Psychopaths
come in all shapes and sizes, and there are far more of them out there than we
think – many of them in the workplace, according to psychology experts.
Sharing
the same character traits as sadistic killers helps ‘corporate psychopaths’ to
succeed in the short-term, and can often land them in management roles,
Personnel Today’s sister magazine New Scientist reports today.
Scientists
warn that colleagues should be much more aware of their existence to avoid
being their next corporate ‘victim’.
Individuals
tend to be manipulative, arrogant, callous, impatient, impulsive, unreliable
and superficially charming, and are prone to flying into rages. They also break
their promises, take credit for the work of others and blame everyone else when
things go wrong.
The
key characteristic of all psychopaths is having no conscience and lacking all
signs of empathy with their fellow men.
Psychologists
estimate that around 1 per cent of Britons fall into this category.
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Most
of them have not been in prison and have probably never been in trouble with
the law. They tend to thrive in high-powered professions, such as politics, the
media, law and business, where they can dominate others as part of ‘getting the
job done’.
