Friday, February 27, 2015

Psychopathy in the Workplace- An Advantageous Trait?

       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.
                  26 Feb. 2015. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wisdom-from-psychopaths
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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