Donald Trump

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SebastianBlue said:
Although there are no official clinical definitions of psychopath and sociopath (they are not official diagnostic conditions), I have discussed this very thing with several people that I know that work in mental health field over the last few years, including my aunt who is a long-practising child psychologist, and have generally come to the conclusion that he is a psychopath (I originally thought he was more on the sociopath side).

The difference between the two is generally down to severity, with sociopaths often actually aware on some level they are doing wrong, whilst psychopaths are not really aware they are doing wrong (even if they may “pretend” to know). This passage from WebMD on the subject sums that nuance up fairly well:

“A key difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is whether he has a conscience, the little voice inside that lets us know when we’re doing something wrong, says L. Michael Tompkins, EdD. He's a psychologist at the Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center.

A psychopath doesn’t have a conscience. If he lies to you so he can steal your money, he won’t feel any moral qualms, though he may pretend to. He may observe others and then act the way they do so he’s not “found out,” Tompkins says.

A sociopath typically has a conscience, but it’s weak. He may know that taking your money is wrong, and he might feel some guilt or remorse, but that won’t stop his behavior.

Both lack empathy, the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. But a psychopath has less regard for others, says Aaron Kipnis, PhD, author of The Midas Complex. Someone with this personality type sees others as objects he can use for his own benefit.”​

For me (and many others, to be fair), Trump is firmly on the more severe side of the continuum, and I think he actually doesn’t have remorse or caring for the consequences of his actions apart from how they impact him. Other people are a means to an end. He has no empathy at all (not just a “weak” sense of it) and cannot see the plight of others beyond how it could be used to serve his goals. Any concern or regard he shows is entirely fabricated based on years of seeing how others react to certain situations and then mimicking those reactions.

But as his cognitive functions continue to degrade, that mimicry is becoming more and more difficult for him to execute, thus he is appearing more and more callous and inhumane with his behaviour, when really it is just revealing who he has been for all of his adult life.

He obviously can’t be completely blamed for being a psychopath — his upbringing undoubtedly contributed to it. But, unfortunately, I very much believe he is one and, as we have all said, it is incredibly dangerous for America and the world.
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This helps.
 
SebastianBlue said:
No, we are not discussing facts, we’re discussing opinions, hence why I have said “if you think”, and you and I have both referenced “opinion” in our responses — you’re trying to change the reference point to make your statement appear reasonable.
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No. We are discussing our opinions about a likely action. Is it unreasonable that someone with Dementia will show innapropriate emotion? No. Does Biden show some sign of mental decline? Yes. Has he responded innapropriately in other social situations? Severally.

Is it reasonable to assume he may act innapropriately in this scenario? Absolutely!
Reasonable opinions are based on a reasonable analysis of evidence available, as I alluded to in the post you are quoting, which means there are more and less reasonable opinions. Assessment of them is subjective, of course, but collective assessment can still help a group determine the relative reasonableness of an opinion (where it falls on the continuum), and I believe it would be fair to say your opinion about Biden likely acting the same as Trump is unreasonable based on the evidence available.
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Yup. You are right about assessment being subjective. And "collective assessment" is equally subjective with an added ability to simply amplify the biases of the majority.

My believe that Biden may act similarly is based on a documented history of acting innapropriately. Not groupthink.

I was not speaking to what could happen in my original post but what would likely happen. Almost anything *could* happen, so that is a stupid thing to debate and fixate on. But I think you know that and are just employing your regular tactic of attempting to change the framing of the debate to suit your stance or obfuscate the meaning to frustrate the discussion.
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Either way. Again, I think Biden acting innapropriately is likely. For reasons previously stated.
 
SebastianBlue said:
Anyway, now that I have that response out to Dax, I am going to move on, as I don’t feel like spending my birthday arguing.

I’m 36 today, and already have other things sapping me of my energy, I don’t need a row with a Trump-apologist further using the limited reserves I have left.

I hope everyone has a splendid, Trump-free weekend.
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Snap Seb. Happy birthday. Wish I had seen this. Wouldn't have responded.


Discussion over. Enjoy your day. :)
 
Dax777 said:
It's stunning how you all are able to determine Sociopathy and Psychopathy from the comforts of you Living Rooms but think the crazy people are those who aren't all on board.
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You’re not well read on the subject of Trump’s sociopathy if you think these comments are only coming from lay people.
 
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