The President and Neuroreality, Chapter 24, webpage 4, continued

SOCIOPATHY

LANCE DODES, M.D.

"Crazy like a fox or just crazy?" This question has surrounded Donald Trump since his campaign for president. The question is whether a person who is repetitively immoral - who cons others, lies, cheats, and manipulates to get what he wants, doesn’t care whom he hurts just as long as he is gratifying himself - whether such a person's indifference to the feelings of others for personal gain is just being clever: crazy like a fox. Or are these actions a sign of something much more serious? Could they be expressions of significant mental derangement?

The answer to that question is emphatically, "Yes." To understand why, it's necessary to understand the psychological condition called "sociopathy," and why sociopathy is such a severe disturbance.

Caring for others and trying not to harm them is a fundamental quality of not just humans, but many mammals. Normal people, as well as normal wolves, dolphins, and elephants, appreciate when another of their species is in pain or danger and, unless fighting over territory or sexual partners, react to protect one another. Such caring and cooperation has major survival value for any species, and its

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clear evolutionary advantages have made these qualities basic across much of the animal kingdom. In humans, the ability to sense the feelings of one another, care about one another, and try to avoid harming one another even to the extent of placing ourselves at a disadvantage (think of animals that will stand all together to protect against a threat) is called empathy. It’s also a reflection of the Warrior Ethos Homo sapiens left Africa with 70,000 years ago and became the dominant and only hominid species on earth. Empathy is a characteristic of all people no matter what individual emotional conflicts and issues they have. Unless they are sociopaths.

The failure of normal empathy is central to sociopathy, which is marked by an absence of guilt, intentional manipulation, and controlling or even sadistically harming others for personal power or gratification. People with sociopathic traits have a flaw in the basic nature of human beings. Far from being clever like a fox, they are lacking an essential part of being human. This is why sociopathy is among the most severe mental disturbances, and is prevalent today because of the 180 degrees of change that has taken place in society since the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago. A sociopath would not have been tolerated in the Tribe prior to 10,000 years ago, but is acceptable now and becomes the most powerful man on the planet. This may be cause for concern.  

Yet, we are a culture that admires external success in wealth and power, regardless of how it is achieved. People with sociopathic qualities who are able to achieve high status and power precisely because of their manipulations and cheating are, therefore, sometimes seen as not only psychologically healthy, but superior. This contributes to the confusion: "How crazy can someone be who is so successful?" It has even been said that Mr. Trump couldn’t possibly have serious mental problems because he got to be president.

Indeed, there are generally two life paths for people with severe sociopathy. Those who are unskilled at manipulating and hurting others, who are not careful in choosing their victims, who are unable to act charming well enough to fool people, have lives that often end in failure. They are identified as criminals or lose civil court battles to those they've cheated, or are unable to threaten their way back to positions of power. But those who are good at manipulation at appearing charming and caring, at concealing their immoral or illegal behavior, and can bully their way to the top do not end up as outcasts or in prison. There is a term for these people: "successful

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sociopaths." They are the ones who most fool others into thinking they are "crazy like a fox." Even their characteristic rages may appear almost normal. Instead of having a visible tantrum, they may simply fire people, or sue them. As their power increases, their ability to disguise their mental disturbance may also increase, concealed behind a wall of underlings who do the dirty work, or armies of lawyers who threaten those who are currently seen as the enemy. What is important to understand is that their success is on the outside. They are no different from those who are less skilled at concealing their lack of empathy, even if they require an expert to recognize them. They are still severely emotionally ill.

Diagnostic Labels

The word "sociopathy" is sometimes used interchangeably with “psychopathy," though some have defined the words a bit differently. Sociopathy is also a major aspect of the term, "malignant narcissism," and is roughly synonymous with the official (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM) psychiatric diagnostic term, "antisocial personality disorder." AII refer to a disturbance in an individual's entire emotional makeup (hence the term "personality" disorder in the DSM).

