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Over time, as I have been observing what has been going on in this country politically, I have become more and more concerned. What underlies my concern is that there is a growing trend of sociopathic behavior in our political system, most notably in right wing conservatism. It has been noted in psychological literature that a considerable number of politicians are sociopaths. As a psychologist, I am not inclined to diagnose any particular politician as a sociopath, but I can identify sociopathic behavior. And, in my opinion it is running rampant. This trend is destroying our political system, and if unchecked, will destroy our country. Though people have joked about politicians being sociopaths, it is no longer a joking matter. 

Let’s take a look at some sociopathic characteristics. I am not going to expound extensively on these as manifested in politicians as I believe any intelligent person will be able to connect the dots and make the applications. Further on in this post I will put these characteristics together in a composite picture.

Glibness and Superficial Charm: Glibness refers to speaking in a familiar, easy, offhand manner, without much or any forethought or preparation. This is coupled with superficial charm expressed in such a way that these politicians appear very likeable though there is little substance or depth to them. In some strange way this makes them very appealing and convincing to a significant number of people. If you keep up with the news, you are likely aware of a number of politicians who are popular among many, but put their foot in their mouth by coming out with inaccurate statements that contradict facts and deny history. Likewise, there is little depth or substance to what they say. For them, their opinion is “truth” no matter what the facts in evidence may say. The problem is that they can get the unthinking to accept their opinion as truth.

Manipulative and Conning: Sociopaths are out to get their way no matter what. Though often charming on the surface, they have no concern for the rights of others. They see their self-serving behaviors as permissible and acceptable. However, under the veneer of charm, they are hostile and domineering and use others in whatever way they can to get what they want. They have no qualms about being outright deceitful. They will use their charm and glibnes to convince others that they represent what the country wants. And then, even when polls show otherwise, they ignore what the people want. This has been evident in a number of governors who were elected in the last elections as well as members of congress. People trusted them and then got slapped in the face.

Grandiose Sense of Self: Sociopaths think they are all important and have a tremendous sense of entitlement. They should be able to have whatever they want even while denying others what they need. As we see in the debt ceiling debate, the wealthy should get more and more of what they want while taking away healthcare, support, education, etc., from those who need it. The working class is beneath them and not worthy of any real consideration.

Pathological Lying: Sociopaths have no respect for the truth, if they even have any real sense of its value. Since they basically do not have a conscience, it is even possible for them to pass lie detector tests while lying. In fact it is almost impossible for a sociopath to be truthful on a consistent basis. We have seen this pathological lying from things such as the death panels to the current statements by the GOP that Americans will not tolerate tax increases though polls show 60-80% favor increasing taxes on the wealthy. Sociopaths have a tendency to believe what they want to believe, even if it’s a lie. Truth is an annoyance or worse so they ignore it.

Lack of Remorse, Shame, or Guilt: At their core, under the charming veneer, sociopaths harbor a deep seated rage. When they don’t get their way this manifests as aggression and hostility. They don’t see those around them as people but as objects to be used, even if it means making victims of them. They don’t have friends; they have accomplices and even these are typically used to gain their own ends. For them the end justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way. There is no guilt or remorse for whatever they do to get what they want, no matter what pain or suffering they inflict. Again I refer back to what I said about depriving others of basic needs to get what they want.

Shallow emotions: Sociopaths are incapable of deep emotion though often good at faking it. They can mimick warmth, joy, love, compassion, etc., very convincingly while not meaning any of what they are expressing. This often ties in with their manipulative and conning behaviors in the service of some ulterior motive. They can get caught up in minor and petty matters, even expressing disproportionate outrage, while remaining cold and unfeeling about matters that would deeply concern a normal person.

Incapacity for Love: This flows from the above. They can convincingly express how much they care and want to help, but their behavior in the long run reveals how ingenuous they are.

Need for Stimulation: This can be expressed in many ways, e.g., being oppositional, antagonizing others, creating problems that are unnecessary, verbal outbursts, etc. This frequently gets in the way of calm, sensible discussion in part because they are more poised to react rather than listen and understand.

Callousness/Lack of Empathy: The sociopath is so self-referential that they cannot put themselves in another’s place. Their life is about them and them alone. This allows them to inflict pain and suffering on others without being bothered. They often have contempt for people in distress and will often take advantage of them. Empathy is almost a dirty word. Perhaps you can remember the overwhelmin negative reaction when President Obama indicated he wanted empathy in a Supreme Court justice.

Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature: This comes from their believing that they are all-powerful and not bound by any rules or laws leaving them convinced that they can do whatever they want. They believe they are entitled to whatever wish or desire they have with no concern of haow this may affect others. They have no sense of personal boundaries. This behavior is also part of their inability to see the larger picture or consider the common good. And we often see how this gets expressed in a willingness to sacrifice the good of the country for their own self-centered interests.

I would now like to present my portrait of the sociopathic politician. The socipathic politician presents him or herself in a chummy way as someone who has the American public’s interests at heart. They may do this in charming or superficially engaging ways. They lure people into believing that this country is what they are concerned about. They attack their opponents with fabricated lies which they present as the truth. However, this a manipulation used to con the voter into voting for them. Once in office they tend to ignore what the majority of voters want. Moreover, their agenda represents what they want in their self-serving interests. They could care less about the common good or the good of the country. Likewise, in their rigid adherence to their point of view they show how little they know about the meaning of democracy and their lack of respect and even contempt for it if it gets in their way. They have contempt for those who do not agree with them. They lack the ability or wilingness to see things from the view of the ordinary person whom they see only as a tool to serve their own ends. They look down on those less fortunate than they are. With their sense of entitlement they will do whatever they want since they do not see rules, regulations, or laws applying to them. They act without serious reflection – which they are typically incapable of – and do not consider the real life, long term consequences of their decisions which tend to be simplistic. They don’t really care about the impact of their decisions on the common person because they are lacking in sensitivity or compassion and do not respect the rights of others. As charming as they can be, they can also be hostile and aggressive when they don’t get their own way. They care little about seeking fair solutions based on looking at the larger picture because fair solutions could get in the way of their selfish interests. They pursue these courses of action because they are lacking in conscience and have no capacity for shame or guilt. Underlying a lot of their behavior is their hunger for power which they show over and over again that they do not know how to use responsibly or productively.

There are a great number of politicians who fit this profile and a great many more who are afraid to stand up to them because they are intimidated and lack character.

I think these politicians need to be called out for what they are. They are not politicians in the true sense of the word. Neither are they ideologues as they are accused of being. They are self-serving, arrogant egotists who don’t give a damn about anything or anyone other than themselves. This perspective makes their behavior very understandable and blows away the smokescreens they keep putting in front of the public.

Of course the antidote to this is to elect more decent, mature, responsible, caring politicians who do have at heart this country and all the people in it (yes there are some of these around now but not nearly enough). We also need a more astute and less gullible electorate. Keep in mind the quote from George Bernard Shaw to the effect that “Democracy is a device by which people get no better government than they deserve.”

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