[gSjQEEmq]

One out of every 25 business leaders could be psychopathic, a study claims.

The study, conducted by the New York psychologist Paul Babiak, suggests that they disguise the condition by hiding behind their high status, playing up their charm and by manipulating others.

Favourable environmental factors such as a happy childhood mean they can function in a workplace rather than channelling their energies in more violent or destructive ways. Revealing the results in a BBC Horizon documentary, Babiak said: "Psychopaths really aren't the kind of person you think they are.

"In fact, you could be living with or married to one for 20 years or more and not know that person is a psychopath.

"We have identified individuals that might be labelled 'the successful psychopath'.

"Part of the problem is that the very things we're looking for in our leaders, the psychopath can easily mimic.

"Their natural tendency is to be charming. Take that charm and couch it in the right business language and it sounds like charismatic leadership."

Babiak designed a 111-point questionnaire with Professor Bob Hare, of the University of British Columbia in Canada, a renowned expert in psychopathy. Hare believes about 1% of Americans can be described as psychopaths.

The survey suggests psychopaths are actually poor managerial performers but are adept at climbing the corporate ladder because they can cover up their weaknesses by subtly charming superiors and subordinates.

This makes it almost impossible to distinguish between a genuinely talented team leader and a psychopath, Babiak said. Hare told Horizon: "The higher the psychopathy, the better they looked – lots of charisma and they talk a good line.

"But if you look at their actual performance and ratings as a team player and productively, it's dismal. Looked good, performed badly.

"You have to think of psychopaths as having at their disposal a very large repertoire of behaviours. So they can use charm, manipulation, intimidation, whatever is required.

"A psychopath can actually put themselves in your skin, intellectually not emotionally.

"They can tell what you're thinking, they can look at your body language, they can listen to what you're saying, but what they don't really do is feel what you feel.

"What this allows them to do is use words to manipulate and con and to interact with you without the baggage of feeling your pain." via Guardian.co.uk

I don't think this just applies to Civilian Business Leaders but to all Leaders, including our Military and Elected Officials.

Thoughts?

[Asianunta]

via Guardian.co.uk

I don't think this just applies to Civilian Business Leaders but to all Leaders, including our Military and Elected Officials.

Thoughts?

You must have encountered a SWO or two in your facilities!

[PriernPayorse]

You must have encountered a SWO or two in your facilities!

Surprisingly no. Just Devil Dogs and Bubbleheads.

[ovenco]

i worked with some folks i KNOW were crazier than they drove me.

[gnusnich]

Surprisingly no. Just Devil Dogs and Bubbleheads.

Well bubbleheads spend most of their waking lives within 200 feet of a nuclear reactor, I decline to comment on our Devil Dog brethren!

[blohannaserri]

Well bubbleheads spend most of their waking lives within 200 feet of a nuclear reactor, I decline to comment on our Devil Dog brethren!

We're talking about psychopathy not sociopathy.

I've known quite a few SNCO and a couple Officers that were charming as hell, but couldn't get shit done when it came to actual work. Its a little hard to think of them as psychopaths because they don't fit the Hollywood model, and I have a friggin degree in the subject. Now politicians as psychopaths, yes. I totally see it and that is discounting unsettling magazine covers and hillarious internet memes. I read another study about the average intelligence of politicians and it wasn't that impressive, the authors concluded that some politicians probably get to where they are through charm and manipulation, not because they are the right people for the job.

[giturbewan]

We're talking about psychopathy not sociopathy.

I've known quite a few SNCO and a couple Officers that were charming as hell, but couldn't get shit done when it came to actual work. Its a little hard to think of them as psychopaths because they don't fit the Hollywood model, and I have a friggin degree in the subject. Now politicians as psychopaths, yes. I totally see it and that is discounting unsettling magazine covers and hillarious internet memes. I read another study about the average intelligence of politicians and it wasn't that impressive, the authors concluded that some politicians probably get to where they are through charm and manipulation, not because they are the right people for the job.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least, I can't say a recent *cough-cough*-gate didn't strike me as an individual who has some issues, and most certainly a severe lacking in the common sense department. (I'll caveat that my education in Engineering and Business Administration don't do much towards reinforcing my psychoanalytical qualifications).

