Psychotic Reaction

We're all crazy now:

A new study suggesting conservatives are far more likely to exhibit antisocial personality traits than liberals is drawing skepticism from critics who say the findings are a stretch at best.

The paper, by University of Tampa professor Marcus Arvan, claims to find "significant" correlations between key antisocial personality traits and bedrock conservative views, like opposition to gay marriage and support for capital punishment. Specifically, the research claims to find elements of narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism, also described as "deception," among test subjects.

Now published in the journal Neuroethics, the study does not explicitly state that conservatives are psychos.

Arvan said repeatedly that more research is needed to follow up on his study, and he noted that many positive personality traits may also correlate with conservative views.

"It's not to say that those people are certifiably crazy," he said.

Rather, Arvan claimed to find among conservatives glimmers of the three so-called "dark" antisocial traits he tested for -- and generally did not find signs of those traits among those with liberal views.

Right, because the Occupation camps have been such stellar models of sanity...