Evil Genes
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Hitler's, 305
Mao's, 235
schizotypal personality disorder, a trait of, 135
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), defined, 89–90
malaria and Baldwinian evolution, 264
malignant narcissism, Medline's lack of citations on, 33
manipulation. See also control, desire for; gaslighting; lying
advantage of “dysfunctional” personality traits for, 250–52
aristocracy, wealth, power, and control attract those with manipulative traits, 277, 333–35
caused by neural quirks, 331
as defining characteristic for Machiavellians
in Christie's original work, 42, 45, 46, 47
as part of precise definition used in this book, 281
dictators’ use to hear only what they want to hear, 315
murderers and, 97
narcissism as motivation for, 162
our best traits used as levers for our, 192
by people
Carolyn, 141, 142, 327
Coleman, Roger, smooth ability to lie about rape and murder, 188–89
Fastow, Andrew, Enron CFO, 295–98
Gandhi, Mahatma, 169, 298
Gordy, Berry (“Motown” creator), 291–92
Hilton, Kathy (Paris Hilton's grandmother and similarly named mother), tactics of intimidation, 273
Hitler, Adolf, 299–300, 315
Jefferson, Thomas, one of the most “double-faced politicians in America,” 301
Mao. See under Mao, Chairman, personality traits and disorders
Milosevic. See under Milosovic, Slobodan, borderline-like and psychopathic traits, identity disturbance and lying
Skilling, Jeffrey, Enron CEO, 296–98
Snyder, Solomon, and his usurpation of credit for discovery of opiate receptors, 291
Stalin, Joseph, 315
Stewart, Martha, 293–94, 315
Washington, George: if he wasn't the best intentioned man in the world, he'd be very dangerous, 300
predatory murderers and, 97
of the press. See under media, press, and journalists
psychopathy and, 29n, 107, 132
as seen in various personality disorders
antisocial, 135
borderline, 137, 140, 145, 148–49, 200n
histrionic, 135
narcissistic, 135
pathological lying and, 106
subclinical borderline, 200
tools, for more comprehensive explanations and examples see under main headings gaslighting; memory; projection; identity disturbance; theta rhythms; and control, desire for
gaslighting, 146–48
intimidation, 29n, 53, 273, 297, 299–300, 315, 333–34, 336
irrationality, 260–61
manipulation of press, intellectuals, and politicians, 241–42, 315–17
memory prowess, 311–12
projection (blame shifting), “splitting,” chameleon-like, and controlling behavior, 145, 162, 234–35, 250
sadism, 250, 274
silent treatment, threats, no-win situations, anger, 140
theta rhythm disruption, 148
Mao, Chairman. See also Li Zhisui, Mao's doctor, observations of Chairman Mao
brief overview compared to other dictators, 28–29, 308, 315, 332
Cultural Revolution, 215–16, 235, 237, 239, 249
death from amytrophic lateral sclerosis, 248
family
earliest years and antisocial tendencies, 218–19
father's abuse of Mao—and Mao's abuse of his father, 218–19, 219n
suffering and mental disturbances of Mao's children, 222–23, 227
wives
He Zizhen, Mao's third wife, a difficult life ending in madness, 221–22, 226–27, 227n
Jiang Qing, Mao's hellish fourth wife, 223–24
Kaihui, Mao's second wife, disillusionment, marriage, and undying love, 220–22, 228
Mao's evanescent first wife, 220
Great Leap Forward, 226, 234, 236
ideological commitment, lack of, 231–32, 231n, 247–48
insomnia, 232–33
personality traits and disorders
addictions
drug abuse, 217, 232–33, 245
sexual, 233–34
advantages of Mao's “dysfunctional” traits, 250–52
affective instability (mood dysfunction, “neurasthenia”), 217, 224, 229–32, 235
antisocial behavior, early, 218–19
attention, strangely warped, 249–50
borderline personality disorder and, 217
as “borderpath,” 216–18
charm and chameleon-like behavior, 229, 241–42
cognitive dysfunction and magical thinking
general discussion, 234–39
paranoia, 217, 245–46
control, desire for, 225, 229, 236–39, 298
empathy
lack of, 225–26, 227n
rare displays of, 226–28
exhibitionism, 223–24
good qualities, rare but real, 226–28, 248–49
humiliation of others and feelings of self-humiliation, 246
hypersensitivity, 246
hypomanic qualities, 314
identity disturbance
inconsistency (hypocrisy), 222, 233–36, 246–47
Mao's personalization of yin and yang, and Marxism, sneaks perilously close to, 230–31, 231n
impulsivity, 228–29
inflexibility (“very hard for me to change,” difficulty handling criticism), 235
insomnia, 225, 232–33
intelligence, 250
lack of object constancy, 221
manipulation of others
general discussion of techniques, 241, 246–47, 250
of journalists and prominent individuals, 241–42
Mao was the “greatest manipulator of all,” 237
use of mood to frightening effect, 229
memory, excellent, 218
narcissism, 225, 238–39, 242–43, 245, 248
projection, 234–35
psychopathic traits, 217, 224–25
relationships, unstable personal, 217–25
religious cult of personality, 242–43, 252, 332
