Hi,

I'm hoping you folks can lend me a hand.

I'm in the midst of a feature piece on "Successful Psychopaths" aka, "Partial" psychopaths, "Compensated" psychopaths, et. cetera.

A very common misperception (perpetuated by Hollywood & other media outlets) is of the psychopath as a "ruthless", "deranged", and "perverse" monster. The invectives hurled at psychopaths go on and on, but few - if any - psychopathy experts endorse this skewed view.
Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, Charles Starkweather and a host of other serial killers are psychopaths, but they are the exception, not the rule.

The defining feature of a psychopath is a "lack of conscience", e.g., in times of war, they would be perfectly capable of ordering an artillery strike on their own position b/c it wasn't being "brave enough", kill 100's of his own men, AND get a sound nights sleep afterward (e.g. Kubrick's Paths of Glory).

Other traits include:
- Glib, superficial charm
- Grandiose sense of self worth
- Constant need for stimulation/action
- Pathological lying
- Callous
- Low anxiety level/startle response
- Parasitic lifestyle
- Poor behavior controls
- Early behavior problems
- Lack of realistic, long-term plans
- Impulsivity
- Irresponsibility
- Failure to accept responsibility for actions

This list isn't exhaustive by any means, but it gives an overview of the type of WWII officer I'm looking for.

For instance, re: the U.S. Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman is a classic "successful" psychopath. (One caveat I neglected to mention: bona fide war criminals, e.g., Nuremberg defendants or those summarily executed don't count. Why? Because readers would elicit a collective yawn if, say, the commander of the SS Einsatzgruppen were profiled.).

In brief, here's how I came to posthumously diagnose Gen. Sherman w/ partial psychopathy:

- Grades & conduct at West Point were abysmal (early behavior problems, impulsivity)
- Repeated business failures (irresponsibility, impulsivity again, perhaps lack of long term goals contributed)
- His infamous "March to the Sea" in which his own subordinates begged him to quit bombing Atlanta (no Confederates were there) and he responded -- with some glee apparently -- "this will end the war quicker". Post-war he admitted that, from what he was taught at West Point, he could have been hanged for his actions. He also exhibited a reckless disregard for his own life on a number of occasions by riding to the front during fierce battles, when it was not necessary, and his presence guiding the battle from afar would have proven more useful (No conscience, constant need for action, irresponsibility, callous).

I am NOT arguing that Sherman was a "bad" or "immoral" general. Nor am I arguing the inverse. Just that he displayed enough psychopathic traits, as reported in his own memoirs and contemporaries, to tentatively label him a "Successful Psychopath".

The line is a little blurry, I know. If the South had prevailed, there's little doubt that Sherman WOULD have been hanged as a war criminal. But the South didn't prevail and he was greeted in Washington as a hero...

Victor David Hanson considers his tactics pioneering, and Sherman may have well ended the war quicker by letting loose barrages of artillery on Atlanta civilians.

A corollary to that viewpoint is that the atomic attacks on Hiroshima/Nagasaki were a necessary evil that saved more lives than it ended.

I'm particularly interested in well-known, and often highly respected, WWII generals of the Allies and/or Axis. Towering figures such as Patton, Rommel, MacArthur, et. cetera.

Again, please allow me to emphasize this will not in any, way, shape, or form, malign WWII officers.

Rather it will demonstrate the benefits of the partial psychopath in the military (or business or politics) insofar as they often excel -- they achieve their goal(s) PERIOD; even if their actions are ethically questionable.

If you owned a sizable chunk of stock in a company who would you want running it? Jack Welch or Mr. Rogers? That's what I thought! (Enron execs., et. al. are the "war criminals" of the corporate world; full-blown psychopaths who happened to hack-up companies instead of people.)

If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me direct at: dwilliams31-AT-gmail.com

Thanks for your time & expertise.

- Alcibiades
(an ancient greek partial psychopath!)

Welcome aboard Alcibiades, interesting stuff.

I suppose in time of war the definition of psychopath can become much looser, even a positive characteristic in many situations.

Being understandably cautious (never having studied it) about what a psychopath specifically is, I'd tentatively suggest Patton.

As another possibility, while I'm far from convinced this man was a Psychopath he certainly exhibited much 'eccentric' behaviour that did his military career no harm at all:
Fighting Jack Churchill.
Mad Jack Churchill

Dirlewanger would fit the psychopath or sociopath mould, certainly a total lack of conscience was present, but I don't think it had that much bearing on his military career... seems to me he would most likely have behaved in broadly the same criminal manner whether there was a war or not. Though you don't appear to be looking so much for the maniacal murderers of the period (who perhaps perpetuate the 'skewed' popular view of the mindset?), more those who exhibited more subtle signs?

Cheers,
Adam.

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Another thought, again not offering any denigration, but how about Guy Gibson VC?
Or in a WW1 context maybe Edward Mannock VC? (I'm sure a trawl of VC citations in general might turn up some interesting character studies for you.)

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Von Poop -

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, you're correct that in times of war, a "partial" psychopath can be a great asset to his side. Any criminal psychopath can use war as an excuse to butcher others... I have zero interest in them.

The people who manifest some, but not all, traits of the disorder are fascinating - esp. during wartime.

Successful/Partial psychopaths tend to have little anxiety or "startle response", rendering them capable of extraordinarily acts of heroism.

They tend to take wild gambits -- and b/c of their unflappable cool -- often succeed and inspire awe in others.

Astronauts (Chuck Yeager for instance) is another prime example of a partial psychopath. It's argued that the "The Right Stuff" is mild psychopathy.

