I've long suspected he's a narcissist sociopath, but lately I've been considering the possibility that he might be more Machiavellian. All of this with Linda and Katie took careful planning and patience, which is more of a Machiavellian trait. I wouldn't describe him as impulsive or grandiose. He's definitely haughty and arrogant, so there's no doubt he has narcissistic tendencies. He also has absolutely no empathy for anyone, so there's the psychopath/sociopath. I think the (disturbing) difference is that he's fully aware of how he is, so it's not a disorder he can't control or fix. He means to be this way. And he's getting worse. I think his daughters have learned those traits from him. I'm not sure where my sister falls in this. Are they all Machiavellian? Do they all have ASPD? Are some one way and the rest another? I have no idea and will probably never know. In the end, I have to be ok with that. Fortunately, as I've said, we are distancing ourselves from them. Unfortunately, I have a compulsive need to understand why people behave the way they do. lol

And I totally get you about the empathy. It's a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it is very helpful when someone I know is having a hard time with something, because not only do I feel for them, I feel with them. That gives me a better "feeling" for how to help and comfort them. On the other hand, when someone is angry with me (i.e. my wife), suddenly I'm angry too and I have no idea why. It has caused more than one argument in our marriage over the years. This is a recent revelation for me, so I'm hoping that the next time she's mad at me and I'm starting to feel that anger, I'll recognize it and not reciprocate.