Interview with a psychopath..

Seen a few of these, always interesting. Explains a lot about certain violent crime and the responses of people who carry them out. Outside of it being linked to childhood trauma or developmental issues, I wonder what the evolutionary advantages were?

 

Many a psycho and socio make it high up the corporate ladder and to the upper levels of public office. It's not something I've looked into closely, but there are clearly traits which push them to seemingly outperform peers to a significant degree.

 

They get to the top.

Outwardly very charming, they’re compulsive liars and specialise in manipulating everyone around them. Worked with/for quite a few. Corporate world is full of them.

 

Yeah I've heard that... From chatgpt


Psychopaths are disproportionately represented in corporate leadership roles, particularly at the CEO and boardroom levels, compared to the general population. Research suggests that while only about 1% of the general population exhibits psychopathic traits, the prevalence of psychopathy among corporate leaders is significantly higher.
Estimates vary, but studies suggest that **about 4% to 12%** of CEOs or individuals in senior leadership positions exhibit psychopathic traits. One notable study by Australian forensic psychologist Nathan Brooks found that approximately **21% of corporate professionals in senior positions** displayed psychopathic tendencies, a figure that is substantially higher than in the general population.
There are several reasons for this overrepresentation:
- **Traits of psychopathy**—such as superficial charm, lack of empathy, manipulation, and a willingness to take risks—can sometimes be misinterpreted as leadership qualities.
- **Corporate environments** often reward traits like confidence, assertiveness, and a focus on achieving results, which can align with some psychopathic tendencies.
- **High-stakes and competitive environments**, such as those found in the business world, may provide psychopaths with the ideal setting to exploit their traits for personal gain.
However, it is important to note that not all successful business leaders exhibit psychopathic traits, and having

 

People with personality disorders such as this have adapted as they haven't learnt certain skills such as empathy when growing up due to trauma. Basically it is a form of self preservation and learning how to successfully get things.

 

Depends on what you mean by success. I worked for a very, very successful one. He was admired like some God. A bit of a downside was he almost brought down the whole of the British economy and we’re all still paying for it. But hey. Success.

 

Look at Trumpy. He’s not dealing with a full deck.

 

You worked for Neil Ferguson?

 

As was already said, a high proportion of CEOs, business leaders and politicians would probably qualify as psychopaths or sociopaths. This does not mean that they are going to go out and kill someone, but it makes it much easier for them to make the hard decisions that we would struggle with.

If I was a leader that needed to make redundancies, I'd probably spend days looking for ways to not do it - and they'd just do it without a care in the world.