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   Home * 2012 * November * The Corporate Psychopath   
      
   The Corporate Psychopath   
   By Paul Babiak, Ph.D., and Mary Ellen O'Toole, Ph.D.   
   Back View of Businessman in Chair with Hands Behind Head   
   (c) Thinkstock.com   
      
   Psychopathy is one of the most studied personality disorders. It consists of   
   variations of 20 well-documented characteristics that form a unique human   
   personality syndrome--the psychopath. Many of these traits are visible to   
   those who interact with the    
   psychopath who possess some or all of these characteristics. For some,   
   superficial charm and grandiose sense of self make them likable on first   
   meeting. Their ability to impress others with entertaining and captivating   
   stories about their lives and    
   accomplishments can result in instant rapport. They often make favorable,   
   long-lasting first impressions. This personality disorder is a continuous   
   variable, not a classification or distinct category, which means that not all   
   corporate psychopaths    
   exhibit the same behaviors.   
   Beneath the cleverly formed façade--typically created by psychopaths to   
   influence their targets--is a darker side, which people eventually may   
   suspect. They can be pathological liars who con, manipulate, and deceive   
   others for selfish means. Some    
   corporate psychopaths thrive on thrill seeking, bore easily, seek stimulation,   
   and play mind games with a strong desire to win. Unlike professional athletes   
   moved by a desire to improve performance and surpass their personal best,   
   psychopaths are driven    
   by what they perceive as their victims' vulnerabilities. Little research   
   exists on their inner psychological experiences; however, they seem to get   
   perverted pleasure from hurting and abusing their victims.   
   Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) research indicates that   
   psychopaths are incapable of experiencing basic human emotions and feelings of   
   guilt, remorse, or empathy.1 This emotional poverty often is visible in their   
   shallow sentiment. They    
   display emotions only to manipulate individuals around them. They mimic other   
   people's emotional responses. Some lack realistic long-term goals, although   
   they can describe grandiose plans. The impulsive and irresponsible psychopath   
   lives a parasitic and    
   predatory lifestyle, seeking out and using other people, perhaps, for money,   
   food, shelter, sex, power, and influence.   
   Psychopathy is a personality disorder traditionally assessed with the   
   Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).2 Often used interchangeably with   
   psychopathy, the term sociopathy is obsolete and was removed from the   
   Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in    
   1968. Currently, there is no formal diagnosis of psychopathy in the DSM-Fourth   
   Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR); however, it is being considered for the   
   2013 DSM-V list of personality disorders.   
   Paul Babiak and Mary Ellen O'Toole with Bios   
      
   Façade   
      
   It is fascinating that psychopaths can survive and thrive in a corporate   
   environment. Day-to-day interactions with coworkers, coupled with business   
   policies and procedures, should make unmasking them easy, but this does not   
   always hold true. Large    
   companies' command-and-control functions ought to make dealing with them   
   simple and direct; however, this may not be the case.   
   Psychopathic manipulation usually begins by creating a mask, known as   
   psychopathic fiction, in the minds of those targeted. In interpersonal   
   situations, this façade shows the psychopath as the ideal friend, lover, and   
   partner. These individuals excel at    
   sizing up their prey. They appear to fulfill their victims' psychological   
   needs, much like the grooming behavior of molesters. Although they sometimes   
   appear too good to be true, this persona typically is too grand to resist.   
   They play into people's    
   basic desire to meet the right person--someone who values them for themselves,   
   wants to have a close relationship, and is different from others who have   
   disappointed them. Belief in the realism of this personality can lead the   
   individual to form a    
   psychopathic bond with the perpetrator on intellectual, emotional, and   
   physical levels. At this point, the target is hooked and now has become a   
   psychopathic victim.   
   Corporate psychopaths use the ability to hide their true selves in plain sight   
   and display desirable personality traits to the business world. To do this,   
   they maintain multiple masks at length. The façade they establish with   
   coworkers and management is    
   that of the ideal employee and future leader. This can prove effective,   
   particularly in organizations experiencing turmoil and seeking a "knight in   
   shining armor" to fix the company.   
   Con   
      
   How is it possible for psychopaths to fool business-savvy executives and   
   employers? They often use conning skills during interviews to convince their   
   hiring managers that they have the potential for promotion and the knowledge,   
   skills, and abilities to    
   do an outstanding job. Using their lying skills, they may create phony resumes   
   and fictitious work experience to further their claims. They may manipulate   
   others to act as references. Credentials, such as diplomas, performance   
   awards, and trophies, often    
   are fabricated.   
   Open Quotes on Blue Bar   
   Psychopathic    
   manipulation usually begins by creating a mask, known as a psychopathic   
   fiction, in the minds of those targeted.   
   Close Quotes on Blue Bar   
   Once inside the organization, corporate psychopaths capitalize on others'   
   expectations of a commendable employee. Coworkers and managers may misread   
   superficial charm as charisma, a desirable leadership trait. A psychopath's   
   grandiose talk can resemble    
   self-confidence, while subtle conning and manipulation often suggest influence   
   and persuasion skills. Sometimes psychopaths' thrill-seeking behavior and   
   impulsivity are mistaken for high energy and enthusiasm, action orientation,   
   and the ability to    
   multitask. To the organization, these individuals' irresponsibility may give   
   the appearance of a risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit--highly prized in   
   today's fast-paced business environment. Lack of realistic goal setting   
   combined with grandiose    
   statements can be misinterpreted as visionary and strategic thinking ability;   
   both are rare and sought after by senior management. An inability to feel   
   emotions may be disguised as the capability to make tough decisions and stay   
   calm in the heat of    
   battle.   
   Damage   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)