Originally Posted by
Caradoc
...which is one of the hallmarks of antisocial personality disorders.
"I had to do that because I was following orders," fits neatly with "...there is a tendency to blame others, or to offer plausible rationalizations for the behaviour bringing the patient into conflict with society."
http://apps.who.int/classifications/...?gf60.htm+f602
Reading through the ICD-10 f60.2 is like reading an overview of TSA behaviors.
I don't see it as "I was only following orders" thing in order to rationalize one's actions. It's more of a substitution of "legitimate" actions for illegal actions: one becomes a LEO or a member of the military so they can legitimatize their desires to act in a certain manner.
Sociopaths and psychopaths do not see anything wrong with their actions, that's where blaming others for the results of their actions comes into play. Those who sublimate know that to act on their impulses is wrong so they substitute.