Often when we think of the word psychopath, we think
of deranged serial killers that are hopefully locked up in prison for life.
While there are many psychopaths who kill for reasons that are unfathomable to
most of us and who are indeed in prison, there is an even greater number
roaming free in our society and often using their condition to their
advantage in any way possible. In fact, it is very likely that you know
some–they might even be your colleagues.
Most
of us do not know or work with any serial killers, at least not that we are
aware of. So, what exactly is a psychopath and how can we define them? The
dictionary definition is as follows:
“A
person suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social
behavior.”
As
you can probably tell, a lot more than just serial killers will fit into this
broad definition. In fact, according to Canadian psychologist Dr. Robert Hare,
a world-renowned expert on psychopathy, an estimated 1% of the Earth’s population is
psychopathic and around 25% of the population of male inmates at federal
correctional facilities are psychopathic.
Psychopathic Traits
It is important to note that,
in contrast with the popular image of the ‘deranged psycho,’ psychopaths tend to be very
well composed, take good care of their appearance and are very charming (think
of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho).
Because of this you may have a difficult time spotting them out, as they are
masters of deception and are able to fake a lot of the qualities that define
regular people. Some other psychopathic traits, according to Hare’s Psychopathy
Checklist, are as follows:
- Glib
and superficial charm
- Grandiose
estimation of self
- Need
for stimulation
- Manipulative
and cunning
- Complete
lack of remorse or guilt
- Pathological
lying
- Have
a parasitic lifestyle, often latching onto and taking from others
- Have
a history of early behavioral problems
- Overly
impulsive
- Are
very irresponsible
- Unable
to accept responsibility for actions
- Unable to
commit to long-term relationships
- History
of juvenile delinquency
- Display
criminal versatility
- Experienced
a “revocation of conditional release”
- Lacks
realistic long term goals
- History
of promiscuous sexual behavior
- Have
poor behavioral controls
- Are
callous and lack empathy
- Have
a “shallow affect” (psychopaths show a lack of emotion when an emotional
reaction is appropriate.)
You can actually rate
yourself to find out if you are psychopath. On each criterion, the subject is
ranked on a 3-point scale: (0 = item does not apply, 1 = item
applies somewhat, 2 = item
definitely applies). The scores are summed to create a rank of zero to 40.
Anyone who scores 30 and above is most likely a psychopath. Hare has used this
test and checklist to detect which inmates are psychopaths.
Snakes In Suits
What many of us don’t realize is
that psychopaths actually thrive in the corporate world. Hare
has actually co-authored a book with Dr. Paul Babiak on this topic
entitled, Snakes In Suits: Understanding and Surviving
the Psychopaths in Your Office. Psychopaths manipulate others to
accrue power, sometimes pitting them against each other in an attempt to divide
and conquer. They are often attracted to bigger, dynamic corporations with very
little structure or supervision. They generally don’t work well in teams
because they don’t like to share information or skills and it brings them joy
to watch others fail. They are addicted to power, status and money. Sound
familiar?
Sadly, the corporate world is set up to
favor psychopathic traits such as fearlessness, dominant behavior and immunity
to stress. Because of this, psychopaths often find themselves in these types of
positions, and then have an easier time climbing the corporate ladder and
obtaining positions of great power. This is where they can do real damage to
society.
Are Psychopaths Running The
World?
Not only
as corporate heads do psychopaths find success in our modern-day society, but
also within our governments and political system — often as front-line
politicians. This may come as a shock to you, but when you really look at some
of the atrocities that are taking place on our planet, and if you’ve ever
wondered how things that are so inhumane could actually be happening, well,
therein lies your answer.
When
you consider the war, genocide, senseless murder of civilians, treatment of the
indigenous cultures of the world, chemicals in our food, air and water supply,
acts of “terrorism”, war crimes and so many other unjust and cruel actions
which are often instigated by our political leaders, it becomes easy to see how
psychopaths actually fit the requirements for these types of roles quite well. As mentioned before they are
masters of deception, pathological liars and often quite charming.
Many soldiers go to war and
because they are conditioned to believe that they are fighting an enemy in the
name of peace. They do as they are told and commit these heinous acts against
other human beings. The reason why so many soldiers suffer from post-traumatic
stress disorder is because it is not within human nature to murder other
humans, and especially innocent civilians.
We
already know how many politicians are crooked, but perhaps its time to start
looking at them with the psychopath checklist in mind so that we can be better
equipped to protect not only ourselves but our society from their malicious
acts.
But Can’t We Help Them?
It is natural for anyone who
is an empath or those involved in spiritual work to have compassion for these
individuals and feel compelled to help them overcome their psychopathic
behavior. However, most research has pointed towards the understanding that
psychopaths are born, not made and therefore cannot be cured. This is one of
the main differences that separates sociopaths from psychopaths. Another is
that sociopaths have a conscience, albeit a weak one, and will often justify
something they know to be wrong. By contrast, psychopaths will believe that
their actions are justified and feel no remorse for any harm done. Sociopaths
are made, and have a higher likelihood of overcoming their condition. However,
many of those with sociopathic behavior will find themselves in similar
corporate positions.
Hare’s
research discovered that by attempting to heal or help a psychopath, you might
actually be strengthening their cunning abilities, as they will find a way to
manipulate you into believing that they are remorseful and understand how their
actions were wrong.
The best we can do is learn to
recognize the traits of psychopaths and be sure to stay clear of their actions
and behaviors to protect ourselves from the wake of their inevitable
destruction.
Reprinted with permission
from Collective Evolution.
Copyright
© Collective
Evolution
