Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

Product Information

This book delves into the ramifications of working alongside, above, or under a person who is 'suffering' from psychopathy. (I put suffering in quotes because the true psychopath will not feel anything of the sort; it is the people around them who will suffer.) Interestingly, this book--written by psychologists--takes a work-oriented perspective. As in, it will tell you how to navigate a professional situation if you feel you have become embroiled in the mad machinations of a psychopath's personal plan. On this, ME Thomas – the author and self-proclaimed sociopath – has another view: “I believe that most people who interact with sociopaths are better off than they otherwise would be. Sociopaths are part of the grease making the world go around. We fulfil fantasies, or at least the appearance of fantasies. And of course the self-referential problem of psychopathy in corporate organisations is obvious as well as inherently insurmountable. If the hypothesis that a substantial number of corporate executives are psychopathic, particularly at senior levels, is true, then who is likely to commission and interpret relevant research in the area? The psychopaths naturally. In their 2017 article , “Successful Psychopaths: A Contemporary Phenomenon”, authors Floriana Irtelli and Enrico Vincenti remind us that, “while psychopaths are over-represented in the prison population, many psychopathic persons are nonviolent members of the community”. Some researches even suggest that one in 10 managers are psychopaths. Because of this, a new, fairly unchartered field of study is emerging on so-called corporate psychopaths. Hear, hear! they cheered as glasses were emptied and bursts of laughter and applause overtook the room. There was not a sad person in the place that night; quite a change from most Friday nights at O’Hare’s over the past two years.

In a New York Times article published in 2019, in 2016 Trump, a presidential candidate at the time, is reported to have said in an interview wit h The Washington Post ’s Robert Costa and Bob Woodard: “Real power is – I don’t even want to use the word – fear.” How would you describe Dave’s personality? Would you hire Dave? 1 Nice Suit. Would a Snake Wear Such a Nice Suit? So, what was my problem with this book? It's repetitive. The points that the author brings up are quite obvious often (be nice to your coworkers! don't call people psychopaths! be careful!). I didn't feel like the repetition of these was required. For the antisocial personality the pandemic and the situation it has created is one that is full of opportunity for exploitation, and, as with any stressful, pressured and uncertain situation, the context can either bring out the underlying best or the worst in any personality,” Kerr says. Frank was very pleased when Dave accepted the enhanced offer. Seeing leadership potential in him, Frank knew that Dave’s style, intelligence, and technical expertise made him an ideal management candidate in this successful, rapidly growing high-tech firm. Everyone who interviewed Dave thought he was perfect; one of the people from the lab even stated that he was too good to be true. Dave would start working for Frank in two weeks.While Kerr points out that psychologists are not ethically allowed to diagnose people they have not assessed themselves without their consent, the memoir Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight – was written by a successful attorney, law professor and high-functioning non-criminal, self-proclaimed sociopath under the pseudonym Ms ME Thomas – may help explain the behaviour and, to an extent, the success of some of the big tech CEOs mentioned above as “socialised” or “successful” psychopaths.

