Psychopathy

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Psychopathy is a personality disorder described by [various] personality traits and behaviors [...] Psychopaths are without conscience and incapable of empathy, guilt, or loyalty to anyone but themselves.

In the journal Psychology, Crime, and Law, researchers Board and Fritzon administered a self-report personality inventory to a sample of British senior business managers and executives. They concluded that the prevalence of histrionic, narcissistic, and compulsive personality disorders was relatively high, and that many of the traits exhibited were consistent with psychopathy: superficial charm, insincerity, egocentricity, manipulativeness, grandiosity, lack of empathy, exploitativeness, independence, rigidity, stubbornness, and dictatorial tendencies.

We now know that some organizations actively seek out and recruit individuals with at least a moderate dose of psychopathic features.

Some executives have said to us, “Many of the traits you describe to us seem to be valued by our company. Why shouldn’t companies hire psychopaths to fill some jobs?” A proper, scientific answer is that more research is needed to determine the impact of various doses of psychopathic characteristics on the performance of different types of jobs.

The “optimal” number and severity of such characteristics presumably is higher for some jobs (such as stock promoter, politician, law enforcement, used-car salespeople, mercenaries, and lawyers) than for others (such as social workers, teachers, nurses, and ministers).

[Paul Babiak & Robert D. Hare]
'Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work'



We believe there is no evidence that any treatments yet applied to psychopaths have been shown to be effective in reducing violence or crime. In fact, some treatments that are effective for other offenders are actually harmful for psychopaths in that they appear to promote recidivism.

We believe that the reason for these findings is that psychopaths are fundamentally different from other offenders and that there is nothing “wrong” with them in the manner of a deficit or impairment that therapy can “fix.”

Instead, they exhibit an evolutionarily viable life strategy that involves lying, cheating, and manipulating others.

[Kevin S. Douglas,  Gina M. Vincent & John F. Edens]
'Risk for Criminal Recidivism: The Role of Psychopathy'


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