Psychopathy: Myth versus reality and its impact in the workplace
Last week our colleague, Marijn Tingen, wrote about the narcissistic personality. This week I would like to address the phenomenon of psychopathy. There is often confusion about these two concepts. This confusion is not surprising because there are certainly similarities between the two. What the narcissistic and psychopathic personalities have in common is egocentricity: being focused on oneself and on one's own need satisfaction. What makes the narcissistic personality unique is its grandiosity. These individuals have a strong need for admiration. They go to great lengths to be the centre of attention and they become upset and angry, quickly, when they are hurt or rejected.
In the psychopath, the insensitivity, the coldness, is in the foreground, and to a much lesser extent the need for admiration. The disorder in the psychopath lies in the fact that there is an inability to connect socially and emotionally with another person. They find it very difficult to understand that another person has feelings and do not comprehend what is going on in another person’s mind. They can't relate to that, which is often called a lack of empathy. Renowned psychologist Dr. Robert Hare, a specialist in the field of psychopathy, explains that it is just as difficult for a psychopath to understand what emotions are, such as pity, guilt and shame, as it is for a colour-blind person to understand what the colour red looks like.
Nevertheless, the psychopath can fine-tune these emotions to a certain extent: acting and making the other person believe that there is indeed a profound emotional life. “They know the words, but not the music,” says Dr. Hare. They don’t really feel it.
It is known that people who have spent time with a psychopathic person, in close proximity and over a long duration, report that they have come to realise that something is wrong. Something is missing on a level of emotions and feelings. In their explanations you often hear phrases like: 'does not put himself in someone else's shoes'. 'Easily takes someone for a ride or manipulates it for one's own advantage', 'makes inappropriate comments in front of others while you should understand that saying something like that is clearly transgressive', 'lies easily', 'becomes aggressive quickly if he does not get his way and does not seem to feel guilty about it afterwards', 'constantly pushes boundaries and tension', and 'behaves irresponsibly'.
The psychopath in the workplace
When a psychopathic person is involved in incidents of social insecurity and transgressive behaviour, we often see that the behaviour has been a problem for a long time and that it did not stop at one incident. It took a long time before someone sounded the alarm. Colleagues of the person are often frustrated and, above all, scared. They do not dare to take any action, for fear of reprisals. In many cases, the person in question is avoided and colleagues as well as managers choose to ignore the undesirable behaviour and to downplay it. If there has already been someone who has tried to confront the person about his behaviour, this will have little effect on the situation. Problems are denied or blamed on others. Or the person becomes aggressive and starts a fight.
Psychopaths are not easily discouraged and constantly strive for an even better, better paid or more senior position. They are attracted to positions of power and money. Manipulation, playing people off against each other and putting them under pressure are easily used to achieve their own goals. The essential point is that when they are confronted about their reckless and aggressive attitude, no sense of shame, guilt or remorse is aroused. Such emotions will therefore never be the motivation for them to leave the company. It is therefore not surprising that such individuals can sometimes work for years in an organisation, despite multiple incidents.
Unfortunately, we see too often that it is not the (psychopathic) perpetrator but the victim of the transgressive behaviour who ultimately leaves the company. In many cases, companies lose precious and valuable employees. The damage caused is often underestimated by organisations: dismissals, long-term absences, increased sick leave, lack of motivation, stress, difficulty concentrating, etc. are well-known phenomena among staff and this naturally has an impact on work performance.
The Benefits of a Psychopathic Personality
Psychopaths thrive in competitive and hierarchical work environments, and the very personality traits they are known for—superficial charm, manipulative behaviour, lack of fear and shame—can help them rise to the top.
Scientific research shows that psychopaths who hold high positions in an organisation are often praised for their charisma and ability to develop new ideas. They can operate purposefully and strategically and are able to make complex or emotionally charged decisions quickly. Strategic decisions that are beneficial to the director himself and perhaps also to the company, but often not to employees. In essence, they have no interest in the personal suffering they cause. The ruthlessness in business decisions is striking.
It is interesting to note that scientific studies show that the actual performance that the psychopathic leader delivers is usually not good but downright weak. The more psychopathic, the worse the performance.
How common is psychopathy?
Psychopathy often evokes images of murderous criminals and ruthless serial killers. Hollywood has taught us that psychopaths are bloodthirsty individuals but the reality is much more subtle. Psychopaths are not always violent and most function well in society, in relationships and in the workplace. As mentioned, they can appear charming, intelligent and convincing but at crucial moments lack empathy, guilt and a moral compass. This makes them dangerous in a way that is less visible but can be even more destructive.
Approximately 1% of society meets the diagnostic criteria of psychopathy. This also means that there is a larger group that just misses the criteria required for an official diagnosis, the so-called subclinical group. They don't have the diagnosis, but that doesn't mean they don't exhibit destructive behaviour. Research, by the above-mentioned scientist Dr. Robert Hare, suggests that the percentage of psychopaths in senior and managerial positions in organisations is higher than in the general society: between 4 and 5%.
Psychopathy and risk
The message should be clear: psychopathic traits can give the person a successful career, while at the same time they can be disastrous for the organisation and the people around them.
The risks of a psychopath in a leadership position can be summarised as follows:
- Ethical risks: Manipulation, abuse of power and an organisational culture characterised by fear and distrust.
- Financial damage: Risky behaviour, fraud or reckless decisions without considering the consequences.
- Loss of talent: Employees feel undermined, stressed or burned out and leave the company.
- Social insecurity: The person does not contribute to a healthy culture that serves as a basis for combating socially unsafe and transgressive behaviour.
- Incidents of violence: The psychopath is vulnerable to displaying abuse of power, repeated bullying, intimidation, false accusations, blackmail, stalking and threats in the workplace.
- Reputational damage: If it becomes known that, for example, there is repeated transgressive behaviour and the lack of a directive approach, this can seriously damage the reputation of the organisation.
What can organisations do?
There is now sufficient knowledge about psychopathy and over the years, sound psychological screening instruments have been developed. These can be used to identify personality traits and therefore also psychopathic characteristics. The expertise to assess potential risk posed by a person with a certain position in a particular working environment is available.
Organisations could consider expanding the standard pre-employment screening for special or sensitive positions with a psychological examination, consisting of several interviews and administration of an extensive, validated personality questionnaire. A screening that is aimed at identifying potential risks. The outcome of such an investigation certainly does not have to lead to a decision whether the person will be hired or not but the sound insight into the behaviour of the new employee can certainly contribute to a risk management plan: a strategy aimed at protecting both the new employee and the people around him, and at preventing unwanted incidents.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss what we can do for your organisation.