5 Things You Never Knew About Psychopaths In the Workplace
Here's one: CEOS are three times more likely to be psychopaths than the general population.
Think you know all about psychopaths? (Think you work with someone who is a psychopath?)
Maybe you do know a lot about psychopaths -- but maybe you don't.
Here are 5 things you probably never realized:
1. Which profession has the most psychopaths? CEO.
Think about what makes CEOs successful. Many can separate facts from feelings and make coldly logical decisions. Many can convince other people to do what they want them to do. Many can sometimes take tough action, regardless of the consequences for certain people. Many like -- and are in fact drawn to -- having and exercising power and control.
That doesn't mean every CEO is a psychopath. But it does mean that some may fall somewhere on the psychopathic spectrum. And it does mean the profession that has the highest percentage of psychopaths is CEO. (If you're curious, lawyers came in second, media third, and salespeople fourth.)
2. Psychopathy isn't a recognized psychiatric or psychological disorder.
The medical community recognizes psychopathy as a sub-category or an extension of antisocial personality disorder. Some feel psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder are the same thing, while many disagree.
Either way, what medical professionals do agree is that psychopaths have relatively shallow emotions (especially a lack of empathy and feeling for others) and tend to be more selfish, feel less guilt, are more impulsive and irresponsible, and possess a superficial charm they use to manipulate others. (There's more to it than that, but you get the point.)
And keep in mind that psychopathy isn't an either/or condition. As with many personality disorders (and personality traits), psychopathy occurs on a spectrum. Some people have minor psychopathic tendencies. Others have more severe tendencies.
And sometimes otherwise "normal" people occasionally do something that seems psychopathic... but was just an error in judgment. That's where remorse -- or lack of remorse -- comes in. A psychopath doesn't really feel remorse.
So if you're worried that something you did means you're a psychopath... the fact you're worried about it means you're probably not. Psychopaths don't tend to suffer from anxiety.
3. As many as 3 out of 20 people may fall somewhere on the psychopathic range.
Think "psychopath" and you probably think "violent killer," but the most important characteristics of a psychopath don't involve violence -- they involve lack of empathy, selfishness, and manipulation. And most psychopaths aren't criminals; they charm and manipulate for other purposes.
And some are less psychopathic than others. In "subclinical" psychopaths, the dysfunctional behaviors are manifested at a different rate and degree.
According to The Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology,
"A subclinical psychopath is likely to pursue less extreme and less frequent forms of antisocial behavior (inflating expense accounts, engaging in sexual harassment and other forms of interpersonal aggression. They are capable of maintaining relationships (albeit socio-emotionally deficient ones) with others. Nevertheless, these relationships tend to be psychologically unhealthy, one-sided, volatile, and frustrating for others."
Most of us know people like that. Shoot, most of us have done things like that. Where relationships are concerned, both professional and personal, no one is perfect.
It's just that subclinical psychopaths tend to be a lot less perfect.
4. Psychopaths typically follow a process.
Psychopaths manipulate other people so they can get what they want. How do they do that?
According to Eric Barker (of Barking Up the Wrong Tree fame):
They get to know people and use fake empathy to make a good first impression. They figure out who has the power.
And then they manipulate peers and subordinates, while getting close to people above them they can use to climb the corporate ladder... doing everything they can to make themselves look good and their competition look bad.
Worked with anyone like that? Me, too. (Hi, Jim!)
5. Little things can make psychopaths easier to spot.
As Inc. colleague Jessica Stillman writes, knowing whether someone is a psychopath means assessing the individual based on a long list of scientifically validated traits like lack of empathy, egocentricity, and lack of remorse.
But you can look for less certain indications:
That means psychopaths aren't always people who simply do what they want without concern for the consequences. Psychopaths might actually care more about the consequences than other people -- especially if they think those consequences will be positive.
The Bottom Line
I know what you're thinking: You've already picked out the psychopath in your workplace.
That's okay. Working with someone who may be a subclinical psychopath isn't really a problem. All you have to do is factor that in to the way you treat them.
They might need a little more praise than other people. They might spend more time focusing on advancing their carers than other people. Compared to most people, they might say or do more things without taking into account the feelings of others.
You probably won't be able to change that, but there are things you can do.
As Eric Barker writes, pay attention to what people do, not what they say. That's the best way to know if you're being manipulated. And work hard to create win-win scenarios. Most of us want to "win." Psychopaths just want to "win" more than most people. Find ways that both of you can win, and psychopaths are much more likely to work with than against you.
And in general terms you can take the opposite approach a psychopath would take. Do what emotionally intelligent people do: Empathize with and adapt to the people around you.
You may not be able to change how other people act... but you can decide how you will respond.
Here's one: CEOS are three times more likely to be psychopaths than the general population.
Think you know all about psychopaths? (Think you work with someone who is a psychopath?)
