Are politicians psychopaths? Turns out it's a pretty close call.

[DBT]

I don't know, psychopaths is a stretch, but looking at their performance in Parliament, their behaviour does appear juvenile.

I always thought that you guys had the sensible ones and that the American Congress was the world's greatest parliamentary joke.

Maybe the idea of 'sensible' is relative?

No, our mob in Parliament are generally seen as a [sad] joke. Of course there are individuals who are basically honest and try to the best of their ability to improve the lot of ordinary people.

 

[Frikki]

No.

They might show some traits associated with psychopaths but in all likelihood they do not qualify for a diagnosis. A full blown psychopath does not have the self control or fear for his own safety, to keep his nose clean enough that he can reach the higher echelons of corporate or government power.

Are you kidding? Whose keeping their nose clean? There's a scandal going on somewhere all the time. But politicians rarely get severely punished if they get punished at all. And then what? They go work for some lobbyist and make millions of dollars.

The same is true of industry or at least for banking. JPMorgan Chase has been convicted of laundering drug money and of fraud a number of times. Stockholders have to pay a fine, but criminal charges are never filed against the bank's executives, the ones who actually committed the crimes.

Psychopaths usually have such shitty self control that their rap sheets are miles long before they reach adult hood. These are not people that finish college and GO on to have carreers. What you guys are talking about is an actual diagnosis.

 

[laughing dog]

Am I heartened that boneyard bill and I agree that Ron Paul and Rand Paul are psychopaths.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Are you kidding? Whose keeping their nose clean? There's a scandal going on somewhere all the time. But politicians rarely get severely punished if they get punished at all. And then what? They go work for some lobbyist and make millions of dollars.

The same is true of industry or at least for banking. JPMorgan Chase has been convicted of laundering drug money and of fraud a number of times. Stockholders have to pay a fine, but criminal charges are never filed against the bank's executives, the ones who actually committed the crimes.

Psychopaths usually have such shitty self control that their rap sheets are miles long before they reach adult hood. These are not people that finish college and GO on to have carreers. What you guys are talking about is an actual diagnosis.

No, that's a sociopath.

How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath

In addition to their commonalities, sociopaths and psychopaths also have their own unique behavioral characteristics as well.

Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated. They are volatile and prone to emotional outbursts, including fits of rage. They are likely to be uneducated and live on the fringes of society, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place for very long. It is difficult but not impossible for sociopaths to form attachments with others. Many sociopaths are able to form an attachment to a particular individual or group, although they have no regard for society in general or its rules. In the eyes of others, sociopaths will appear to be very disturbed. Any crimes committed by a sociopath, including murder, will tend to be haphazard and spontaneous rather than planned.

Psychopaths, on the other hand, are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, although they often have disarming or even charming personalities. Psychopaths are very manipulative and can easily gain people’s trust. They learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to actually feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people. Psychopaths are often well educated and hold steady jobs. Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature. When committing crimes, psychopaths carefully plan out every detail in advance and often have contingency plans in place. Unlike their sociopathic counterparts, psychopathic criminals are cool, calm, and meticulous.

Most politicians, especially the war-mongers, are clearly psychopaths but not sociopaths.


Actually, several other articles indicate that this article may have reversed the terms. If so, whichever one of them is the one with self-control and the ability to form the appearance of relationships while remaining a cold-blooded monster on the inside, as opposed to the one that acts odd most of the time, is the one that best describes politicians. It should also be noted that "psychopath" doesn't mean "psychotic". If a psychopath commits a crime, he did so because he has no conscience. If a psychotic commits a crime, he might not be aware of what he did because his world isn't ours. Suppose it is murder. The psychopath might say "he annoyed me" or "he stood in the way of what I wanted". The psychotic would say "he was a reptilian in human disguise."

 

[doubtingt]

There are likely a higher % of psychopaths at the highest levels of corporations than in elected office, due to the greater amount of personal power and wealth to be gained and the institutional natures. Members of congress can do very little on their own, without collaboration with other members, and are constantly having to answer to lobbyists, constituents, and the media, often having to try and defend the ethics of their actions. This is not true of corporate CEOs who have much more centralized power and rarely answer to anyone or have to worry about ethics.

In addition, the nature of corporations promotes psychopathic behavior even among those not disposed to it. The combination of the secrecy of the decision and actions and the total disconnect from the people impacted by their decisions promotes conscienceless decision making. The only other people they need to worry about are the shareholders, who have zero concern for ethics and only care about profits, which is all the CEO themselves cares about since that directly benefits themselves. Politicians have to constantly consider the perspective of many segments of society who determine their re-election. They may not need to be honest and actually advance those people's interests, but they have to be aware enough about those people's concerns to know what lies to tell.