The careers with the most, and least, psychopaths
Think back through history, and what names pop up when you consider the word “psychopath”?
Ted Bundy? Sure. Charles Manson? Almost without doubt. Donald Trump? Maybe.
In any case, we know famous wackos, immortalized through Wikipedia pages and true crime documentaries, and we know them well. But our definition of psychopath just might be wrong; it might be much tamer than serial killers and homicidal cult leaders would suggest.
All of this, of course, is a long way of introducing today’s topic: the professions that are most likely to produce psychopaths.
A psychopath, indeed, is not necessarily defined by murderous intent, but rather is characterized as so:
“A person with a psychopathic personality, which manifest as amoral and antisocial behaviour, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.”
*Bing: How to keep your sanity at work
According a new book called The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies and Serial Killers Can Teach Us, the above behaviours can be either encouraged, or discouraged, by certain professions based on the level of human connection, emotion and privileges of power afforded by those careers.
Which careers are least likely to have psychopaths within them? According to the book, they are care aide, nurse, therapist, craftsperson, stylist, charity worker, teacher, creative artist, doctor and accountant.
And the careers most likely to have psychopaths within them? According to the book, they are CEO, lawyer, media personality (gulp), salesperson, surgeon, journalist (double gulp), police officer, clergyperson, chef and civil servant.
The first list is filled with occupations that involve the nurture and care for people, which psychopaths are not naturally drawn to.
The second? These are jobs that largely offer roles of power and require abilities to make objective, clinical decisions separate from personal feeling. Psychopaths, according to the book, would be drawn to these careers.
Posted by: SP | Nov 7, 2012 11:18:13 PM
" amoral and antisocial behaviour" ..."failure to learn from experience"..........
Speaking of recent elections and the one massive group of egomaniacs left off of the list here..
Posted by: Rhonnda REA | Nov 8, 2012 6:33:12 PM
---The list for the jobs where psychopaths are usually found should also contain those jobs where the persons ego gets out of control, like electrical (computer) engineers,....arrogance and self importance seem to destroy the humanity in these people, as their lives can only revolve around said work and the idea of always being right about everything!!
Posted by: Really !!! | Nov 8, 2012 9:22:32 PM
Since most are already aware of who writes up these socialogical missives (the Donald Trump and "gulp" tidbits being clear indicators) let me assure JB that he need not concern himself about his fears of being lumped into this group of psychopathic misfits since his career "expertise" falls way short of actual journalism and even less so... of being a media "personality". Maybe he should get a job toiling for Cosmopolitan or other rag publication like the Globe or National Enquirer... where such drivel is commonplace.
Posted by: Peter-A.Loesch | Nov 8, 2012 11:53:51 PM
First of all I found it amusing when it was written exmpl."media personality(gulp) and then Journalists(double gulp)" I had to laugh looks like You where afraid of backlash.Anyway I had in my time as a Master-Chef many times experianced by other Chefs brutal outbursts cause they had problems with communication skills and had problems of admitting of faillor or mistakes.
Posted by: Malcolm | Nov 12, 2012 2:46:02 PM
Why are psychopaths always associated with serial killers? What is with the hand holding the knife in picture in this article? I am a psychopath, and a well respected member of my community. Of course no one knows that I am a psychopath, because psychopaths are the greatest actors of all time. I have no emotions whatsoever. I have pretended so well that my family do not even know. The fact that I can not feel, means that I do not lose my temper when some A-hole cuts me off on the road. I do not kill people nor particpate in riots when someone says something against my beliefs. (Yah, what beliefs!) In fact there is nothing you can do to me that will get me upset. If I see someone in need or in trouble, I help them not because I care, but because this is the expectation of society and I need to keep up the facade if I want to fit in. I know many "normal" people that are capable of a lot of evil.
Posted by: SP | Nov 12, 2012 9:41:06 PM
Malcolm you sound like Captain "Sully" Sullenberger and other of the great pilots and 'clinical' thinking people.
There is no one else in the world that I'd want flying a jet I was in, acting as a soldier on the nations behalf or operating a Nuclear power station.
That said (and don't take this personally) the clinical, by the book approach required in times of crisis isn't (to my mind) what a society wants/needs in either a counselling role or a leadership role where the opaque greater good calculations are best suited.
Thus around the world we are seeing the effects of putting people with no empathy in roles where it is needed and their decisions impact vast numbers of people (Banking leaders, Political leaders, Religious leaders, etc).
So Malcolm, seeing as you may be better suited than most to offer an opinion on this, what is the best way of dissuading amoral (NOT immoral) individuals from seeing positions where a lack of empathy can cause great harm?