Maybe you do know a lot about psychopaths -- but maybe you don't.
Here are 5 things you probably never realized:
1. Which profession has the most psychopaths? CEO.
Think about what makes CEOs successful. Many can separate facts from feelings and make coldly logical decisions. Many can convince other people to do what they want them to do. Many can sometimes take tough action, regardless of the consequences for certain people. Many like -- and are in fact drawn to -- having and exercising power and control.
That doesn't mean every CEO is a psychopath. But it does mean that some may fall somewhere on the psychopathic spectrum. And it does mean the profession that has the highest percentage of psychopaths is CEO. (If you're curious, lawyers came in second, media third, and salespeople fourth.)
2. Psychopathy isn't a recognized psychiatric or psychological disorder.
The medical community recognizes psychopathy as a sub-category or an extension of antisocial personality disorder. Some feel psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder are the same thing, while many disagree.
Either way, what medical professionals do agree is that psychopaths have relatively shallow emotions (especially a lack of empathy and feeling for others) and tend to be more selfish, feel less guilt, are more impulsive and irresponsible, and possess a superficial charm they use to manipulate others. (There's more to it than that, but you get the point.)
And keep in mind that psychopathy isn't an either/or condition. As with many personality disorders (and personality traits), psychopathy occurs on a spectrum. Some people have minor psychopathic tendencies. Others have more severe tendencies.
And sometimes otherwise "normal" people occasionally do something that seems psychopathic... but was just an error in judgment. That's where remorse -- or lack of remorse -- comes in. A psychopath doesn't really feel remorse.
So if you're worried that something you did means you're a psychopath... the fact you're worried about it means you're probably not. Psychopaths don't tend to suffer from anxiety.
3. As many as 3 out of 20 people may fall somewhere on the psychopathic range.
Think "psychopath" and you probably think "violent killer," but the most important characteristics of a psychopath don't involve violence -- they involve lack of empathy, selfishness, and manipulation. And most psychopaths aren't criminals; they charm and manipulate for other purposes.
And some are less psychopathic than others. In "subclinical" psychopaths, the dysfunctional behaviors are manifested at a different rate and degree.
According to The Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology,
"A subclinical psychopath is likely to pursue less extreme and less frequent forms of antisocial behavior (inflating expense accounts, engaging in sexual harassment and other forms of interpersonal aggression. They are capable of maintaining relationships (albeit socio-emotionally deficient ones) with others. Nevertheless, these relationships tend to be psychologically unhealthy, one-sided, volatile, and frustrating for others."
Most of us know people like that. Shoot, most of us have done things like that. Where relationships are concerned, both professional and personal, no one is perfect.
It's just that subclinical psychopaths tend to be a lot less perfect.
4. Psychopaths typically follow a process.
Psychopaths manipulate other people so they can get what they want. How do they do that?
According to Eric Barker (of Barking Up the Wrong Tree fame):
- They assess the utility, weaknesses and defenses of those around them,
- They manipulate others to bond with them and get what they want,
- They abandon their targets and move on... or, in a corporate environment, often move up.
They get to know people and use fake empathy to make a good first impression. They figure out who has the power.
And then they manipulate peers and subordinates, while getting close to people above them they can use to climb the corporate ladder... doing everything they can to make themselves look good and their competition look bad.
Worked with anyone like that? Me, too. (Hi, Jim!)
5. Little things can make psychopaths easier to spot.
As Inc. colleague Jessica Stillman writes, knowing whether someone is a psychopath means assessing the individual based on a long list of scientifically validated traits like lack of empathy, egocentricity, and lack of remorse.
But you can look for less certain indications:
- The individual's profession
- Their college major
- Their speech patterns
- The type of boss they prefer to work for
- End their usual bedtime.
That means psychopaths aren't always people who simply do what they want without concern for the consequences. Psychopaths might actually care more about the consequences than other people -- especially if they think those consequences will be positive.
The Bottom Line
I know what you're thinking: You've already picked out the psychopath in your workplace.
That's okay. Working with someone who may be a subclinical psychopath isn't really a problem. All you have to do is factor that in to the way you treat them.
They might need a little more praise than other people. They might spend more time focusing on advancing their carers than other people. Compared to most people, they might say or do more things without taking into account the feelings of others.
You probably won't be able to change that, but there are things you can do.
As Eric Barker writes, pay attention to what people do, not what they say. That's the best way to know if you're being manipulated. And work hard to create win-win scenarios. Most of us want to "win." Psychopaths just want to "win" more than most people. Find ways that both of you can win, and psychopaths are much more likely to work with than against you.
And in general terms you can take the opposite approach a psychopath would take. Do what emotionally intelligent people do: Empathize with and adapt to the people around you.
You may not be able to change how other people act... but you can decide how you will respond.