The current scandals swirling around New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie offer an interesting insight into a particular type of
sociopathy, one that Christie has displayed since his days as a U.S.
attorney. Unfortunately for Christie, the very same sociopathic traits
that often make for a successful federal prosecutor are proving
disastrous for an elected official.
The ability to disconnect from the truth and create one's own reality
is an effective tactic for career advancement in the U.S. attorney's
office. The "crimes" alleged by federal prosecutors need not
necessarily bear a particularly strong semblance to the actual fact
pattern, for more important than what actually transpired is the
prosecutor's version of what occurred. Embellishment, prevarication and
outright deception have long proven to be powerful prosecutorial
tools. Christie's tenure as U.S. attorney was served well by these
methods, allowing him to rack up a superficially impressive record as a
crime fighting federal prosecutor. Serving as the chief federal
prosecutor for the district, with near limitless discretionary power,
likely fed into his despotic/authoritarian tendencies which are often
exhibited by sociopaths.
(image by google images)
Governor Chris Christie find himself mired in a deepening
scandal, yet pathologically insists all of the wrongdoing was
accomplished without his knowledge
While all sociopaths lie, falsifying and misrepresenting does not
necessarily make one sociopathic. Lying is often recognized as being
sociopathic when those asserting the lies allow their fabrications to
become their own reality. A sociopath often cunningly lies in order to
gain or achieve something. In Christie's case, the over-arching goal
was career advancement. The rules in federal court, grossly stacked in
favor of the government, allow federal prosecutors to routinely replace
actual facts with their more self-serving version of events. In short,
insistence upon creating their own reality and ignoring inconvenient
facts is rewarded with their subjective reality displacing the real one,
at least as far as the relevant legal proceedings are concerned. So it
should come as no surprise that Christie continues to deny any
wrongdoing, even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. It
is a strategy that has served him well in the past. Nevertheless,
continuing to lie despite a growing body of contradictory facts reveals a
significant element of Christie's sociopathy. In many ways, this
chronic mendacity is precisely what one would expect.
Christie's blossoming feud with former appointee David Wildstein
allows further insight into Christie's pathology. Given that
retaliating for perceived slights and subsequently upping the ante is
another hallmark of sociopathy, Christie's actions in regard to
Wildstein's perceived perfidy are practically textbook. Christie, at
his January 9, 2014 press conference, took to insulting Wildstein and
claiming he was something akin to a passing acquaintance. This despite
the fact that they attended high school together and have been
associated professionally for many years. Ready for the pointing out of
this inconvenient fact, Christie explained that while they were indeed
at same high school, they were on disparate trajectories.
(image by google images)
David Wildstein's apparent willingness to implicate Christie has
been met with a bewildering response, including claims of alleged
transgressions dating back to high school
"You know, I was the class president and athlete," Christie said.
"I don't know what David was doing during that period of time."
While somewhat puzzling, Christie's tone and comment was dripping with narcissism, another recognized hallmark of sociopathy.
On February 3, 2014, Wildstein's counsel alleged that evidence
existed which would contradict Christie's shifting claims regarding the
George Washington Bridge scandal. Christie again fired back with a
reference to Wildstein's high school days. The governor's hit memo
attempted to dismiss Wildstein's allegations by pointing out that
Wildstein had while in high school "sued over a local school board
election" and that his high school social studies teacher had publicly
accused him of "deceptive behavior." The Christie memo summed up by
saying, "Bottom line, David Wildstein will do and say anything to save
David Wildstein."
Much of the media was quick to point out the amateurish nature of
Christie's response and theorized that top media aides who would
normally prepare such a release were simply unavailable for the task
since having lawyered up. Perhaps, but Christie's honing in on his
target's alleged missteps while in high school is more revealing than
many realize.
(image by google images)
Michael Drewniak has long served as Christie's de facto minister
of information, but has lawyered up as a result of the scandals and is
likely unavailable for further service
Disproportionately zeroing in on matters that others would normally
consider trivial is another recognized indication of sociopathy. This
is a favorite tactic of federal prosecutors who will use any available
triviality to paint adversaries in as negative a light as possible.
Citing decades old murky "facts," as Christie is doing with Wildstein,
is standard fare in federal criminal matters where no transgression is
too small to warrant attention and subsequent punishment. Accordingly,
Christie's citing of Wildstein's misdeeds while in high school is more
pathologically prosecutorial than amateurish.
