# Who are some famous psychopaths/sociopaths **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998 "2010-08-21T21:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/61 "2010-08-25T16:35:53Z")
[Started a thread here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12840263#post12840263) ---
**Author:** ![zion1886](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9fc348/32.png) [@zion1886](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zion1886)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/62 "2013-04-08T19:11:19Z")
The truth is that best sociopaths are the ones you never hear about. If you’re a sociopath, you want to make people believe you are some upstanding, moral person. The sociopaths who hit the news obviously weren’t able to convince the majority of people of that. The best sociopaths are going to be the people that everyone loves. They could be police officers, firefighters, pastors, priests, daycare workers, teachers or any job that would make it easier for them to convince others of their “goodness”. Politicians? Not likely. The majority of people think that all politicians are liars, cheats and egocentric \*\*\*holes. Not a very convincing cover. In other words, those people who seem like they never mess up, who are always likable, who can make even the worst things seem good, the ones who seem “perfect”: Those are the ones you should watch out for… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/63 "2013-04-08T20:48:45Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Perhaps Cleckley’s teacher didn’t classify Alcibiades as a psychopath because certain kinds of psychopathology were once considered to be beneficial in warriors, politicians, or leaders of men. > > In fact he seems to hint at a greater good in Alcibiades, ie: perhaps a civilization is not truly great until it can produce such supremely ungovernable men. I remember studying Athens and Alcibiades in college. I thought he was an opportunist with no conscience and no loyalty and no morals. Alexander I thought was manic-depressive as we called bi-polar at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/64 "2013-04-08T21:29:26Z")
This thread makes for sad reading. It’s gotta be tough being **pravnik** , doing all that great work explaining psychopathy in great detail, only to have more morons come into the thread saying “What about this person I don’t like? I think they’re a psychopath!” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/65 "2013-04-08T23:16:14Z")
It is rather interesting reading the responses on this topic. There seems to be a strong assumption that psychopaths/sociopaths are homicidal criminals and that’s the mental image most people have. However I’m with Zion1886 above - these people live among us and can have apparently successful lives. Thats what really interests me - there is a body of opinion which suggests company CEOs can be psychopaths. I have no idea myself - that view may be coloured by anti-business bias. The reason I came into this thread is to find out who in public life may fit the criteria. Tripolar above suggests Dick Cheney, Joseph McCarthy, George Armstrong Custer. Any rationale for them? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/66 "2013-04-09T01:06:18Z")
Cheney certainly seems to demonstrate the cold-blooded self-centeredness of the pathology. Definitely get the evil chill off that guy. The only important living political figure who feels truly evil to me, and complacently conscious of being so. Custer seems more like a narcissist; the John Edwards of the 19th century. Got no clue on McCarthy. I watched some of the tapes – didn’t come across as chillingly evil. Too pathetic for that. Big on the charmless, sweaty creepiness. Doesn’t fit the description but obviously something really wrong with him. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/67 "2013-04-09T11:30:25Z")
Coincidentally, at lunch time I bought Kevin Dutton’s _The Wisdom of Psychopaths_ for a mere $5, and have just started reading it. At [his website](http://www.wisdomofpsychopaths.com/) he has the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale for you test yourself if you are interested. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998/68 "2013-04-10T06:51:03Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Coincidentally, at lunch time I bought Kevin Dutton’s _The Wisdom of Psychopaths_ for a mere $5, and have just started reading it. At [his website](http://www.wisdomofpsychopaths.com/) he has the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale for you test yourself if you are interested. Comforting to know that I only scored a 10 out of 33. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-psychopaths-sociopaths/550998.md?page=3)