by Stephen Lendman

Canadian psychiatrist Robert Hare analyzes psychopathic behavior. He does so clinically. He believes about 1% of the general population is insane. So are 10% of Wall Street employees, he says.

Hare states:

"There is a class of individuals who have been around forever and who are found in every race, culture, society and walk of life." "Everybody has met these people, been deceived and manipulated by them, and forced to live with or repair the damage they have wrought."

"These often charming - but always deadly - individuals have a clinical name: psychopaths."

"Their hallmark is a stunning lack of conscience; their game is self-gratification at the other person’s expense. Many spend time in prison, but many do not. All take far more than they give."

"The most obvious expressions of psychopathy - but not the only ones - involve the flagrant violation of society’s rules."

"Not surprisingly, many psychopaths are criminals, but many others manage to remain out of prison, using their charm and chameleon-like coloration to cut a wide swathe through society, leaving a wake of ruined lives behind them."

"(I)f we can't spot them, we are doomed to be their victims, both as individuals and as a society."

Hare lists two psychopathological trait categories. Interpersonal ones include:

• "glib and superficial
• egocentric and grandiose
• lack of remorse or guilt
• deceitful and manipulative
• shallow emotions"

Social deviance ones include:

• "impulsive
• poor behavior controls
• need for excitement
• lack of responsibility
• early behavior problems
• adult antisocial behavior"

Psychopathology is complex and poorly understood, Hare believes. It involves an "interplay" between biological and genetic factors. They influence how people "respond to, and interact with, life experiences and the social environment."

Psychopaths don't feel they have psychological or emotional problems. They see no reason to change their behavior.

Hare's survival guide includes knowing who you're dealing with. It's not easy. Experts get fooled. "A good psychopath can play a concerto on anyone's heart strings."

Don't be influenced by "props." It's not easy avoiding being captivated by a winning smile, body language and fast talk. They blind us to their real intentions.

Don't wear blinders. Most psychopaths are "con artists."

Keep your guard up. Psychopaths take full advantage. They're "skilled at detecting and ruthlessly exploiting your weak spots."

Safety from determined psychopaths isn't easy. They play by their own rules. They have lots of victims. They "have a strong need for psychological and physical control over others."

Their personalities are "carved in stone." They have an "insatiable appetite for power and control."

Administration and congressional leaders exhibit prominent traits.

They're amoral, unethical, deceitful, and manipulative. They breach social and legal standards. They suffer no remorse. They're callously unconcerned about others. They're indifferent to human suffering.

They're "without conscience." They're clinically insane. They're psychopathic. Top priority is stopping them. Otherwise we're doomed.

In 2005, Professor Psychiatry Justin Frank headlined "Bush on the Couch." He traced his character development from childhood through the presidency.

He identified and analyzed "patterns of thought, action, and communication." A "troubling portrait" emerged. It provided disturbing insights into:

• Bush reacting to 2006's Democrat congressional sweep; he did so by surging troops into Iraq;
• his "telling habits and coping strategies - from his persistent mangling of English to his tendency to 'go blank' in the midst of crisis;
• his father's tearful public breakdown; it reflects their relationship; and
• Katrina: "the moment when Bush's arrogance finally failed him."

Frank said Bush I was for the most part emotionally detached from GW. His mother was an insecure disciplinarian. Her emotional neglect left her unable to supply love.

GW had to rely on his inadequate "crude tools." They prevented him from developing a "stable personality." He's a "dry drunk."

"His abstinence protects him from the crippling effects of heavy alcohol consumption, but he remains in the grip of alcoholic thinking…."

He's "rigid" and "inflexible." He's unable "to consider the idea that anything in his own behavior might qualify as destructive."

"Instead, he projects such impulses onto his many perceived persecutors, to maintain his sense of self."

This type pious/crusading behavior cuts to the heart of decisions he made as president. He's mentally unfit to lead. While still president, Frank advised:

"Our sole treatment option - for his benefit and ours - is to remove (him) from office. It is up to all of us - Congress, the media and voters - to do so, before it is too late."

It's way too late now. He's gone. Obama replaced him. America went from bad to worse. Dr. Sam Vaknin explained.

He's a writer certified in psychological counseling techniques. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy. He's editor in chief of Global Politician. His best known work is "Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited." He's an expert on the subject.

Separately, he discussed Obama, saying:

He was impressed the first time he saw him. Soon enough he was put off. He reflects "shallowness (and) haughtiness in his demeanor…."

It's "unsettling. His posture and his body language (are) louder than his empty words."

His speeches have "quasi 'religious' impact on so many people." He's a "total incognito with zero accomplishment(s)."

"He is not a genius." He's "quite ignorant on most important subjects." He's a "narcissist." He may have "narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)."

They project grandiose false self-images. Jim Jones was a known narcissist. He convinced hundreds of his followers to commit suicide.

Other dangerous narcissists included "Stalin, Saddam, (and) Hitler." They exerted great influence over followers.

They created a personality cult around themselves. Their fiery rhetoric and speeches elevated admirers. They filled their hearts with enthusiasm. They gave them a new zest for life.

They promised them great achievements and victories. Instead they delivered "doom."

