The Workplace Sociopath_Credit: Marla Tabaka
Episode description
The presence of psychopathy in the workplace—although psychopaths typically represent a relatively small percentage of the staff—can do enormous damage when in senior management roles.[1] Psychopaths are usually most common at higher levels of corporate organizations and their actions often cause a ripple effect throughout an organization, setting the tone for an entire corporate culture. Examples of detrimental effects are increased bullying, conflict, stress, staff turnover and absenteeism; reduction in productivity and in social responsibility.[2] Ethical standards of entire organizations can be badly damaged if a corporate psychopath is in charge.[3] A 2017 UK study found that companies with leaders who show "psychopathic characteristics" destroy shareholder value, tending to have poor future returns on equity.[4] Academics refer to psychopaths in the workplace individually variously as workplace psychopaths, executive psychopaths, corporate psychopaths, business psychopaths, successful psychopaths, office psychopaths, white-collar psychopaths, industrial psychopaths, organizational psychopaths or occupational psychopaths.[5] Criminal psychologist Robert D. Hare coined the term "Snakes in Suits" as a synonym for workplace psychopaths.[6]
1 in 25 Americans fit the criteria for sociopathy. Dr. Hervey Cleckley was the first researcher to name the concept of psychopathy in 1941.
In her book The Sociopath Next Door, clinical psychologist and former Harvard faculty member Martha Stout, PhD, provides a great roadmapfor avoiding sociopaths.
Strange answers to the psychopath test- Jon Ronson https://youtu.be/xYemnKEKx0c