Study: 1 in 5 CEOs are psychopaths; same rate as among prisoners

[davidn3600]

An Australian study has found that about one in five corporate executives are psychopaths – roughly the same rate as among prisoners.

The study of 261 senior professionals in the United States found that 21 per cent had clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits. The rate of psychopathy in the general population is about one in a hundred.

Nathan Brooks, a forensic psychologist who conducted the study, said the findings suggested that businesses should improve their recruitment screening.

He said recruiters tend to focus on skills rather than personality features and this has led to firms hiring “successful psychopaths” who may engage in unethical and illegal practices or have a toxic impact on colleagues.

“Typically psychopaths create a lot of chaos and generally tend to play people off against each other,” he said.

“For psychopaths, it (corporate success) is a game and they don’t mind if they violate morals. It is about getting where they want in the company and having dominance over others.”

The global financial crisis in 2008 has prompted researchers to study workplace traits that may have allowed a corporate culture in which unethical behaviour was able to flourish.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/13/1-in-5-ceos-are-psychopaths-australian-study-finds/

[Loki Liesmith]

1. Eh, I'm probably a sociopath

I hit a lot of the markers.

I've never felt guilt. I really don't know what the feeling is like. Other people's emotions don't move me at all.

Never hurt anyone though. Don't see the point.

I imagine sociopath's have their uses on an evolutionary level.

[undergroundpanther]

10. I appreciate your honesty

Glad you haven't hurt anyone. Keep on being careful you don't .usually I dispise psychopath people but you,causing no harm I can respect. Glad you have sense not to be one to make others lives worse and add to the suffering of this world even if you can't feel some of it. I respect you for having that insight.

[Egnever]

2. I don't think skills plays any part in it.

It is all about who is willing to do the dirty work and set company policy strictly on profit with no care for the general welfare of the public.

Being a psychopath is profitable.

[dilby]

3. I watched a study that was done by the BBC when I was in the UK and they

Estimated 1% of the population are psychopaths and most of them go into banking and also become CEOs. The study was interesting because most psychopaths do not actually become murderers but they have zero regard for the well-being of others. They make good bankers and CEOs though because they can make decisions not caring about the people below who are affected by those decisions.

[flor-de-jasmim]

4. Depends on the definition of 'good' (banker)

[longship]

5. 1 of 1 of Drumpfs are psychopaths. nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. Bilderberg is like Silence of the Lambs.

[Odin2005]

7. high-functioning and low-functioning psychopaths, respectively.

Dumb psychopaths end up being the dumb criminals mocked on the local news, smart psychopaths go into business or politics.

[Javaman]

8. I worked with a number of them in the film industry.

nut jobs.

as a freelancer I had the option (and pleasure) of turning down their job offers.

I was a hard worker as a camera assistant but as such I was in very close proximity of many of them. (which were usually the directors or the producers and the occasional head of dept(those were rare)). As a result, I worked a lot, but sometimes, even when I was hard up for cash, their money was just not enough for me to put up with their creepy demanding insanity.

I loved working in film and my philosophy was, I refused to work with people that were going do their best to make my life miserable. Life is too short for that shit.

[undergroundpanther]

9. I be been advocating to keep

Psychopaths out of the psychiatric system where they can get away with abusing vulnerable people.
People in the psych system still haven't seemed to grasp the importance of screening out psychopaths from the regular mentallyill and psychiatrically injured , and they nred to get why it is vital to ban psychopaths from all positions of staff in such organizations .

All it takes for any organization business family or country to crash is psychopaths put in positions of power.

[Tsiyu]

11. We knew that without the study, didn't we, but thanks for posting it davidn3600

The last episode of Mr. Robot was interesting, because one important dude asked another top CEO what his motivation was for being so relentlessly corrupt.

The answer was telling: "Because when I look around a room, I want to be the most powerful person there. Only a few people are more powerful than me."

I never understood that need to be the "baddest of the badasses" because sooner or later, everyone grows feeble and weak if they live long enough. You'll never be the most beautiful person in the world, or the most powerful, no matter how badass you THINK you are. And tragedies like terrorism or natural disasters don't give five fucks how much money you have or how expensive your home was.

Sometimes i wish there were a virus that only infected and laid low the evil. If there truly were a god that was omnipotent, it should be no problema. But alas, there is only us, and we must become that virus.

[undergroundpanther]

12. I agree completely with you

We must be that virus/cure and its not love its not hate it is taking back ones own power and being aware and telling the asshole psychopath no you are not badass,you are no bigger or better than than me or anyone else for that matter.. And collectively we decided as people we don't like being robbed abused cheated poisoned lied to etc.etc. so no,you can't do that.I won't by stand,shut up or be intimidated and let you get away with it.

[Tsiyu]

13. In my doddering old age i make a lot of phone calls

And I get hung up on a lot, but if you're a lowlife who hurts others, expect me. I'm not Anonymous but I have absolutely NO fear of death or harm. I've been beat up so many times, meh?

Come find me, assholes.

DAs, legislators, judges, and even the Justice Department have all heard rants from me. And I was NOT nice, but I never threaten harm.

We used to have a saying in radio that one phone call or letter represents thousands of people saying the same thing. Phone calls DO make a difference, but sometimes you have to really search for contact numbers. Seems our corrupt CEOs, DAs and judges don't want you to contact them easily, the goddamned cowards.

It's good to see you around here, undergroundpanther!

[undergroundpanther]

14. Yeah I m still around

Typing on a $ 20 cellphone but I m here. Good to see you too.