I actually first heard this when I was taking a psychology class, in a local community college, a while back. Politicians often rank high on the sociopathic scale, perhaps more so than any other group.
Anyways, it was in a text book I no longer have. So giving a cite would be a little hard. But actually, I don’t think I need a cite. Just one example: Governor John Engler of Michigan. Governor Engler was governor of Michigan in the 90’s. And he is famous for creating merciless cuts in funding to the mentally ill and the poor. I don’t exaggerate in the least, when I say people are homeless to this day, because of him.
He also famously closed LaFayette Clinic, a mental hospital renowned for its research. I think even his supporters were shocked by this. But he always seemed indifferent to it all, I noticed.
I also should say, in the support of these kinds of politicians, that there may be a benefit to scoring high on the sociopath scale, if you’re a politician. You typically are more able to make the tough decisions. I forget where I read that (possibly in the same text book). But I guess it’s true.
Engler was just one example, of course. I’m sure I (and you, the reader) have countless other examples.
Well: Is it true? Do politicians score high on the sociopath scale? And is it always a bad thing?
I think it’s generally accepted in psychology that psychopathy is overrepresented in the business world, especially as one climbs up the corporate hierarchy. I’m less familiar with studies on politicians, but it’s not exactly a stretch.
People get a little carried away with the idea though. Yes, psychopaths can do a lot of damage, but they’re not hiding around every corner. I think the numbers are like 1% of the general population, something like 3-5% in the corporate world.
One can argue there’s a bigger problem, which is a lot of our institutions reward psychopathic behavior, even if the people carrying them out are normal.
I don’t know about sociopathy, but definitely narcissism. Anyone running for president has looked at themselves in a mirror and said “Out of the 300 million people in this country I am the best one to run this place”.
I suspect that few actually believe that about themselves, but I think many believe that with the right staff and the right message they can talk the public into thinking they are the best for the job.
However, as far as sociopaths go, being a successful politician involves telling a lot of lies, and it also involves a lot of acting. I think in the real world most politicians are just like your average joe in terms of their emotional stability, their intelligence, and their beliefs. What sets them apart is their ability to act like they are more stable, smarter, and have beliefs that are all comfortably in the mainstream. When in reality it’s their staff that coaches them and turns them into a product to be sold to the masses.
Because I believe politicians are really just like us and pretending to be something they aren’t, it’s part of why I’m so cynical about politics yet also so hopeful. These aren’t evil men and women. They just respond to the incentives of the system. We can change those incentives by showing more support for the mavericky types who just say what they believe. Heck, one of those guys even made it all the way to the Vice Presidency! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a President who was like Jim Carrey in Liar Liar? We have the chance to elect that very man!
[QUOTE= Dr. Stout Author of The Sociopath next door]
Yes, politicians are more likely than people in the general population to be sociopaths. I think you would find no expert in the field of sociopathy/psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder who would dispute this… That a small minority of human beings literally have no conscience was and is a bitter pill for our society to swallow – but it does explain a great many things, shamelessly deceitful political behavior being one.
[/QUOTE]
If you look at the definition here , then politicians are likely to be high on the psychopath scale, but not so much on the sociopath scale (even though there are several traits they have in common), especially the being able to feign empathy and act charmingly bits.
Don’t remember where, but I read somewhere that in UK politics, Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson are the current poster children for psychopathy.
As a youngster I used to work for a former local politician in the UK. I worked with him quite closely for a couple of years so was able to get some idea of the man. Well this local politician(who was also corrupt) was one of the most impressive individuals I have ever come across. He was living on a different plain to most of us. The fact that this man was only a local politician made me wonder about those on the national level. I do think these people have a drive within them that is remarkable, but not unique. This drive can be viewed as good and bad; something to admire but also to be extremely wary of.
No offense, but that is not so much a cite as a restatement of the assertion by someone else. And the article indicates that no one has done any kind of rigorous testing of politicians to compare them to the average
If you do a google of the top ten professions that attract the most sociopaths, and the top ten professions that attract the least, according to a book that is out, I think quite a few of those won’t surprise you. Can’t vouch for it, so can’t say either way.
They listed CEO as number one, followed by lawyer, then media, salesperson, then surgeon for the first five. I don’t believe politicians were on the list, at least not this one, but perhaps if one is in the media a lot, it might rank him higher. The least likely profession in the top five were listed as care aid, nurse, therapist, craftsperson, beautician/stylist.
Recently just read the sociopath next door by Stout, and feel like I learned quite a bit that I’d like to share if I can get some time soon, but will probably do it IMHO.
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