A label can never capture everything about a person, though. This may create diagnostic confusion if laypersons expect any individual to fit exactly into their conception of the problem. Cold-blooded murderers and cruel, sadistic rulers may treat their pets kindly, for instance. Consequently, it is the traits of sociopathy that are important to recognize in order to evaluate anyone or assess his fitness to hold a position of power. This is, in fact, the way the DSM does it. Each label has a set of observable behaviors that define it, and these groupings change often. We are now on the fifth version of the DSM, and there will be many more to come as knowledge, understanding, and even diagnostic fads change. Traits, however, are fixed. Therefore, in assessing whether a person is "sociopathic," what we really need to know is whether he has the observable, definitive traits that indicate the condition.

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Without being concerned about a formal diagnostic label, it's useful to consider the traits of antisocial personality disorder as defined in the current DSM:

A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors;

2. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying. . . or conning others for        personal profit or pleasure;

3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;

4. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;

5. Reckless disregard for safety of self or others;

6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;

7. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another; and

8. Evidence of conduct disorder [impulsive, aggressive, callous, or deceitful behavior that is persistent and difficult to deter with threats or   punishment with onset before age 15 years.

Other systems of diagnosis use different words for the essential sociopathic traits: sadistic, unempathic, cruel, devaluing, immoral, primitive, callous, predatory, bullying, dehumanizing.

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The term 'primitive" as a descriptor of sociopathic traits deserves special attention. The word derives not from ancient historical times, but from ancient personal times: the early years of life. It helps to explain why there is a multiplicity of defects in these people.

In early development everything is happening at once. Major emotional capacities are developing alongside major cognitive capacities. Children must develop ways to manage emotional distress: anxiety, confusion, disappointment, loss, fear, all while they are growing in their capacity to think, and sorting out what is real and what is their imagination. We all develop systems to do this, to tolerate and control our emotions, understand and empathize with the people around us, and tell the difference between reality and wishes or fears.

But not people with the early, primitive emotional problems seen in sociopathy. They do not tolerate disappointments; instead, they fly into rages and claim that the upsetting reality isn't real. They make up an alternative reality, recall Kellyanne Conway’s reference to “alternative truths” with regard to the Inauguration, and insist that it is true. This is the definition of a delusion. When it is told to others, it is basically a lie. As described earlier, successful sociopaths may not look very "crazy," but this capacity to lose touch with reality shows up when they are stressed by criticism or disappointment. Later, when they are less stressed, they explain their loss of reality with rationalizations or simply more lies.

The primitive nature of people with sociopathic traits can also be seen through the findings of brain research. In early life, along with its psychological developments, the brain is developing physically. It is notable that people with sociopathic traits have been found to have abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala regions of their brains, areas closely associated with essential cognitive and emotional functions.

Psychological Mechanisms in Sociopathy

People with sociopathic traits employ specific abnormal emotional mechanisms. Primary among these is "projective identification."

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"Projection" by itself refers to a belief that others have feelings or thoughts which are actually in the mind of the individual doing the projecting. Commonly, these are aggressive and dangerous feelings, which are managed by being projected to others, who are then seen as aggressive and dangerous. When this process occurs regularly, it is simply called paranoia. "Projective identification" is the most serious version of paranoia. The "identification" part of the term refers to seeing others not just as having threatening characteristics, but as entirely dangerous people - people who have to be attacked or destroyed.

This psychological mechanism contributes to loss of reality, rage outbursts, and attacks on others. When it is combined with a lack of empathy and its corresponding lack of guilt for harming others, the danger from such people is enormous.

Projective identification is not the only defective psychological mechanism in sociopaths. Because of the incapacity to realistically appraise (or care for) people, others are alternately seen as evil or good, according to the projection in use at the moment. The socio-path may treat people as though they are great friends, charmingly complimenting them on how wonderful they are, then abruptly turn on them as the enemy. Loyalty is highly prized by sociopaths because it serves their personal ends, but there is no real relationship. Dividing the world into good and bad in an unstable, fluctuating way is called "splitting."

Although sociopathy always means a lack of empathy, there is one way in which severe sociopaths do have a certain, frightening type of empathy. It is the empathy of the predator. A tiger stalking his prey must have an ability to sense the prey's fear, or at least to be aware of the small signs of that fear (Malancharuvil 2012). The tiger is "empathic" with its prey, but not sympathetic or caring. Successful sociopaths are like that. They are closely attuned to their victim's emotional state. Does the victim buy what the sociopath is selling? Does he need false reassurance, a compliment on his intelligence or appearance,

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a lying promise, or a friendly gesture to keep him thinking the sociopath is honorable? The successful sociopath's predatory "empathy" reflects a definite perceptive acumen, making him a genius at manipulation. When this works, it produces a disastrous trust in him. Yet, like the tiger, he is unconcerned about the welfare of his target.

