"Study: Politicians and Psychopaths Aren't So Different"

From Hit & Run:

Are the politicians going crazy? Or are the crazy going political? Over at The Atlantic, James Silver postulates that certain political figures share traits with (or may even be) psychopaths:

Psychopathy is a psychological condition based on well-established diagnostic criteria, which include lack of remorse and empathy, a sense of grandiosity, superficial charm, conning and manipulative behavior, and refusal to take responsibility for one's actions, among others.

Sounds familiar. Silver also points out that though there’s a good amount of variation along the psychopathic spectrum, core features like the egocentric behavior, the shallow charm, and apparent lack of guilt are there throughout. In other words, behavior that elected officials have in spades:...MORE