In Snakes in Suits, Revised and Updated Edition, Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist and a leading authority on the corporate psychopath, and Hare, an expert on the scientific study of criminal psychopathy, examine the role of psychopaths in modern corporations and provide the tools employers and employees can use to avoid and deal with them. Dumb psychopaths go to prison, smart psychopaths go to the executive floor". That's the premise of this interesting book that analyses how psychopaths manage to be successful in corporate environments or in specific industries. According to the author, psychopaths are 4 times more frequent among managers than among the general population.The book offers many great insights, and although inevitably, when specific examples were mentioned, I did sometimes wonder whether impression management or high-energy office banter might label me a psychopath (don't read this if you have psychological hypochondria), the author makes clear that true psychopaths display an entire range of behaviours with underneath a chilling emotional shallowness.The pace slows down a bit here and there when the author provides specific HR advice for people dealing with psychopaths (when they're already part of the organisation), or trying to weed out psychopaths from job applicants.This book helped me realise that an old friend (now estranged), whose behaviour I'd always found strange and cruel, had many psychopathic tendencies, as did a former colleague whose destructive energy had previously baffled me (you know who you are :). If I'd read this book before, I'd have realised this sooner and I would have been better prepared to deal with their behaviour. But odds are I'll meet more psychopaths during the rest of my career, so unfortunately it will probably come in useful in the future. Read more Most workers are honest, loyal, law-abiding citizens, concerned with making a living, contributing to society, and raising a family in a fair and just world. Others, though, are more selfish, concerned only about themselves with little regard for fairness and equity. Unfortunately, there are some individuals in the business world who allow the responsibilities of leadership and the perks of power to override their moral sense. A rise in the number of reports of abuse in major corporations should not be a surprise, given the increased access to unrestricted power, resources of startling proportions, and the erosion of ethical standards and values.

Finally, you’ll discover how you can prepare yourself for the unfortunate event of having a psychopath in your life. Because although they’re a rare occurrence, it’s likely you’ll meet one sooner or later, and you don’t want to become their lunch. The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising. If they constantly talk shit about everyone else and every bad thing about their life is someone else's problem, that is a warning sign. The person I dealt with constantly complained about our mutual friend to me and to other people in her life(while he considered her his best friend), and then I found out that she made up rumors about me to mutual friends (like, gross exaggerations to completely made up). If you're feeling some high-school drama vibes from a person twice the high school age, you might want to keep that person at arm's length. That won’t be necessary; clearly, one could not ask for a better candidate than Dave, he said as he hung up. Frank was happy to have found someone with the right fit for both the job and the organization, and he didn’t want this one to get away. Excellent, stated Dave, this is a beautiful part of the country. I can’t wait to take a better look around. Your facilities are extraordinary; I’ve never seen such architecture.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left loss of employment, loss of loved ones and supportive structures, increasing levels of stress and uncertainty in its wake. Kerr says this suggests it is possible that one might see more antisocial personality traits in the forms of less empathy and more impulsive behaviour coming to the fore. Keep things objective: A lot of psychopaths are pathological liars, and you may notice discrepancies in their stories. I think we all have a few inconsistencies and things can change over time, but the person I knew would say that she loved a band and went to their concert, and then would comment on how much she disliked this band to the next one. People were rather disposable as well. Before reading this book I was confused by her hostility. I have always performed well and have platinum recommendations. I maintain long friendships with former colleagues, clients and bosses. And so I was contemplating chatting with her and trying to find a mechanism to move forward, this book made it clear that was not the right approach.

You’ll also learn how psychopaths manipulate their way into power in a company, while keeping coworkers and bosses unaware of the fact that they are sociopaths. Finally, you will discover how to prepare yourself for the unfortunate event of having a psychopath in your life. Although it’s rare to meet them, it’s likely that you’ll do so at some point or another, and you don’t want to be their next victim. Big Idea #1: Not all psychopaths are murderers. I have always worked well with colleagues and been in environments (but for the SABC in Johannesburg, which has been toxic for years) where people respect, if not enjoy, each other and perform well. In fact, we are sometimes the only ones attentive to providing for your deepest wants and needs, the only ones so deeply attuned to them for no ulterior motive immediately discernible by you. We observe our target and strive to become a facsimile of whatever or whomever that person wants – a good employee or boss or lover. It’s not always the case that the facsimile is malicious or ill intentioned. And it makes the target feel good for the course of the transaction and usually ends without harm. Snakes in suits: when psychopaths go to work" . Retrieved February 26, 2017. This is an important perspective in the increasingly complicated hiring challenges facing corporate America. I read a book on psychopathy some years ago and it...disturbed me. The idea that psychopaths may walk, live and work among us quite commonly was at least an eye opener. Since then I've read several books about the phenomena.