated mask of normalcy for years and perhaps their entire lives. Only the ones who get caught become household names, such as Ted Bundy, “Killer Clown” John Wayne Gacy and “Ken and Barbie Killers” Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.
Research suggests 1 in 100 people are psychopaths who tend to blend in, like cold-blooded chameleons. We know psychopaths make up 15 to 20 percent of the prison population, at least 70 percent of repeat violent offenders and the significant majority of serial killers and sex offenders.
Any Presidential wannabes come to mind, yet?
We know so much about psychopaths because of The Hare — officially the Psychopathy Check List-Revised (PCL-R) — the test that Hare developed for researchers in 1980 and released publicly in 1991.
It’s now the gold standard used by researchers, forensic clinicians and the justice system to identify the hallmark traits and behaviors that make psychopaths chillingly unique.
Many are violent criminals, but even repeat offenders tend to do only short prison stints, or they are released from psychiatric hospitals because they are diagnostically sane, displaying “a perfect mask of genuine sanity, a flawless surface indicative in every respect of robust mental health.”
“My view is that psychopaths have the intellectual capacity to know the rules of society and the difference between right and wrong — and they choose which rules to follow or ignore,” says Hare. “They might even consider themselves more rational than other people. A psychopath I met in my research once told me that using his head instead of his heart gave him an advantage. He saw himself as ‘a cat in a world of mice.’ ”
Sound like any candidates so far?
The article continues in greater depth, but “The Hare,” the test for psychopathy, boils down to certain characteristics. Read them slowly, and as you do, try to imagine who you believe, among all the candidates, most displays them:
The clinician scores each item with 0 (no presence), 1 (uncertain) or 2 (definitely present). Psychopaths score 30 to 40 points. The general population typically scores less than 5.
- glibness
- superficial charm
- grandiose sense of self-worth
- need for stimulation
- proneness to boredom
- pathological lying
- conning/manipulation
- lack of remorse
- lack of guilt
- Shallow emotions (emotions felt in shallow and fleeting ways)
- callousness
- lack of empathy
- parasitic lifestyle
- promiscuous sexual behavior
- early behavior problems
- lack of realistic, long-term goals
- impulsivity
- failure to accept responsibility
- many short-term marital relationships
- juvenile delinquency and criminal versatility.
I don’t know about you, but for me, one candidate stands out, encompassing almost all of the signs.
Think about it.
I suppose most politicians have some measure of the psychopath in them. The lying and manipulation alone are qualifications. But, some are more psychopathic than others, and I suggest that this year, one is an extreme case — an extreme psychopath.
What do you think?
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
•Liberals think the purpose of government is to protect the poor and powerless from the rich and powerful. Conservatives think the purpose of government is to protect the rich and powerful from the poor and powerless.
•The single most important problem in economics is the Gap between rich and the rest..
•Austerity is the government’s method for widening the Gap between rich and poor.
•Until the 99% understand the need for federal deficits, the upper 1% will rule.
•Everything in economics devolves to motive, and the motive is the Gap between the rich and the rest..
MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY
#Monetary Sovereignty - Mitchell 