Neuroscientist warns about the GOP and the 'contagious sociopaths' who live among us

[Nevilledog]

https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/sociopaths-live-among-us-and-its-contagious/

No paywall
https://archive.li/ryMm0

Sociopaths, a term often used to describe those living with antisocial personality disorder, operate within their daily lives without a “conscience,” can be characterized as acting without feelings of guilt, remorse, or shame coupled with a tendency to reject the concept of responsibility.

Antisocial people will intentionally make others angry or upset and use harsh and cruel indifference as they manipulate or attack others.

Clinically speaking, there is no defined difference between a sociopath and a psychopath although some have drawn this line at acting with low moral conscience (sociopath) and no moral conscience (psychopath) or having no regard for someone else’s rights or feelings (sociopath) and taking pleasure in robbing another of their rights, freedom, or well-being (psychopath).

My colleagues and I have discussed psychopathy in the previous president elsewhere as an example. Recognizing these nuanced differences exist, I will use the term sociopath and sociopathy here for brevity’s sake.

*snip*

[calimary]

1. Either label seems to work when the subject is "Individual 1".

[keep_left]

2. It's been my belief for some time that our social systems (e.g. business schools, workplaces)...

...are selecting for disordered personalities and even psychopaths. This seems to be particularly true when it comes to our "leaders". The problem also seems to be worsening: GHW Bush follows Reagan and Nixon, who then gives way to GW Bush and subsequently Trump. At least some blame can be laid at the feet of those who did not sufficiently prosecute and punish the very serious scandals and crimes that occurred under all those regimes.

Now also consider that much of this behavior is increasingly widespread, writ large across the entire American culture.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=17838100

[Midnight Writer]

4. I think so, too.

[OMGWTF]

17. 100%

When Jack Smith is finished with Trump, he should turn his attention to the Bush Crime Family, 9/11, and the unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from which Cheney The Dick made $39.5 Billion.

[Model35mech]

3. Down in the article author says SCOTUS suffers from Contagious sociopathy

In another high-profile example, the United States Supreme Court was constitutionally designed as a third arm of our democratic republic that was supposed to serve independently from the other Branches in an apolitical manner…now its majority is infested with contagious sociopathy. In just the last year (and weeks), they sociopathically overturned Roe v. Wade and severely undercut women’s healthcare rights, ruled in favor of discrimination, and ruled against students struggling under the mountain of student debt…all while facing accusations of improper gifts, hypocrisy, and politicization…in other words, with contagious sociopathy.

[Kid Berwyn]

5. "Courtesy is Contagious" my old gym teacher used to say.

Seems Fascism spreads by a similar process.

[Andy Canuck]

6. The difference

between a sociopath and a psychopath is the sociopath needs people to believe them and follow them (Trump, Jim Jones, etc.) and psychopath doesn’t care about other people at all (Bundy, Gacey etc.) just their own thoughts and desires.

[erronis]

7. Thank you. That is clear and makes sense. No need for dancing around these distinctions.

[alittlelark]

8. Wetiko is contagious

[Wounded Bear]

9. We've been normalizing sociopathic behaviors for a while now...

Not sure how we turn it around, but between the gun violence and the ratfucking in politics, among other generalized shit, quality of life in the good ole U S of A has been falling, and accelerating in the drop.

[barbtries]

10. i've definitely seen this change.

there is a marked lack of empathy and i don't believe it was always this bad. i blame republicans and their media

i hate republicans

[Delphinus]

12. Agreed.

There was something I read just this morning that talked about the decline of empathy.

[wnylib]

14. I attribute some of the acceptance of

Last edited Mon Jul 10, 2023, 05:32 PM - Edit history (1)

sociopathic behavior to "reality" TV, which, in reality, is far from it. I'm thinking especially of programs like Survivor, and other ones that glorify pitting people ruthlessly against each other. The popularity of the programs also popularizes the behavior.

