Analysis: It is easy to be fooled by the charming behaviour of a psychopath in the workplace, but their meanness is a particularly sinister trait
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Psychopathy has long intrigued both casual observers and scientists. It's something of a paradox, where a façade of normalcy conceals destructive behaviours and disregard for consequences. Some of those typical behaviours associated with psychopathy include manipulation, frequent deception and pathological lying, lack of empathy, a grandiose sense of self-worth, impulsivity, and irresponsibility. At work they bully, demean and disregard others, as well as readily engage in fraud. It’s never a good thing if someone is, even casually, referred to as a 'psycho’.
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But there are also sub-clinical psychopaths out there, otherwise known as adaptive, successful, or corporate psychopaths, who avoid succumbing to their darker tendencies. These individuals can be charismatic, conscientious, and exhibit strong planning, decisiveness, networking skills, self-control, and resilience. Such traits not only facilitate their rise to leadership positions, but have also been found in people who hold altruistic jobs such as firefighting and surgery.
Meanness: The Cold Manipulator
Meanness is often referred to as the 'dark core' of psychopathy. It involves cruelty, a lack of empathy, and a tendency to exploit others. These individuals often enjoy seeing others fail and don’t form strong social connections.
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Disinhibition: The Impulsive Actor
Disinhibition is all about impulsivity, lack of planning, and struggles with self-control. This trait is associated with anti-social behaviour and abusive supervision.
Boldness: The Brave Face
Boldness is about staying calm and focused in risky or new situations and having a confident, dominant personality. While this can sometimes lead to an inflated sense of self-worth, it’s also linked to success in roles requiring bravery and resilience. This facet of psychopathy has been referred to as the adaptive face of psychopathy.
So here's an interesting question: what is it that triggers the adaptive and destructive aspects of psychopathy? A few explanations have been offered over the years, like pride and self-confidence. I decided to explore whether a person’s moral compass makes the difference. Linking morality with a psychopath, may, at first glance, seem like a fool’s errand, but some people say psychopaths might just have 'a different set of moral taste buds' whereby they employ a utilitarian morality and even demonstrate advanced moral reasoning in certain situations.
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I looked at this more deeply and gathered data from over 200 employees in Ireland. We measured the three facets of psychopathy, the positive behaviour of helping colleagues and participants’ moral frameworks.
The bad news is that people with high levels of both meanness and disinhibition do not behave as good citizens at work, with the former being the worst offenders. Even more worrying, the complete absence of a moral framework, especially among psychopathically mean people, was seen to free them up to completely disregard such activities.
But the good news is that people with high levels of boldness, which is an aspect of psychopathy, did engage in positive citizenship behaviours. Unfortunately, we did not find that this was in any way connected to their moral compass so why they do what they do is still unclear.
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What does all this tell us? In the intricate world of psychopathy, where a veneer of charm and competence often masks destructive tendencies, it's essential to delve deeper into understanding these behaviours. First, we can’t tar all aspects of psychopathy with the same brush. The blanket categorisation of psychopaths as wholly pernicious overlooks the complexity of their traits, potentially excluding beneficial characteristics they might offer. We need to recognise that there are aspects to these individuals which are positive, and it is our job to identify these differences.
Recognising the potential benefits and risks associated with different psychopathic traits can help organisations harness positive attributes while mitigating harmful behaviours
Second, we need to recognise the inherent amorality in psychopaths and the risks they pose. That means we need to be discerning when selecting people for jobs. It is easy to be fooled by the charming behaviour of a psychopath, but their meanness is a particularly sinister trait. This nuanced understanding highlights the need for careful assessment when selecting employees.
Recognising the potential benefits and risks associated with different psychopathic traits can help organisations harness positive attributes while mitigating harmful behaviours. By doing so, we can better navigate the complexities of psychopathy in the workplace, ensuring a more productive and harmonious environment.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
