Psychopaths aren’t necessarily crazy serial killers. Some high-ranking people in society are what some call “corporate psychopaths,” and they can be more dangerous than you might imagine, especially if you work with them or fall in love with them. WebMD defines a psychopath as someone with no conscience, lacking empathy, and little respect for others.
To determine if someone is a psychopath, a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist is needed. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) was once used, but the test was removed from the manual many years ago. Currently, Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (Hare PCL-R) is used. This assessment is designed to evaluate a person’s psychopathic and antisocial traits. If you want to know how to spot a psychopath in your life, we encourage you to reevaluate how you deal with psychopaths.
According to psychology, here are the six unknown traits of a psychopath:
1. It’s full of charm
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They tend to be very pretentious, very friendly, caring, and very helpful, but they use imitation. Generally, they lack compassion, but by imitating these traits, they create a false sense of security when they are with them.
So you walk away thinking, “Oh, they’re really nice people.” All the while, behind your back, the psychopath is plotting ways to exploit you. And they’ll manipulate you for their own gain. Corporate psychopaths are great at building trust with their victims and are exceptional handlers.
According to Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole, Wrote an article According to the LEB’s “The Corporate Psychopath,” individuals who display psychopathic tendencies have some or all of the 20 traits listed, making it one of the most studied personality disorders.
2. Lack of compassion and empathy
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They are unable to understand or imagine how others might feel about something. There is a lack of connection between thinking and acting. People tend to think about taking an action, then think about how that action might make others feel, and act accordingly.
But psychopaths miss the middle part: how their actions affect other people. They are unable to imagine how others would feel if they behaved negatively towards them. Many criminals have psychopathic or antisocial tendencies.
However, criminals differ from high-functioning types because they often lack planning and organization. Corporate psychopaths are also unable to feel certain emotions, such as guilt and regret.
3. They’re narcissists
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They tend to be egocentric, exaggerate themselves and their abilities, steal other people’s ideas and claim them as their own, make people believe that taking time off will have a negative impact on the organization, and try to fool everyone about their abilities. Often, they believe in the delusion that they are indispensable to the job.
Sometimes they convince their employers that they will save the day when without them the ship will sink. At first, corporate psychopaths may enrich their companies, but the effect is short-lived because the destruction they leave behind is devastating.
4. They are secretive
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Psychopaths are secretive and tend to spill secrets if it benefits them. They may tell you secrets about management decisions they know about, talk about other staff members, or let you know when they are planning to eliminate someone and how they plan to do so.
They may use secrets to manipulate you – corporate psychopaths will often talk about you to your boss without your knowledge, and they will often try to sabotage you at work.
5. High IQ
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Corporate psychopaths, unlike other people with antisocial tendencies, have high levels of intelligence. They often hold senior management positions, run companies, and occupy positions of power.
They enjoy being bosses and dominance over others. Research suggests According to the National Library of Medicine, corporate psychopaths often seek positions of power that allow them to achieve their goals. Once in these positions, they typically demand high costs from the organization, financial, personal, and otherwise.
UK research For example, a study of a precisely defined sample of managers found that 35% of workplace bullying cases were associated with the presence of a psychopathic leader. A sample of Australian managersIt was concluded that approximately 26% of all bullying is committed by 1% of employees, and that in many cases, bullies appear to be the psychopaths within a company.
6. You are a compulsive liar
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Corporate psychopaths remember lies. They plan who they are going to use and manipulate, and they tend to remember them down to the last detail. Even if there are multiple lies, they can make everyone around them believe it is true because they have the control they need.
They tend to lie in order to appear superior and make everyone around them believe what they are saying is true. Corporate psychopaths tend to lie in order to get to where they want to go, usually higher up the management hierarchy, or to get rid of people they no longer like.
If the corporate psychopaths don’t get what they want from you, you will be their next target, and unless you match their abilities, you will become a victim of their destruction.
Psychologists say treating people with these tendencies can prove difficult unless the patient is truly willing to change their destructive behavior.
Psychopaths do not like to be judged or criticized and tend to hide their traits very well. They may use some therapies, medications, or alternative methods such as yoga or counseling to manage their anger and anxiety.
Now that you understand these personality traits, you can learn how to deal with psychopaths.
If you have even the slightest inkling or intuition that someone is a corporate psychopath, don’t have anything to do with them anymore. Being friends with them is not in your best interest. Run.
But what if you can’t run in the opposite direction? Always be aware that you can’t change a psychopath, you can’t make them admit they have a disorder. Psychopaths don’t think like normal people. Their brains are wired differently.
Don’t make deals with them, know their secrets, or let them manipulate you. If you are in a relationship with them, you may need psychological support to deal with them, set boundaries, and communicate with them, because you will never be able to win against them.
They will gaslight you, lie, cheat, outwit you, and twist your mind to make you feel like you are the problem and that it’s all your fault.Unless you are skilled in dealing with corporate psychopaths, I recommend going in the opposite direction.
If you are a victim of a psychopath, here are some necessary steps you should take:
- Go away. If you feel confused or overwhelmed about the whole thing, it may be wise to seek professional help. The corporate psychopath will have you believe that you are entirely to blame for any relationship breakdowns or problems.
- Don’t make them blame you for everything. See things as they are, not how they should be or were in the beginning, and be realistic about corporate psychopaths and yourself.
- Understand that you are not their only victim. Especially in the workplace, there may be a group of people who are going through the same thing. Corporate psychopaths cause discord and division within groups, so if you are brave enough to speak openly with others in the workplace, you may find allies. In groups, people have more power because there is power in numbers.
- Always be aware that you are a victim Corporate Psychopath. You can’t change them, they will always follow their own rules.
- Seek professional help. This is the best they can do as they are experts in dealing with psychopaths and specialise in antisocial personality disorder.
Marika Marano is a life coach, speaker, healer and hypnotherapist who runs her own coaching business in Tasmania.