The current dynamics of the Christie-Wildstein relationship offer
additional insight into Christie's sociopathy. The incapacity to
maintain enduring relationships while having no difficulty in
establishing them is another recognized sociopathic trait. Christie's
haste in not only renouncing Wildstein, but also minimizing and
mischaracterizing their decades-long relationship, speaks directly to
this element of his pathology. Christie's unflinching willingness to
jettison other aides, including Bridget Kelly, offers further evidence
of his inability to fully appreciate personal relationships.
(image by google images)
Senior aide Bridget Kelly was promptly fired and publicly
criticized by Christie after her now infamously incriminating email
calling for a "traffic problem" came to light
Indeed, the fact that Christie's relationship with Wildstein goes
back to his childhood offers additional insights into Christie's
longstanding lack of fitness. Marked readiness to blame others or to
offer plausible rationalizations for the behavior that has brought the
person into conflict with society is another recognized element of
sociopathy. In many ways, Christie's response to his recent scandals
displays this propensity to rationalize and blame others. Christie's
haste in discarding a long-time, childhood friend and laying blame
squarely upon him would appear to be a most egregious example of this
element of sociopathy.
Another interesting element of Christie's Wildstein hit memo is the
derisive reference to Wildstein's "anonymous blogging." Wildstein had
previously blogged under the pseudonym "Wally Edge" and was considered
by some to have been New Jersey's premier political blogger. Much of
the blog's appeal came from its ability to break hot political stories.
Interestingly, the source for many of these breaking stories was the
New Jersey U.S. attorney's office, then headed by Chris Christie.
The impropriety of prosecutors leaking information to select media
outlets has long been a source of contention, but Christie's U.S.
attorney's office was recognized to have taken the practice to
previously unforeseen heights. Christie's willingness to disdainfully
cite Wildstein's role in the scheme, which clearly benefited Christie
and his fellow federal prosecutors, sheds further light on troubling
personality traits.
(image by google images)
The Newark U.S. attorney's office is where Christie's current delusive trajectory began to take form
Playing fast and loose with the rules has long been a Christie
tendency, dating back to his tenure as U.S. attorney and evidenced by
the aforementioned leaking to the media. This corresponds with another
sociopathic tendency, the gross and persistent attitude of
irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and
obligations. As far as he is concerned, the rules have never applied to
Chris Christie. Their applicability is exclusively for others. This
disconnect was significantly heightened by Christie's zeal while U.S.
attorney for disproportionately pursuing relatively trivial matters with
the full force of the U.S. government. Despite his own glaring
violations, no crime was too small to warrant fervent prosecution by
Christie.
This excessive urge to punish corresponds with another powerful
signifier of sociopathy, a marked lack of empathy and the callous
unconcern for the feelings of others. Christie's willingness to
promptly sacrifice those around him, even longstanding loyal
subordinates, would appear to directly square with this symptom. It
also speaks to the sociopath's aforementioned inability to maintain
enduring relationships.
As the scandal surrounding Christie deepens, he shows no sign of
retreating. He appears to be sticking to his time-tested tactic of
deception, which has worked well for him in the past. Given that
sociopaths are typically incapable of feeling shame, guilt or remorse,
only more of the same can be reasonably expected. Sociopaths seek to
dominate others and "win" at all costs. They loath to lose any sort of
argument or fight and can thus be anticipated to viciously defend their
web of lies, even to the point of logical absurdity, which is how many
view Christie's current dubious and widely contradicted assertions.
(image by google images)
The DSM V identifies and explains the sociopathic traits found in Chris Christie
Sociopaths like Christie never apologize. In their minds they are
never wrong and thus reticent to admit error. Even if presented with
evidence that they were in fact wrong, they will refuse to acknowledge
their mistake and instead go on the attack. A less pathologically
addled individual would likely recognize that their appointment of
someone as unfit as Christie attempts to make Wildstein out to be
reflects negatively upon themselves. Yet continued attacks by Christie
are what can likely be anticipated as the scandals continue to multiply
and unfold.
All of this begs the question of how it took so long for Christie to be
recognized as being wholly unfit. Part of the explanation may lie in
the fact that sociopaths like Christie are often highly intelligent,
charming and possess a great ability manipulate others. Nevertheless,
it is not unreasonable to expect that Christie's unsuitability for
public service would have been exposed at some earlier juncture. Much
of his career's longevity can be attributed to a woefully compliant
press core that was reticent to subject Christie to meaningful
scrutiny. It is ironic that it is the same media which is now fixed to
Christie's missteps and hastening the decline of the very individual
they so successfully propped up for so long.
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