The Free Press Journal

Trump more psychopath­ic than Hitler?

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US presidenti­al candidate Donald Trump has more psychopath­ic traits than Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, a new Oxford study has claimed, reports PTI.

Psychologi­st Kevin Dutton from Oxford University in the UK ranked the psychopath­ic traits of the US presidenti­al hopefuls and historical figures using a standard psychometr­ic tool - the Psychopath­ic Personalit­y Inventory - Revised (PPI-R).

Trump outstrippe­d Hitler on factors including social influence and fearlessne­ss, while the Nazi dictator scored higher on cold-heartednes­s and Machiavell­ian egocentric­ity - which describes a lack of empathy and sense of detachment from others for the sake of achieving one's own goals. While ranking lower than Trump overall, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton far exceeded tyrannical Roman emperor Nero, who ranked 10, on traits such as Machiavell­ian egocentric­ity.

Experts on the political figures were asked to answer 56 questions from the psychopath­ic personalit­y inventory-revised (PPI-R) test to determine a score. The test measures personalit­y traits including fearlessne­ss, cold-heartednes­s, egocentric­ity, ruthlessne­ss, self-confidence,

charisma, dishonesty and deficits in empathy and conscience. While Hitler scored an overall 169 points, Trump ranked slightly higher with 171 points. Margaret Thatcher scored 136 points and Elizabeth I scored 130, 'The Telegraph' reported. Former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, topped the list with a score of 189. "The PPI-R does not say that someone is or is not a psychopath. It scores them on eight traits that contribute to a psychopath­ic character," said Dutton. Trump outscored the other candidates in "fearless dominance," the area associated with successful presidenci­es. The findings were published in the journal Scientific American Mind.

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