"The Psychopath Test" - on Jon Stewart's show...

[ProfessionalLeftist]

Ronson doesn't mention how many politicians are psychopaths - particularly Republicans and Teabaggars. Interesting about the corprat chiefs though - because THEY are who are really running the country - obviously:

"Ronson also provided some very startling statistics. Stewart said that most of us assume that the psychopath is solely "the guy who as bodies buried in his backyard," but the truth is, you might even work with a psychopath. Ronson stated, "One out of every 100 people walking around are psychopaths." Twenty-five percent of the prison population is psychopaths, as well as four percent of corporate chiefs."

MORE (+ video)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/jon-ronson_n_862984.html

[CrispyQ]

1. I must have been out of it last night,

cuz I thought he said 1 in 10 of the general pop, 20% of the prison pop & 40% of the CEO pop! I thought, "No wonder things are so fucked up if 40% of the CEO are psychopaths."

[ProfessionalLeftist]

3. you could be right...

...the damn media often gets numbers and dates wrong. They can't seem to proofread or verify anything before they post, publish, or broadcast. Need to look up what Robert Hare says the percentage of corprat psychopaths is....

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. The only thing that surprises me is that the corporate chief rate is so low. nt

[hifiguy]

4. I'd guess that 60% of the CEOs of

big - I mean REALLY BIG - businesses are pure psychopaths. No culture rewards psychopathic behavior half as well as that of Big Biz. It is to them what the savanna is to lions - perfect territory.

[adigal]

5. I heard on a radio show once, from a researcher,

that if they couldn't study psychopaths in prison, Wall Street was the next best place to do it, because there are so many there.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

6. I can believe that

If it wasn't obvious before it ought to be now!

[Swede]

7. That's a lot of psychopaths out there.

nt

[Kceres]

8. Read "The Psychopath Next Door", by Stout (I think).

[ProfessionalLeftist]

10. I have that book. It's a good one

But it's in another location at the moment, as is my "Snakes in Suits" by Robert Hare. That one is specifically about psychopaths in the workplace.

[themadstork]

15. Just read that last week.

Pretty interesting. She cites 4% of the population as being sociopathic, though.

I've been meaning to see how her views compare to those of her colleagues re the definition and frequency of sociopathy.

One of the main things I took away from that book is that sociopaths very rarely think there is anything wrong with them. Rather, they don't get why everyone else carries on with this pretense of "caring" and "empathy" and etc. when deep-down they know that everyone pretty much only cares about Numero Uno. Shame, a moral conscience, guilt, emotions rooted in deep love for the other: these are all simply not a part of their reality, and they generally see these traits as weaknesses or affectations. I think many of the hardcore rightwing libertarians demonstrate this disorder when they mock anyone with a more collectivist ideology as mushy thinkers devoted to "heart" and "good fuzzy feelings" while rejecting out of hand even the possibility of empathy.

[Matariki]

9. Psychopath - the definition

"A personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal."

By that definition I'd say that the majority of the Republican party is psychopathic. For real. The only problem with the definition is that "lack of empathy" is being normalized. Remember when they were actually criticizing the word and the concept of empathy?

[ProfessionalLeftist]

11. Maybe the definition of psychopath should be

Republican. Also: Tea Party. Reference: Ayn Rand. ;)

[themadstork]

16. Yes, a human or group of humans can be trained/institutionalized into behaving coldly

with the sociopath being someone who can't not behave that way.

I think in the business culture that many executives and higher-up managers are "socialized" into sociopathic behavior moreso than they are naturally that way. Anybody can shut their eyes to the suffering of others if those others are deemed not worthy of consideration as beings with interior lives, and business culture probably encourages ignoring those who get the socio-economic shaft.

[ellenfl]

12. kick eom

[felix_numinous]

13. K&R

I have to get this book--plus-- what an adorable guy Jon Ronson is, could have listened to him all day :)

[leftyladyfrommo]

14. The Sociopath Next Door

That's an interesting book. I think it said that 4% of the population are sociopaths.

I know I've run into some in the work world. Course I was in banking and mortgage banking where they seem to abound.

[eridani]

17. Do psychopaths run the world?

http://www.truthout.org/do-psychopaths-misrule-our-world/1305907377

checklist, a way to help identify potential psychopaths among us, was developed by Bob Hare, a prison psychologist who conducted remarkable experiments and eventually codified his findings. Jon Ronson has provides an excellent history and analysis in his new book, "The Psychopath Test".

Here's the basic list, a collection of tendencies and an analytical tool to spot those who might be functioning psychopaths. The last two items relate specifically to criminals, but you don't have to be caught to have "criminal versatility." Keep in mind that having mild tendencies doesn't make you a psychopath. But a high score – more than 30 on Hare's 40 point scale – should be a warning sign. Personally, I give Trump and Gingrich high marks:

1.Glibness, superficial charm
2.Grandiose sense of self-worth
3.Need for stimulation, proneness to boredom
4.Pathological lying
5.Conning, manipulative
6.Lack of remorse or guilt
7.Shallow affect
8.Callous, lack of empathy
9.Parasitic lifestyle
10.Poor behavioral control
11.Promiscuous sexual behavior
12.Early behavior problems
13.Lack of realistic long-term goals
14.Impulsivity
15.Irresponsibility
16.Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
17.Many short-term marital relationships
18.Juvenile delinquency
19.Revocation of conditional release
20.Criminal versatility

[RandomThoughts]

18. Note that delusions of Grandure

And Grandiose sense of self-worth, are different things.


All Jedi have there head in the clouds of delusions of grandeur, while feet on the ground of reality of everyone having same worth, and it not being about them, but from the flow of the light side of the force. Then the delusions of grandeur do not create breaking of empathy or thoughts of self importance.

(As stated by Han Solo when unfrozen and told that Luke is a Jedi Master.)

Anyone know where Jedi get there beer and travel money from? Haven't figured that part out yet.




Side note delusions of Grandeur are also a symptom of schizophrenia.