Wisdom from Psychopaths, a Scientific American
article written by Kevin Dutton, raises the point that when discussing traits
such as charisma, ruthlessness, mindfulness, and fearlessness it may bring to
mind, both, serial killers and politicians, criminals and CEOs. The underlying factor…psychopathy.
Contrary
to the image circulated in popular culture, psychopaths are not necessarily
predisposed to physical violence. In
fact, these traits may be advantageous in small amounts, and it is clear to see
how they would be powerful in the workplace. Wouldn’t everyone prefer a surgeon
who is calm and collected under pressure?
In
his book, The Psychopath Inside, James
Fallon, discusses the connection between one’s neural circuitry and the
expression of psychopath traits. Fallon
himself, an esteemed neuroscientist, has been diagnosed as both a pro-social
psychopath, and as a person with bipolar disorder. He found that in brain scans
there is decreased activity in areas involved with ethics, processing emotions,
anxiety and empathy, thereby explaining the often amoral, and cold behavior.
However, he also found that psychopaths tend to have normal or exceptional systems
that control executive functions, reasoning, and planning abilities; this can
lead to psychopaths appearing as though they have empathy.
While
in small doses these traits may benefit us in releasing us from stress of
everyday decisions and challenges, when there are large groups of people with
psychopathic tendencies making decisions, the needs of the masses will not
likely be taken into account. A Science Daily article focused on similar
research being done by Carolyn Bate, on areas of the job sector that feature
higher percentages psychopathy being found. When looking at business managers, there is an
increase of around two percent when compared to the general population. This fits with the description painted by
both Dutton and Fallon, as manipulative, yet charismatic individuals who are
able to create an image of caring. This article raised speculation done by researchers that episodes like the Wall Street Crash may correlate with how
many psychopaths are among policy makers. It would be interesting to see more
research done on different job sectors and the corresponding percentage of
individuals with psychopathy, and how this amplifies or impairs their work.
Dutton, Kevin. "Wisdom from Psychopaths?" Scientific
American Global RSS. N.p., 19 Dec. 2012. Web.
Fallon, J. (2014). The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's
Personal Journey into the
Dark
Side of the Brain. Penguin Group.
“There Could Be Increased Numbers of Psychopaths in Senior Managerial
Positions, High Levels of
Business,
Research Shows." ScienceDaily. 8 Sept.
2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
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