A recent article on PsyBlog
maintains that many horrible bosses have a bona fide narcissistic
personality disorder.
Or would you?
According to a
study by Back et al, narcissists are quite likeable and charming—in limited
social settings and before you really get to know them—like during a cocktail party
or um … a job interview. And surprisingly, what seems to attract people to
narcissists the most is their sense of entitlement.
But your boss doesn’t
have to be a narcissist to be crazy. Oh no. He could be a psychopath instead.
According to a study conducted by psychologist Kevin Dutton, these ten professions harbor the most psychopaths:
- CEO
- Lawyer
- Media (TV/Radio)
- Salesperson
- Surgeon
- Journalist
- Police Officer
- Clergyperson
- Chef
- Civil Servant
If you’re curious what
makes a psychopath, Dutton has posted a quick and dirty
test on his website. Maybe you could trick your boss into taking it? Or maybe
it’s better not to know? You decide.
A common statistic is
that nearly 1% of the general US population is psychopathic, but some have
estimated that the percentage in certain sub-populations is much higher. For
example, the number of psychopaths in prisons is estimated to be between 15 and
25%.
And Dr. Paul Babiak, who along with Dr. Robert Hare (“grandfather” of the
psychopath test) wrote Snakes
in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work, estimates that within management
positions, the percent of psychopaths is more like 4%.
Hmmm…
Here's the list of psychopath “red
flags” from Babiak and
Hare's book. (Dang straight I have my copy…)
Hare's book. (Dang straight I have my copy…)
- Inability to form a team
- Inability to share
- Disparate treatment of staff
- Inability to tell the truth
- Inability to be modest
- Inability to accept blame
- Inability to act predictably
- Inability to react calmly
- Inability to act without aggression
In The
Psychopath Test (I had a copy but
lent it out), author Jon Ronson jokes that after researching the topic he was meeting psychopaths everywhere, able to spot them a mile off.
But the truth, as he knows, is
that it’s not that easy. Not even for trained medical professionals.
Still, that doesn’t change
the point—
You may not be crazy to
suspect your boss is crazy.
That's all I'm saying.
I love this article! And nice to see a fellow blogger close to home - I teach Psychology at West Chester University outside of Philly.
ReplyDeleteHi Stefani, and thank you! I checked out your blog. You've got some great leadership/management topics. I'll be back!
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