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I'll repeat my criticism of the check list. It is first of all one dimensional. It takes a number of characteristics open to dispute and inquiry and comes up with an overall diagnosis that has pejorative characteristics. The whole problem of personality diagnoses is they are soft, fuzzy concepts of which any given one or more characteristics are commonly found in normal people.

Second, the list does not correct for age and maturation.

Third, the list does not discriminate between people on the basis of functioning. By any standard President Clinton is a high functioning person. He has many personality flaws that mirror several personality disorders, but the most likely way to understand him is to use "trait" instead of disorder.

It is generally assumed a psychological disorder requires impaired functioning and/or personal pain. It is much to easy to use a personality diagnosis as a pejorative label rather than firm, hard moral and political judgments as to his behavior.

"It is generally assumed a psychological disorder requires impaired functioning and/or personal pain. It is much to easy to use a personality diagnosis as a pejorative label rather than firm, hard moral and political judgments as to his behavior."

Impaired functioning/personal pain is not always easy for the casual observer to see. As you stated in a prior post, studies of interactions in personal settings are necessary for a firm diagnosis. However, this does not mean that observant individuals cannot pick up on abnormal reactions. Those who watch an individual carefully over a number of years are very often able to ascertain specifics that trigger various behaviors. It is actually easier to say someone seems immoral or he/she simply has political motives.

Many bible fundamentalists refuse to accomodate the concept of psychological deficiencies or abnormalities, preferring to say sin is sin.

Perhaps it only matters if we want to believe someone can be "cured." But for that, the client would have to acknowledge a problem. In this case, it is highly doubtful that would happen because it would seem unlikely there would be a base of support for change.

By the way, can you recall backwards the names of the U.S. presidents? ;)

It is generally assumed a psychological disorder requires impaired functioning and/or personal pain. It is much to easy to use a personality diagnosis as a pejorative label rather than firm, hard moral and political judgments as to his behavior.

What about total lack of personal pain that other people might feel about their serious failures and shortcomings? Wouldn't that indicate a sociopath?