Cult personality victims don't know it until it is too late. Childhood abuse is one determining factor.

"Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocation."

"Mixed race marriages were less common then." His parents were divorced when he was two years old. He saw his father only once after that. He died in a car accident.

His mother re-married. She relocated with Obama to Indonesia. Adjusting wasn't easy. He was raised by his stepfather.

At age 10, "he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently…." In 1979, "she vanished from his life." In 1995, she died of cancer.

Narcissists lack interest in whatever won't help them reach personal goals. They focus largely on control, on power. Details and trivialities don't concern them.

As Harvard Law Review's first Black president, he received a contract and cash advance for a book on race relations.

Instead of a scholarly work, his autobiography followed: "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

Narcissists focus more on themselves than anything. The Mayo Clinic's narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) definition states:

It's "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration."

"Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings."

"But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

"Narcissistic personality disorder is one of several types of personality disorders."

"Personality disorders are conditions in which people have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in relationships and in other areas of their life, such as work or school."

Symptoms include:

"Believing that you're better than others

Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness

Exaggerating your achievements or talents

Expecting constant praise and admiration

Believing that you're special and acting accordingly

Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings

Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans

Taking advantage of others

Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior

Being jealous of others

Believing that others are jealous of you

Trouble keeping healthy relationships

Setting unrealistic goals

Being easily hurt and rejected

Having a fragile self-esteem

Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional"

Narcissists can't handle criticism. They don't think anything is wrong. They lack fulfilling relationships. They're conceited, boastful and/or pretentious. They lack conscience. They're callous and ruthless.

They regard themselves as special. They care only about themselves. They have a sense of entitlement. They belittle others perceived as inferior.

They're dangerous. They're treacherous. Fantasy and reality are intertwined. They cause enormous problems for others. They react with rage or contempt.

Obama's a "malignant narcissist." He lacks empathy with others. He "lacks the crucial faculty of feeling human."

He's sort of "alien. He never experienced humanity, or humanness, and he cannot empathize with other people. He can't put himself in other people's shoes."

"He cannot feel for them because he lacks the emotional apparatus. He lacks emotions, or at least, access to" them.

He's "exploitive, anti-social, destructive, self-destructive, arrogant, feels superior, feels he's superman, and so on and so forth."

"All of these are derivatives from the inability to know what it means to be human." It reflects the difference between a normal and malignant cell.

If the narcissist is your neighbor or local butcher, "the damage is limited. But if he happens to be the president of the United States, it's a calamity. It's an apocalypse."

All signs are there, Vaknin believies - his chaotic childhood, his dysfunctional family, and orthodox background. It causes narcissistic anti-social personality disorder.

"Obama lies pathologically, incessantly." His biography is "diffuse. There's nothing there. It's all in the air. You can't pinpoint dates, names, places, nothing. It's a very fog-like, foggy history."

There's no there there. Vaknin said he studied him closely. His body language, speeches, unscripted reactions, and attitude toward colleagues exhibit classic narcissism.

He's haughty and pretentious. He exhibits superiority and "pronoun density (PD)." It reflects how many times you say "me," "my," "I" and "myself" in a single sentence unnecessarily.

Obama's PD is "three times the average (of other) psychopathic narcissists. I mean, that's how bad it" is. It tends to increase during crises. It's a "major clinical sign."

Another is called "adversity tolerance threshold (ATT). It refers to how often you snap at underlings. He does it often. He's irritable, irascible, and cantankerous more often, and very often on camera."

At times, he can't control himself. "I am convinced he's a narcissist."

"I have no doubt in my mind" proper diagnosis will reveal "classical, malignant, psychopathic narcissism." He's "a walking time-bomb." He created cult followers around him.

He has "no personality whatsoever." He's "a walking piece of fiction." He's "paranoid." He's a "vacuum wrapped in a shell."

"He's afraid of being exposed for what he is. He's "hyper-vigilant. He protects his turf." He's "alert to slights and insults, both real and imaginary."

His defenses include denial. "He projects onto others what he hates in himself." He craves special treatment. He wants it boosting his "bloated ego."

He's "unstable, chaotic and dangerous." He has "psychotic episodes" but he's not psychotic. "The distinction is artificial and useless." If he's psychotic at critical times, that's all that matters.

As president, even a second of psychosis is calamitous.

He's an "adrenalin junky." He needs increasing amounts. Narcissists "provoke artificial crises." It can be domestic or foreign.

"I'm terrified," said Vaknin. Who knows what he'll do next? He can't control himself. His disorder reflects a Damocles sword over humanity. "It can cut all our heads off."

Vaknin calls Obama more dangerous than Bush. Expect more crises ahead. He "endanger(s) the foundations of the republic."

People don't understand what's going on. "The bigger the crisis, the more the narcissist thrives." Normal people try avoiding them. Narcissists provoke them. It's their "natural state." It's their "comfort zone."

Narcissistic personality disorder is "untreatable." At best it can be modified. It can be made less abrasive. "Their false self devours them. They become walking zombies. They're shells."

There's a "mechanism inside, a robotic, cold, calculated evil that drives them inexorably." They can't stop it. As US president, Obama's disorder threatens humanity.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/bush-and-obama-dangerous-narcissists/