The pathological emotional problems in sociopathy make one another worse. An inability to have a consistent realistic view of the world, or to maintain emotionally genuine relationships, leads to more paranoia. The weakness in impulse control which arises from enraged reactions to imagined slights and produces reckless, destructive behavior leads to a greater need to deny criticism with more lies to tell oneself and everyone else, and an increasing distance from reality. The more a sociopath needs to scapegoat others the more he genuinely hates them, making him even more aggressive and sadistic. Life is devoted to endless destruction in the service of an endless quest for power and admiration, unmitigated by basic empathy or guilt.

Donald Trump

Because Mr. Trump has been a very public figure for many years, and because we have been able to hear from many who have known him for a long time, we are in an excellent position to know his behaviors - his speech and actions - which are precisely the basis for making an assessment of his dangerousness, whether we assess him using the official DSM criteria for antisocial personality disorder (APD), as below, or whether we apply our knowledge of malignant narcissism, both of which include the signs and symptoms of sociopathy. Let us consider these in turn.

Lack of Empathy for Others; Lack of Remorse; Lying and Cheating

Mr. Trump's mocking the disability of a handicapped reporter, unconcern for the safety of protesters at a rally ("Get rid of them!"),

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sexually assaulting women, threatening physical harm to his opponent in the election (alluding to gun owners eliminating her), repeatedly verbally attacking a family who lost their son fighting for the country, personally degrading people who criticize him (calling them insulting names, as he did in both the Republican primaries and the general election), a history of cheating people he's hired by not paying them what he owes, creating the now forced-to-disband Trump University, targeting and terrifying minority groups, all provide overwhelming evidence of profound sociopathic traits, which are far more important than trying to assign any specific diagnostic label.

Loss of Reality

Mr. Trump's insistence on the truth of matters proven to be untrue ("alternative facts") is well-known. His insistence has occurred both repeatedly and over a long time, even when such denial is not in his interest and it would be better for him to acknowledge that he spoke in error. He has falsely claimed that President Obama is not an American and that he wiretapped Mr. Trump's building, that his own loss in the vote total of the general election was caused by illegal aliens, that he had the largest inauguration crowd in history, etc. Together, these show a persistent loss of reality.

Rage Reactions and Impulsivity

Mr. Trump's rages have been reported on multiple occasions in the press, leading to sudden decisions and actions. He fired and subsequently threatened the director of the FBI after hearing him testify in unwanted ways before Congress, launched more than 50 missiles within 2 hours of seeing a disturbing image on the news - reversing his stated Middle East policy, precipitously violated diplomatic norms, creating international tensions (as with reports of threatening to invade Mexico, hanging up on the prime minister of Australia, antagonizing Germany, France, Greece, and others), issued illegal executive orders, apparently without vetting them with knowledgeable attorneys, and so on.

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Conclusion

Donald Trump's speech and behavior show that he has severe sociopathic traits. The significance of this cannot be overstated. While there have surely been American presidents who could be said to be narcissistic, none have shown sociopathic qualities to the degree seen in Mr. Trump. Correspondingly, none have been so definitively and so obviously dangerous.

Democracy requires respect and protection for multiple points of view, concepts that are incompatible with sociopathy. The need to be seen as superior, when coupled with lack of empathy or remorse for harming other people, are in fact the signature characteristics of tyrants, who seek the control and destruction of all who oppose them, as well as loyalty to themselves instead of to the country they lead.

The paranoia of severe sociopathy creates a profound risk of war, since heads of other nations will inevitably disagree with or challenge the sociopathic leader, who will experience the disagreement as a personal attack, leading to rage reactions and impulsive action to destroy this "enemy." A common historical example is the creation by sociopathic leaders, of an international incident to have an excuse to seize more power (suspend constitutional rights, impose martial law, and discriminate against minority groups). Because such leaders will lie to others in government and to their citizens, those who would check the sociopath's power find it difficult to contradict his claims and actions with facts. Would-be tyrants also typically devalue a free press, undermining journalists' ability to inform and resist the move toward war and away from democracy.

