Part I presented a brief survey of Trump’s mental incapacity, and suggested that Psychopathy best fits his behavior. Part II detailed the three criterion of the Interpersonal Dimension of Psychopathy, citing a few instances from the vast catalog of “Trumpisms” which illustrate each criterion. In Part III, we present the three criterion of the Affective Dimension of Psychopathy.
When you look at Trump’s bizarre behavior in the light of the criteria of Psychopathy, it all starts to fall into place. He is absurdly grandiose: everything he does is the best ever, he knows more about any topic than anyone, ever. His homes look like a Hollywood satire of the tasteless bazillionaire. He can charm nearly anyone save those who see through his superficial stream of patter to the empty con-man uttering them. He can detect your “emotional buttons” and push them relentlessly, making you want to please him and deliver what he asks. He has no curiosity, no taste, no appreciation for the arts, no love or appreciation for anything except the manipulation of others; there is nothing to Trump except the superficial man you see. His lying is stunningly frequent and often breathtakingly absurd. He is a master of the propagandist’s Big Lie. Many people cannot bring themselves to disbelieve his lies because they simply cannot comprehend their enormity. Everyone infrequently lies in small ways about small things; only the propagandists and psychopaths can tell the whopping “pants-on-fire” (Politifact’s term) Big Lies that Trump tells daily.
THE AFFECTIVE DIMENSION
4. LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT — Despite their words they experience little emotion or concern for the pain and suffering of their victims. They are unfazed, dispassionate, coldhearted, and unempathic. There is often a disdain for the victims, and they may even say the victims deserved it.
- Robert Hare comments: Psychopaths are stunningly unconcerned about their devastating effects on others, and are often very open about their lack of sense of guilt and remorse as there is no reason to feel it. They say: “They were losers, asking to be taken and they got what they deserved.”
- Tony Schwartz, true author of “The Art of the Deal,” said in an interview (New Yorker, July 2016): “If Trump is elected President, the millions of people who voted for him and believe that he represents their interests will learn what anyone who deals closely with him already knows—that he couldn’t care less about them.”
- Trump wants to destroy health care, financial safeguards, consumer safety, national security, personal freedoms, woman’s right to choose, clean water, clean air, national resources, national parks, and on and on. This is his vengeance on those who see the emperor has no clothes.
- “You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” – Picked up by a hot mic on a 2005 Access Hollywood tape. Trump later said the comments were “locker-room talk”.
- “You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” – Picked up by a hot mic on a 2005 Access Hollywood tape. Trump later said the comments were “locker-room talk”.
5. SHALLOW AFFECT, CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY — Emotional poverty or very shallow feelings, coldness towards others despite seeming very friendly. A general lack of feelings towards other people. They tend to be heartless, contemptuous, indifferent and tactless.
- Robert Hare comments: Psychopaths know the words, but not the music. They can fake emotion, often convincing even experienced psychotherapists, but they cannot feel empathy. This incapacity underlies their egocentricity, lack of remorse, shallow emotions, and deceitfulness. They cannot “walk a mile in the shoes” of anyone. Many are unable to even imagine real human emotion. Their favorite targets are the weak and vulnerable, whom they mock rather than pity. Their philosophy is banal, sophomoric, devoid of detail that enriches lives of normal adults.
- Tony Schwartz says: “People are dispensable and disposable in Trump’s world.”
- Trump disdains and mocks women, the disabled, the poor, the immigrant. He mocks as suckers, deserving to be exploited, anyone gullible enough to believe him and vote for him. He not only lacks tact and concern for others, but even lacks concern about his lack of tact and concern.
- Listen to him fake emotion and concern when criticizing Syria for killing “beautiful babies.”
- “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.” – Rejecting the assertion made at the Democratic convention by Muslim lawyer Khizr Khan, whose son died in Iraq in 2004, that Trump had “sacrificed nothing and no one.” Trump could not name any actual sacrifice when pressed to elaborate; ABC News interview, July 30, 2016
- “There are people — I categorize them as life’s losers — who get their sense of accomplishment and achievement from trying to stop others. As far as I’m concerned, if they had any real ability, they wouldn’t be fighting me, they’d be doing something constructive themselves.” — The Art of the Deal, page 59, 1987
- “I like kids. I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds, and she’ll take care of the kids.”
6. FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS — It seems like it’s never their fault or their responsibility. They have little or no sense of duty or conscientiousness and often deny their responsibility. And in denying, they will even try and manipulate others!
- Robert Hare in “Without Conscience” comments: Psychopaths do not honor formal or implied commitments to people, organizations or principles.
- Trump’s frequently stated his lack of concern for NATO, United Nations, international treaties, domestic laws, business contracts, social, business and political relationships, social mores, common decency. Only a psychopath disdainful of contract law of could collect 3300+ lawsuits.
- “I think you’d have riots. I think you’d have riots. I’m representing many, many millions of people. In many cases first-time voters … If you disenfranchise those people? And you say, well, I’m sorry, you’re 100 votes short, even though the next one is 500 votes short? I think you’d have problems like you’ve never seen before. I wouldn’t lead it, but I think bad things will happen.”–About what will happen if the nomination is taken from his at the Republican convention, CNN interview, Mar. 16, 2016
- “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.” Spoken while pointing his finger at the rally crowd like he was shooting a handgun. Sioux Center, Iowa, Jan. 23, 2016
Next, in Part IV: The Lifestyle Dimension — Impulsive, seeks stimulation, prone to boredom; Parasitic lifestyle, lack of realistic long-term goals; Irresponsibility
Link to Part I: Trump — Our Psychopathic President
Link to Part II: Trump — Our Psychopathic President: His Interpersonal Dimension of Psychopathy
Link to Part IV: Trump - Our Psychopathic President:: His Lifestyle Dimension of Psychopathy
Our Other Daily Kos blog reports:
The Nine Principles of Propaganda begins HERE.
The Nine Principles of Counterpropaganda begins HERE.
Recommended Reading:
Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. Hare, Robert D., PhD. 1993; New York: The Guilford Press
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work. Babiak, Paul, Ph.D. & Hare, Robert D., Ph.D. 2006. New York, Regan Books–Harper Collins Publishers
Cooke, David J., Michie, Christine, Hart,Stephen David & Hare, Robert. (1999). Evaluating the Screening Version of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-SV): An Item Response Theory Analysis. Psychological Assessment, Vol. II, No. 1, 3-13.