sadism, 239–40
vindictiveness, 246
photograph (with wife Jiang Qing), 224
photograph of as idolators wave their Little Red Books, 243
Pye, Lucian, explains reticence about declaring Mao a narcissist with a borderline personality, 217
results of his policies, 216–17, 248, 251–52
schizophrenia of son, 222–23, 227
MAO-A (monoamine oxidase A)
alleles produce different intermediate phenotypes, 80
childhood stress and predisposition for antisocial behavior, 54, 80–82
Marcus Aurelius, 275, 275n
Markovic, Mira (Slobodan Milosevic's wife and virtual Svengali), 155, 166–67
marriages, troubled, in relation to family discord and genetics, 60
Marshall, Barry, “crackpot” researcher on ulcers, is ultimately proved correct, 307n
Martha Stewart—Just Desserts (Jerry Oppenheimer), 293–94
Martin, Bradley K. (Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader), 269n
Marx, Karl: disproving Marx's theory that only social forces matter, 267, 308
Marx's concept of dialectical materialism in relation to identity disturbance, 231n
Mason, Paul (Stop Walking on Eggshells), 139–40, 146, 147
Massey, Douglas, observations on emotion from evolutionary perspective, 187
May, Richard, presiding judge at Milosevic's trial, 162
McCloskey, Jim, and “Centurion Ministries,” 188
McFarland, Sam, self-selection of personality types for positions that suit disposition, 303n–304n
McHoskey, John
study relating Machiavellianism to general personality disorders, 131–36
study relating Machiavellianism to psychopathy, 49–50
Mealey, George, establishment of in-perpetuity fund in daughter's name, 283
Mealey, Linda
“Linda Mealey Award for Young Investigators,” 283
mystery of her disappearance, 253–54, 283
psychopaths can't project onto others feelings they themselves don't have, 105
media, press, and journalists
bamboozling by the successfully sinister of the, 316–17
Mao's manipulation of the, 241–42
role in reporting on Machiavellians, 251, 338
medial prefrontal cortex
association with empathy and social interactions; Williams syndrome, 99
illustration of, 101
Medline, explanation of, 32
Meloy, J. Reid
good parents sometimes still have psychopath-like child, 102–103
observation about psychopath as predator, 52
remarks on paranoid personality disorder in relation to Mao, 245–46
memory
anterior cingulate cortex and role in making permanent, 182
conscious ability to suppress, 165
current and historical examples of good and bad leaders with remarkable memories
general discussion of, 310–13, 313n
Mao, 218
Milosevic, 154
Warren Buffett, 318
effect of genes and alleles on memory
APOE4, 76
BDNF, 77
COMT, 79
Parker, Robert (wine connoisseur) and taste memory, 262n
role of memory in charm, charisma, and manipulation, 312
“splitting,” mood, and fragmentation in relation to storage of, 144
“met”
BDNF allele, poorer memory, less anxiety, 77
COMT allele, slower dopamine metabolization, “worrier,” 79
Meyer, Edith, pioneering studies of psychological effects of polio, 114–16
Meyer, Michael Leverson, described Milosevic, 171
microcephalin gene and cognition, 262
midbrain
murderers have “turbocharged,” 97
poliovirus invasion of the, 114–16
Milgram, Stanley, research on blind tendency to obey authority, 333n
Milosevic, Borislav (Slobodan's brother), 160, 166–67
Milosevic, Slobodan
borderline-like and psychopathic traits
affective instability (mood changes), 155, 161
arrogance and defiance, 153, 171
borderline personality disorder
overview of Milosevic's many borderline-like characteristics, 153–68
why Milosevic did NOT have borderline personality disorder, 162–63
as “borderpath,” 167–68
cognitive dysfunction and delusions
general discussion, 164–66
seeming normalcy masked, 209
control, desire for, 161
empathy, lack of, 162, 166
identity disturbance
chameleon-like behavior, 154–57
distrust, 157–59
general discussion of, 155–57
inflexibility, 156, 156n
impulsivity and anger, 159, 161
lying, 153–54, 162, 164–66, 171
narcissism, 162
projection (by attacking other side at trial), 162
rudeness, 154
sadism, 161
“splitting,” 157
suicide and, 160–61, 166
vindictiveness, 161
brief overview compared to other dictators, 28, 315
compartmentalization of activities, 158–59
diabetes, type II, 161
ideological commitment, lack of, 154
mimicking abilities, 154
only way to influence was through threat of force, 160
photograph of Slobodan with wife Mira, 167
positive relationships with others
childhood: he was good, if unctuous, 218
love for wife and family, 155, 166–67
loyalty to friends if they were strictly loyal, 166
results of his policies, 153, 169–71
role in genocide, 156n, 162, 169–71
Milosevic and Marković: A Lust for Power (Slavoljub Djukic), 155
mimicking abilities. See also mirror neurons
DiCaprio, Leonardo, 104n
Milosevic, 154
mirror neurons, 104–105. See also mimicking abilities
Missionary Position, The (Christopher Hitchens), 285
