Here are the traits on the Hare Psychopathy checklist. Does anyone come to mind?

[struggle4progress]

Score each item 0 to 2: a score above 25 or 30 is diagnostic

pathological lying

glib and superficial charm

grandiose sense of self

need for stimulation

cunning and manipulative

lack of remorse or guilt

shallow emotional response

callousness and lack of empathy

parasitic lifestyle

poor behavioral controls

sexual promiscuity

early behavior problems

lack of realistic long-term goals

impulsivity

irresponsibility

failure to accept responsibility

many short-term marital relationships

juvenile delinquency

revocation of conditional release

criminal versatility

[pandr32]

1. Top office occupant scores high

I remember reading about his incorrigible behavior as a kid and that his family put him in the military academy hoping it would straighten him out. If he hadn't been born to such privilege I have no doubt he would have started with a juvenile rap sheet and been in and out of jail as an adult. By now he would probably be a lifer--or dead!

I have never doubted he is a raging psychopath.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. It's scary to see how people will follow a nutbar like him.

He's obviously out of his mind, but they have the utmost admiration for him. I guess people will forgive a lot for someone who says what they want to hear.

[ProudLib72]

3. Score between 0 and 2? How about up to 11?

"Why can't you just make 10 even worse?"

"Because this president goes up to 11."

[appalachiablue]

4. So many around, Elizabeth Holmes, Silicon sociopath:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/business/dealbook/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-trial.html

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/elizabeth-holmes-is-trying-to-start-a-new-company

[bluescribbler]

5. I score him at 36

I had to score 0 at lack of conditional release and early behavior problems. I don't know that he was ever arrested, nor do I know much about his childhood. Did he light kittens on fire? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[jmowreader]

6. You better give him a 2 on Early Behavioral Problems

You don’t get shipped off to military school for being a model citizen.

[shanti]

12. He did throw rocks at a baby as a child

That's pretty bad. He is just a mean SOB.

[pdsimdars]

7. Well, when you put it like that . . . . go all sciency and everything . . . . .

[emmaverybo]

8. Although Hare conducted his testing on prison populations, he wrote that the larger

society harbored both non-criminal and criminally inclined sociopaths, pointing to the political arena as a place where sociopaths could often succeed as they were rewarded for their traits.

He also predicted that we would see a greater prevalence of sociopaths in society as it fostered superficiality, manipulativeness, callousness as a way to be admired and get ahead.
The recent exposures made in the college entrance scandals demonstrate the possibility for parents to actually teach children how to become sociopathic.

An excellent read is The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. She explores everyday sociopathy. You will likely recognize some people you know in these pages.

Heavey Clevkley, also a pioneer in the psychopathic personality, author of The Mask of Sanity along with Hare writes about how difficult it is, even for forensic psychiatrists, to identify sociopaths. This is usually true as they are so attuned to their target’s cues or tells, that they can, in real time adjust their story, voice, body language to accommodate.

What is different with Trump is that he makes little effort to disguise his sociopathic traits. However, he was rewarded for them in his various criminal enterprises, masked his true vicious intents while running, and has been emboldened by supporters sharing his very personality disorder.

Group sociopathy certainly deserves greater examination.

I do imagine Trump might have had a conduct disorder as a young person.

[appalachiablue]

9. Is this 'illness' genetic, hereditary?

[smirkymonkey]

10. I think he was born "bad".

There was certainly an environmental component to his warped personality, but he showed sociopathic tendencies from a very young age, i.e. throwing rocks at an infant next door and other bullying tendencies. His parents only made things worse. He has a complete lack of human compassion or empathy. There is something very wrong with him that goes beyond bad parenting.

[appalachiablue]

13. His youth I read some about, but not throwing rocks at

an infant, geesh. The father and grandfather must have had some hustle in them to start running brothels and real estate businesses. I just wonder if there's any hard info. on whether it's primarily 'genetic' or learned, or both? I've never seen any discussion of the issue and it's important I think. A negative environment can definitely enhance the tendencies.

[Mc Mike]

11. He gets a score of 92, by my count.