The rise and decline of sociopathy

Why are all these men now on their way out of power or already gone? That may be part of their sociopathy too, because they all leave trails of human wreckage behind them: cheated partners, abandoned lovers, betrayed followers. They can’t help it; it’s who they are.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former U.S. president Donald Trump, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have something in comment, writes Gwynne Dyer. They are all liars. They don’t care if you really know the truth from personal experience. It doesn’t bother them that you know they are lying. They will just say the lie again—and you might even believe them, because they say it with such conviction, he writes.Screenshot courtesy of Boris Johnson’s Facebook, photograph courtesy of the White House/Flickr, and Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

February 7, 2022

LONDON, U.K.—I generally leave the psychohistory to Hari Seldon, but just this once I feel sufficiently motivated to venture into the field. The immediate spur for this departure is the spectacle—half-fascination, half-disgust—of Boris Johnson, Britain’s part-time prime minister, gradually f...

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy