By Paul Babiak, Ph.D., and Mary Ellen O'Toole, Ph.D.
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with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).2 Often used interchangeably with psychopathy, the term sociopathy is obsolete and was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1968.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.
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.
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
Evidence suggests that when participating in teams, corporate
psychopaths' behaviors can wreak havoc. In departments managed by
psychopaths, their conduct decreases productivity and morale. These
issues can have a severe impact on a company's business
performance.
There also is the risk for economic crimes to be committed. For the corporate executive and the criminal justice professional, the issue is the possibility of fraud. Today's corporate psychopath may be highly educated--several with Ph.D., M.D., and J.D. degrees have been studied--and capable of circumventing financial controls and successfully passing corporate audits.
Investigation
Investigators should familiarize themselves with the typical traits
and characteristics of psychopaths. They must understand the
manipulation techniques used to create and manage the psychopathic
bonds established with victim organizations. Their reputations, as
judged by those in power with whom they have bonded, known as
patrons, often provide added protection from closer investigation.
As a result, the investigator may need to build a case with
management for the use and broad application of more sophisticated
techniques.
Practice (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates, 2007)P. Babiak, C.S. Neumann, and R.D. Hare, "Corporate Psychopathy: Talking the Walk," Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28, no. 2 (2010): 174-193H. Cleckley, The Mask of Sanity (St Louis, MO: Mosby, 1982)J. Coid, M. Freestone, S. Ullrich, "Subtypes of Psychopathy in the British Household Population: Findings from the National Household Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity,"
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatra Epidemiol 47, no. 6 (2012): 879-891R.D. Hare, Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us (New York, NY: Guilford Press, 1999)R.D. Hare, Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised, 2nd ed. (Toronto, ON:
Multi-Health Systems, 2003)M.E. O'Toole, "Psychopathy as a Behavior Classification System for Violent and
Serial Crime Scenes," in ed., H. Hervé and J. Yuille, The Psychopath: Theory, Research, and Practice (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates, 2007): 301-325
Psychopaths can be expert liars often immune to traditional
deception-revealing techniques. Some practice avoiding detection in
anticipation of being caught and interrogated. Therefore,
investigators independently should corroborate any information
provided by these individuals.3
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