[barbtries]

15. i think you have a point.

i don't watch these shows. never did, but i have watched other like design and cooking competition shows. I watched the first season or 2 of the Sopranos but after that I didn't because it rubbed me the wrong way that the protagonist was a murderer, and never looked ab Breaking Bad for the same reason.

Honesty and empathy have really been discounted in society. look at trump FFS

[wnylib]

21. I have not watched those shows on

a regular basis, but have seen them occasionally when visiting with friends or relatives who wanted to watch them.

I have compared the "reality shows" and the Jerry Springer type shows, where families air their issues in public and fight about them on national TV, to the ancient gladiator fights in the Roman Colluseum. They set people up for public fighting and psychological bloodbaths as entertainment.

[NowISeetheLight]

11. Definition

Sounds a lot like our last President...

Sociopaths, a term often used to describe those living with antisocial personality disorder, operate within their daily lives without a “conscience,” can be characterized as acting without feelings of guilt, remorse, or shame coupled with a tendency to reject the concept of responsibility.

[Kali]

13. oops

Last edited Mon Jul 10, 2023, 09:23 PM - Edit history (1)

clearly replied to wrong OP

[pandr32]

16. Psychopaths may be predisposed by genes

There does seem to have hereditary aspect. Sociopaths, on the other hand, are made.

[yardwork]

18. Marking to read later.

[wnylib]

19. Is anyone else wondering about

the article's use of a made up term like "contagious sociopathy?" Sociopathy is a defined personality disorder. It is not contagious in the sense that someone else can "catch it" like the flu.

It's true that a sociopathic leader can promote sociopathic behavior, normalize it, and popularize it in society. A society that values and promotes that behavior can influence people's tolerance and imitation of it, creating a mob mentality. But using the term "contagious" with a professionally recognized disorder is misleading, creating the impression that there is such a recognized disorder.

I am not in the mental health field, but I have learned a little about personality disorders from psych classes. Some of the defining behavioral traits of sociopathy/psychopathy exist in everyone. There are degrees of the number and intensity of the traits, like a spectrum, for a genuine diagnosis of it. Some of the traits do show up more often among CEOs, politicians, and other leaders, but are not usually extensive enough in them to fit a mental health diagnosis. Of course, there are also some who would fit it if examined for it.

So, instead of a "contagion" of sociopathy spreading through society, it looks like what is happening is that some genuine sociopaths in politics are normalizing their behavior by manipulatively bringing out the worst in people. They are not turning people into sociopaths as if they had been bitten by a vampire. Instead, sociopathic leaders like Trump are adept at tapping into some similar traits that most people have and amplifying them with social acceptability.

[Caliman73]

20. I would add to the distinction...

Though I am no clinician (yet), there has been discussion regarding the ability of sociopaths v. psychopaths in their ability to regulate their emotions, impulsiveness, and gratification.

From discussions I have seen and been involved in, psychopaths are usually a bit more put together and can delay gratification to the extent that they can hide criminality a bit better. The reason why people like Bundy and Dennis Rader were able to get away with their crimes longer is that they planned and plotted, and hid their crimes better than more impulsive spree killers.

Trump, I would put in the sociopath category. He has limited ability to regulate his emotions. He is impulsive. If he were not born into a wealthy family, given the same behavioral proclivities, he would definitely have ended up in prison by now, or dead as a result of some petty crime.

[Hekate]

22. KnR

[nolabear]

23. Interesting. I wonder if it's in part a matter of containment.

You have to follow rules in law school, in the Navy, as a lower court Justice, and there are real consequences that can ruin your goals and self determination if you don’t. Once you become the rule maker with no real authority to answer to, tendencies long subsumed can come forth and wreak havoc. “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely” may not apply to everyone but it certainly does to some. How we came to sanction any position like that is a puzzle.

[elocs]

24. The Trump cult crowd has always been here among us,

he just gave them permission to come out of hiding and be proud of their hatred and prejudice. Trump has rung a bell in the US that can never be un-rung and America will never be the same again. That's why it is more important than ever for the Left to get out and vote like it is their duty in every election, local state, and national.