Mitchie, Christine, and dimensional trait description of psychopathy, 167
Mitevic, Dusan, Milosevic's friend and propaganda chief, 161
mitochondria in American Indians adapted to cold, 262
modular brain theory, 175, 388n12
Moll, Jorge
description of psychopaths, 51–52
imaging studies related to morality, 100
monoamine oxidase A. See MAO-A
Montefiore, Simon Sebag: Stalin's real genius was his charm, 30
moodiness. See affective instability
“moral entrepreneurs,” 335
morality
basic features hard-wired, not product of culture, 322
imaging studies related to, 100–102, 322
Wilson, David Sloan, work involving, 17
Morgan, Peter (The Appearance of Impropriety), 335
Morse, Stephen, free will and criminality, 330n
Morris, Gouverneur: eulogy of George Washington, 298
mother of the author
amnesia of, 113
love for Carolyn, 122, 126
photograph of, 124
Mother Teresa's buttering up of despotism, 285
motor cortex
learning to play a musical instrument produces changes in, 176
Mao's fatal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis killed cells in, 248
polio kills cells in, 111, 114–16, 326
portrayed in flowchart form, 185, 196
Mugabe, Robert
in context with other poorly schooled leaders, 308
control, desire for, 308
hypomanic qualities, 314
Mullis, Kary, foreword to Inventing the AIDS Virus, 307n
murderers
affective versus predatory, 96–97
psychosocial versus neurobiological “push,” 95
Murphy, Jane, 265
Mussolini, Benito
brief overview compared to other dictators, 28, 286
hypomanic qualities, 314
prodigious memory of, 312
mutations, genetic, 63, 264
myelin, definition and relation to psychopathy, 92
Nabokov, Vladimir, excerpt from “An Evening of Russian Poetry,” 174
N-acetylaspartate (NAA) compounds, borderline personality disorder, and schizophrenia, 205
naivete. See also altruism
general discussion of
examples of credulity by many well-known individuals, 241, 315–17
experiences of ordinary people—consequences of their credulity, particularly regarding genocide, 255, 319–22
vasopressin, oxytocin—and gullibility, 83
Williams syndrome, 98–99
Nandhra, Harpal, coinage of word “borderpath,” 168
Napoleon, Bonaparte, “They wanted me to be another Washington.” But he wasn't, 298
narcissism. See also arrogance; narcissistic personality disorder
acquired situational narcissism, 248n
apology for loosely interchangeable use of narcissism, ego, self-esteem, self-importance, conceit, and arrogance, 288n
borderline personality disorder, as coping characteristic in, 137
can motivate lying, 162
in children with conduct disorder, 102–104
in conjunction with paranoid personality disorder, 246
and connection with “se
lf” as opposed to “other” neural circuitry, 302–303
as a crucial asset in art, science, business, and politics, 297–98
DSM-IV definition of, 244
as the key trait behind Machiavellianism, 281, 283
in people
Ceausescu, Nicolae, 287
Churchill, Winston, 292–93
Darwin, Charles, and the advantages of a bit of narcissism, 288–89, 292
Fastow, Andrew, CFO Enron, has himself named CFO of year, 295–97
Hilton, Paris, and family, 273
Hitler, 287
Madonna, 292
Mao. See under Mao, Chairman, personality traits and disorders
Mendel, Gregor's lack of narcissism, and resulting problems, 288
Milosevic. See under Milosevic, Slobodan, borderline-like and psychopathic traits
Niyazov, Saparmurat (dictator of Turkmenistan), 287
Shockley, William, inventor of junction transistor, 290
Stalin, Joseph, 309
Stewart, Martha, 293
Thatcher, Margaret, 309
Wallace, Alfred Russel, and the disadvantages of being free of narcissism, 288–89, 292
Watson, James, sublimely arrogant, misogynistic codiscoverer of DNA, 290, 392n13
psychopathy and, 49
social dominance and neurotransmitter levels, 238
narcissistic personality disorder. See also narcissism
borderline personality disorder, overlap with, 146, 208
defined, 135
MAO-A in “cluster B” personality disorders, 80
placement in Axis II of DSM-IV, 134
sadism and, 52
National Enquirer
Martha Stewart sues after being characterized as borderline by, 293–94, 315
reasons behind surreptitious enjoyment of, 37
reputation for investigative reporting, 338
National Institutes of Health. See NIH
Nazi Einzatgruppen, 303n
negative affectivity, its heritability and relation to executive control, 201
Nero, chameleon-like behavior of, 276
Nesse, Randolph, evolutionary model for emotional behavior, 258–59
neurasthenia, Mao's, 217, 231
neuromodulators, 196
neurons
general explanation, 183–85
illustrations of, 70, 184
neuroscience, not mentioned in relation to research about dictators, 34
neuroticism. See also affective instability; anxiety
aristocracy, wealth attract those with semi-, 277
BDNF alleles and, 77–78
COMT gene and, 78–80
Mendel's, 288
neurotransmitters. See also dopamine; serotonin
defined, 69, 184
and delusional thinking, 304
imbalances in borderlines, 195–201
reticular activating system, poliovirus, attention, and, 114–16, 326