Your examples are exactly what I was looking for; Guy Gibson was already on my list! I've been unable to find extensive info on the man. No dedicated books written as far as I can tell... He was very young when he died.

Skimming through the Mad Jack Churchill bio, he appears to possess some very colorful, psychopathic traits. Thanks!

Ed Mannock I haven't looked into, but will.

Patton? Does anyone second that? I was actually leaning a "bit" more toward MacArthur, but again, am no expert.

Anyone on the Axis side come to mind?

Thanks for your help!
Alcibiades

p.s. - an interesting factoid... Hitler, most agree, was not a psychopath. You'll see his name associated with the disorder everywhere, but psychopathy researchers assert that he was a borderline personality/narcissist/paranoid schizophrenic, or suffered from a comorbidity of the above disorders.

I'd think it could be an identifiable trait in almost any military high achiever then, or perhaps any other kind, (it doesn't surprise me at all if 'the right stuff' is also a facet of a somewhat 'full on' personality), the ranks of the Generals and above are scattered with many examples of 'unusual' personalities...

I'd definitely go along with Macarthur, but would still put Patton right up there, the single (bloody?) mindedness, the slapping incidents, huge self aggrandisement & concern with his own legend etc. combined with that exceptional 'steel' and even some enjoyment of the grim business of war.

Audie Murphy perhaps?, not really sure about him but again, like the VCs, I'd have thought the ranks of Medal of Honour holders could turn up fertile ground for you.

Cheers,
Adam.

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You might start with the checkered career of Obersturmbannfuhrer Dr. Oskar Dirlewanger.

Would the chopping off of heads of Chinese for entertainment by Japanese officers be classified psychopathic ? The Japanese thought of them as inferior beings and lost no sleep over it.

Not WWII but would the treatment of prisioners at Gitmo by US officers be classified as psychopathic ? Seems as if some really enjoyed their jobs there.

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I wish to thank everyone for their thoughts & suggestions. An enormous help.

Von Poop -

After reading up a bit (wikipedia, mostly), I believe that Patton -- as opposed to MacArthur -- would be a better candidate for a "successful" psychopath.

Obviously, Audie Murphy had a much lower profile & effect on than Patton, but from what I know about him (very little at the moment) he may meet the criteria.

I tend to agree that Medal of Honor holders, etc. would likely be a good place to look as well. Thanks.

T.A. Gardner -

I haven't heard of Obersturmbannfuhrer Dr. Oskar Dirlewanger, but will look into him, especially so as he was part of the Axis. Editors & readers alike may take a dim view of labeling Allies, and heroes at that, psychopathic. The image of the psychopath as monster is ubiquitous.

TA152 -

Yes, I think Japanese officers chopping off the heads of Chinese for entertainment is clearly psychopathic. I would tentatively agree that the jailers at Gitmo may have had psychopathic traits.

I also believe that few experts would disagree that virtually anyone, with encouragement from authority & under certain conditions, would be indistinguishable from a psychopath.

For instance, if you're a solider and your compatriots are raping/looting/murdering with gleeful impunity, chances are that you'll join them, especially if senior officers are partaking in the carnage.

This phenomena has been demonstrated in controlled conditions (Milgram's experiments, Stanford Prison experiment) and in all out war (Rape of Nanking, My Lai massacre, etc.).

Certainly not all of the Japanese soldiers taking part in the infamous "Rape of Nanking" were psychopathic. They had to "rationalize" it somehow, or if they couldn't, were plagued with guilt and nightmares for the remainder of their lives.

Most, I suspect, rationalized it away. The human animal is ingenious in that respect.

Any swine can slake his or her bloodlust in the chaotic conditions of wartime; the "successful" or "partial" psychopath may do so as well, but he also... for lack of a better word: "shines".

When all those around him are panicking (and perhaps rightfully so) he views their fear with a sense of befuddlement & maybe a dollop of contempt. This can allow for extraordinary acts of bravery, but it can also get them -- and a lot of others -- killed. But their stories and personalities may be gruesome, but they're also colorful, eccentric, daring, & mesmerizing.

The jailers at Gitmo and, I would guess, the Japanese beheading Chinese for sport, were one-dimensional characters. Unless you're a fan of the "true crime" genre, a full-on psychopath generally isn't particularly interesting.

The late Dr. David Lykken, a psychopathy expert (University of Minnesota?) claimed that Oskar Schindler was a "partial" psychopath. It would have been too easy to join the SS and butcher -- the real challenge, for him, lay in conning the Third Reich. Dr. Lykken pointed to factual accounts which purported that Schindler was nothing like the man portrayed in the film. He had no love for the Jews... He had no real love for anyone. Love -- like fear -- is an alien emotion for psychopaths.

Partial psychopaths (like Schindler) may have something of a conscience, but their need to dominate/win, generally overrides other ancillary emotions.

Of course, they often have a host of personal problems. In Schindlers case his gambling and reckless business ventures did him in. It was only during the turmoil of war that he could prosper.

Others may have substance abuse problems, disastrous personal relationships, or drift aimlessly through life, using others along the way.

One theory popular with evolutionary psychologists is that the psychopath is a new, separate species of human. This line of thought posits that we're in the midst of an evolutionary shake-up, where the "successful" psychopath is exerting control via his superiority, just as its theorized we did to the Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago.

As evidence, they point to the type of Machiavellian persons we elect to political office (Clinton was, in my view, a stunning example of a successful psychopath), the shows (e.g., "The Sporanos") we're fascinated with, the video games kids play...

Sorry, this is a WWII forum, not an evopsych forum!

Thanks again for all your help!

- Alcibades

I would second that, VP. Interesting thread.

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