[ScosyGissiok]

Wouldn't surprise me in the least, I can't say a recent *cough-cough*-gate didn't strike me as an individual who has some issues, and most certainly a severe lacking in the common sense department. (I'll caveat that my education in Engineering and Business Administration don't do much towards reinforcing my psychoanalytical qualifications).

Nothing wrong with a little armchair psychology on the interwebs.

[AbeldeldepBug]

I only know a handful of sociopaths. No psycho paths.

[Badyalectlawl]

Again no expert in all the head-doc stuff, but I feel fairly legit in stating nearly every Surface Warfare Officer has at least a raging case of ADD, ADHD, or OCD, or any combinations of the 3 (and this coming from one who exhibits some of the symptoms.)

[Doctor-CTAC]

Again no expert in all the head-doc stuff, but I feel fairly legit in stating nearly every Surface Warfare Officer has at least a raging case of ADD, ADHD, or OCD, or any combinations of the 3 (and this coming from one who exhibits some of the symptoms.)

OCD can sometimes be a useful trait as a leader, and ADD and ADHD are controllable learning disablilities.

Psychopathy and Sociopathy are serious Antisocial Personality Disorders. Psychopaths aren't violent like sociopaths, but they maybe incompetent in their positions as leaders, charming and manipulating people into doing the work for them or tricking them into overlooking the fact they (the psychopath) can't do their jobs. And on top of it all they don't care about the people who work for them or the people they work for one bit.

[Squeernemergo]

OCD can sometimes be a useful trait as a leader, and ADD and ADHD are controllable learning disablilities.

Psychopathy and Sociopathy are serious Antisocial Personality Disorders. Psychopaths aren't violent like sociopaths, but they maybe incompetent in their positions as leaders, charming and manipulating people into doing the work for them or tricking them into overlooking the fact they (the psychopath) can't do their jobs. And on top of it all they don't care about the people who work for them or the people they work for one bit.

I always thought it was the other way around. However I still admit I am relatively clueless where some of these things are concerned.

[kennyguitar]

I always thought it was the other way around. However I still admit I am relatively clueless where some of these things are concerned.

The psychological community is a bit split on the issue, some see the two as the same problem, others do not. Those that see them as two separate APDs (Antisocial Personality Disorder) believe that though both share lack of empathy as a trait, Sociopaths lack impulse control and organizational skills. Psychopaths don't lack these and can typically function in day to day life without drawing attention to the fact that they are devoid of empethetic skill. It's probably partly behavorial, the psychopath grew up in a stable home and learned to fake empathy with charm to manipulate others, while the sociopath grows up in a troubled home and lashes out without remorse, using charm to go unnoticed by adult authority figures until they do something that can't be ignored, usually killing someone. But then again the theory isn't perfect, not all sociopaths come from broken homes and not all psychopaths come from good ones.

[cabonuserollyo]

The psychological community is a bit split on the issue, some see the two as the same problem, others do not. Those that see them as two separate APDs (Antisocial Personality Disorder) believe that though both share lack of empathy as a trait, Sociopaths lack impulse control and organizational skills. Psychopaths don't lack these and can typically function in day to day life without drawing attention to the fact that they are devoid of empethetic skill. It's probably partly behavorial, the psychopath grew up in a stable home and learned to fake empathy with charm to manipulate others, while the sociopath grows up in a troubled home and lashes out without remorse, using charm to go unnoticed by adult authority figures until they do something that can't be ignored, usually killing someone. But then again the theory isn't perfect, not all sociopaths come from broken homes and not all psychopaths come from good ones.

I'd have to imagine with both types you'll find different levels of severity also.

[xqdrocherz]

I think that number (1 in 25) is very conservative.

[29clepayJainync]

I think that number (1 in 25) is very conservative.

HA!

In all seriousness though I do agree, 1 in 25 does seem a little low. Then again it may be right and all the other nut jobs have some form of Narsisitc Personality Disorder.

[pimbertiemoft]

Or maybe we're the psychopaths and they're normal !!