Mr. Trump's sociopathic characteristics are undeniable. They create a profound danger for America's democracy and safety. Over time these characteristics will only become worse, either because Mr. Trump will succeed in gaining more power and more grandiosity with less grasp on reality, or because he will engender more criticism producing more paranoia, more lies, and more enraged destruction.

Trump has been described above as an extreme present hedonist, narcissist, bully, sociopath, someone with delusions, malignant narcissism and antisocial personality disorder. How can someone who’s neuroreality is so far from true reality that they be elected President of the United States? Perhaps, as described in Fantasyland and then expanded over the last 4 million years with the evolution of cognitive bias to confirmation bias to argumentative theory and the tribal ethos which was then stoked by the warrior ethos, because there’s a significant portion of the current US population with untrue neurorealities. And consider the statement on page 79 from Lifton and expanded by Sheehy, “’Trump creates his own extreme manipulation of reality. He insists that his spokesmen defend his false reality as normal. He then expects the rest of society to accept it - despite the lack of any evidence.’ This leads to what Lifton calls ‘malignant normality’ - in other words, the gradual acceptance by a public inundated with toxic untruths of those untruths until they pass for normal.” This is Orwellian.

The neurorealities of Trump as described above are quite far from actual reality. Consider earlier mentioned the neurorealities of Einstein in his theories of relativity (1905, 1915), Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution (1859) and in 1620 Francis Bacon’s description of the scientific method of thinking and his statement of confirmation bias – stated in Chapters 9 and 22. These are key perceptions of reality as they really exist, they are truth, and they are real. Let’s call their perceptions neureal, in these areas Einstein, Darwin and Bacon are neurealists, they think neureally, their neurorealities are examples of neurealism and the neureal. As far as Trump’s perceptions of reality as described here, his  perceptions are unneureal, Trump is an unneurealists, he thinks unneureally, his  neuroreality is a example of unneurealism and the unneureal. And as mentioned in Chapter 21, so are 30% of the current US population who are alt-right and still adamantly support Trump.

As we can see unneurealism exists on the Far Right, what about the Far Left?  Read Chapter 25 and find out.

Further evidence of Trump's uneurealism:
Posted at Facebook/synthisophy, March 18, 2020; Statements made by Trump and Fauci in video below on March 10, 2020:

Does truth matter? Nature knows only truth, there are no “alternative facts.” Here are some alternative facts stated by President Trump and members of his administration regarding COVID-19 in 2020:

Trump, February 24: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA."

Kudlow and Conway, March 6: “The virus is contained”, and “The virus is being contained.”

Trump, February 26: “I think every aspect of our society should be prepared. I don't think it's going to come to that, especially with the fact that we're going down, not up. We're going very substantially down, not up. Within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done.”

Trump, February 27: “It's going to disappear. One day -- it's like a miracle -- it will disappear.”

Trump, March 2: "We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies and they're going to have vaccines, I think relatively soon. And they're going to have something that makes you better and that's going to actually take place, we think, even sooner." Note that Dr. Fauci had told him earlier that day that it would take a year to a year and a half to come up with a vaccine.

Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services, March 6: "There is no testing kit shortage, nor has there ever been."

Trump, March 6: "Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That's what the bottom line is."

Trump, March 10: “We’re prepared and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away, just stay calm. It will go away.” Later that day in congressional testimony, Dr, Fauci said, “The system is not really geared to what we need right now, what you are asking for, that is a failing. It is a failing, let’s admit it.

Trump, March 16; “It’s a contagious virus, but it’s something we have tremendous control over.” Later that day, Dr. Fauci said: “The worst is yet ahead for us, it’s how we respond to that challenge that’s going to determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be.”

Usually actions speak louder than words, but here in Trump’s speech prior to the march down Pennsylvania Ave on January 6th by the mob, his words incite the invasion of the Capital Building. Listen to Trump’s words prior, watch the invasion by the mob while Congress is ceremonially certifying the results of the presidential election, and listen to Trump’s words after to stop the riot.  He is unneureal.  And so are those that follow him.