Have you ever had a boss that was so awful, they rivaled Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” or Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons?” We’ve all had bosses that weren’t great, but according to a new study, some managers are so manipulative, they should be classified as “corporate psychopaths.”
Previous research has found that only around 0.6 to 1.2% of adults are defined as psychopaths, which means they have no conscience, shame, guilt or the ability to experience love or feel empathy towards others. And until now, not much research has been done on psychos in corporate settings, so scientists from Anglia Ruskin University set out to learn more about them.
- They focused on Bernie Madoff, the fraudster behind the biggest known Ponzi scheme in history, worth around $64-billion.
- His actions were compared to two previously established scales of psychopathy and the analysis reveals that Madoff showed signs of all the traits.
- Their research finds that corporate psychopaths are driven by money, power and control and they’re willing to do almost anything to get them.
- Dr Clive Boddy, lead study author, explains, “The findings suggest that Madoff's fraud was an outcome of his personality,” adding that similar personalities, including Ken Lay, “have behaved in similar ways.”
Think your boss could be a corporate psychopath? These are the signs to look out for:
- Superficial charm
- Apparent intelligence
- Lack of sincerity or truthfulness
- A tendency to cheat
- A lack of remorse
- Being emotionally shallow
- A lack of self insight
- Calmness
- Apparent rationality
Source: Daily Mail