Jim Fallon Keynotes
Jim Fallon's presentations explore the nature of behavioral tendencies, most notably psychopathy....
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James Fallon's Psychopathic Traits Talk Examines Past Presidents
Vasiliki Marapas — June 5, 2014 — Keynote Trends
References: youtube
In his psychopathic traits talk, James Fallon reveals that several of the most beloved American presidents rated high on a scale measuring psychopathic behavior. Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt, John. F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton rated in the higher echelon of psychopathy, while presidents like Jimmy Carter and George Bush Senior rated much lower.
No matter how much people distance themselves from them, these traits are continually voted for again and again. It appears that effective leadership is synonymous with psychopathic tendencies. For instance, several of the aforementioned presidents were excellent liars, a behavior which is classified as psychopathic. The difference is that they lied to protect our best interests, suggesting that we're more tolerant of psychopathic behavior when it's on our behalf.
In contrast, people who you would assume rated high for psychopathy, such as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, actually rated quite low. Fallon mentions Hannah Arendt's 'banality of evil,' a concept used to describe an organization which is evil as a whole, but not on an individual scale. People in these organizations may act in manipulative, intimidating ways to achieve desired outcomes, helping to launch a symptom of psychopathy within a culture or country, but that does not necessarily make them psychopaths themselves.
No matter how much people distance themselves from them, these traits are continually voted for again and again. It appears that effective leadership is synonymous with psychopathic tendencies. For instance, several of the aforementioned presidents were excellent liars, a behavior which is classified as psychopathic. The difference is that they lied to protect our best interests, suggesting that we're more tolerant of psychopathic behavior when it's on our behalf.
In contrast, people who you would assume rated high for psychopathy, such as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, actually rated quite low. Fallon mentions Hannah Arendt's 'banality of evil,' a concept used to describe an organization which is evil as a whole, but not on an individual scale. People in these organizations may act in manipulative, intimidating ways to achieve desired outcomes, helping to launch a symptom of psychopathy within a culture or country, but that does not necessarily make them psychopaths themselves.
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