According to Dr. John Clarke, a Sydney psychotherapist, psychopaths form a small but damaging and dangerous element within the workplace. As the Tasmania Mercury reports, via Improbable Research:
"I would say that in every major company there would be at least one," Dr Clarke said.
"Psychopaths are very comfortable in successful corporations because they are actually rewarded for their behaviour.
"In business you are encouraged to make money for the company and if you appear to be doing whatever it takes to make money, you are often promoted.
"They are seen as rising employees who are full of energy and creativity."
But behind the facade, such workers were "ego-centric, grandiose, pathological liars with a lack of conscience, remorse and guilt", Dr Clarke said.
"I think the workplace psychopath is actually more dangerous than the violent criminal psychopath, because the workplace psycho is smart, charismatic, charming and much less likely to get caught," he said.
Dr Clarke said victims were miserable, suffered depression, anxiety and panic attacks and feared going to work.
"Psychopaths isolate their victims through cutting them out of the lines of communication and then destroy them," he said.
"I know of several situations where employees have committed suicide because these people felt there was no other alternative.
Martha Stout covers the same ground in her book "The Sociopath Next Door".
Posted by: prairie biker | July 22, 2007 at 11:40 AM
"..a small but damaging and dangerous element..."
Small? Looking at the 21st century, large American (now multinational) Corporations and their ethics (or lack of), I'd say not so small..
In fact I've read another study about psychopathology (though I cant cite its name or author) that suggests that Psychopaths are more common in American society and business than every before, or at least more common that was known before.
Posted by: Jake | July 22, 2007 at 12:59 PM