Is Your boss a psychopath?

Ever feel like your boss - or someone else in an authority position - was TOO much of a dick to be a "normal" person? New research suggests he may have been a psychopath. Here's the article I found on theweek.com, which summarizes this brand new research:

Is your boss a psychopath?

A new study suggests that empathy-less manipulators thrive in corporate environments by using a devious mix of charm and intimidation

Your at-once charming, manipulative, and intimidating boss may be exactly what you always suspected: a psychopath.

Here's some potentially suspicion-confirming news for beleaguered workers around the world: managers and other corporate honchos have a much higher chance of being psychopaths than the average person. That's according to a new study from Dr. Paul Babiak, a psychologist and management consultant who studied more than 200 management-track professionals. His research revealed that while just one out of 100 people is likely to have psychopathic traits, the rate among business managers and executives is one out of 25.

Is your boss a psychopath? Here's what you should know:

What exactly is a psychopath?

They're people who use charisma or fear or a combination of techniques to manipulate people — and they feel absolutely no regret about it. Psychopaths have "at their disposal a very large repertoire of behaviors. So they can use charm, manipulation, intimidation, whatever is required," Dr. Robert Hare, a specialist in psychopathy, tells Britain's Guardian.

What causes people to be psychopathic?

Nobody knows for sure. But some research suggests that people who have a particular gene — monoamine oxidase A enzyme, the so-called the "warrior gene" that's linked to aggression — are more likely to become psychopaths. Brain scans of violent psychopaths have revealed some damage in the temporal lobe, which is responsible for emotional responses. While some turn into violent criminals, many become what's known as high-functioning "successful psychopaths," says Babiak, as quoted in the Financial News.

What makes these people successful? 

Today's corporate culture. "If I wasn't studying psychopaths in prison, I'd do it at the stock exchange," says Hare, as quoted by Fast Company. A stressful, tumultuous business climate — where downsizing, layoffs, and mergers are the norm — is an ideal environment for psychopaths, who thrive on power, control, risk, and thrill-seeking behavior. "The psychopath has no difficulty dealing with the consequences of rapid change; in fact, he or she thrives on it," says Babiak.

Do their personalities catch up with them at some point?

Often, yes, if their work is scrutinized. "Where greed is considered good and profit-making is the most important value, psychopaths can thrive," says Maia Szalavitz at TIME. They quickly make their way up the corporate ladder by being "charming and manipulative — and in corporate America, that easily passes for leadership." However, a closer examination of their performance and productivity reveals "it's dismal," says Hare. The corporate psychopath's record is most often something along the lines of "looked good, performed badly."

Sources:Fast Company, Financial News, Guardian, TIME

Is your boss a psychopath?blockquote>

What does this mean for you, and your dating or social life?

It's simple: You're going to bump into people who want to keep you down in life. Sometimes they'll try to destroy your career, while others will try to keep you away from the woman you love. In today's blog post, I'm going to share three of my favorite ways to defuse these mental criminals, and win back the rewards you deserve:

HOW TO DEFUSE A PSYCHOPATH, AND WIN BACK YOUR SOCIAL FREEDOM:

1) Wake up!

A psychopath's major tool is his charm, right? So take it away from him. Charm works because it blinds you to what's really going on. A charming man makes you see what he wants you to see, instead of what's really there. All you have to do to AVOID being charmed is notice that you're being charmed. Once you do, you wake up. Then, you're free. A simple tip: Any time something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Unless there's a DAMN good reason. Now that you know you're being charmed, let's talk about gaining power over these psychopaths:

2) Get The Upper Hand!

Manipulation is a power game: Your boss manipulates you to keep power over you. And guys at the bar manipulate you and your woman to gain power over you both. After all, in modern day America, money and power are king. So when you take the powerful position away from a psychopath - or any other manipulator - you take away their ability to charm, manipulate or win. Then, you're in control.

Luckily for you, this is VERY easy to do with someone who relies on charm for social status. And the key is real, valuable status, because manipulated status is like clothing - it covers up all the manipulator's little insecurities, so no one sees them. But it's also flimsy, because it's based on lies. However, simply being a man with real status is like being in really good shape - clothes or no clothes, you have status to women. Lies or no lies, you have status to women.
The main problem men have with getting real status is simple: We try to impress women the same way women impress us. We try to dress nice. We hit the gym (or feel bad about our body shape). We try compliments, gifts and being nice. But the truth is, none of these make you a valuable man, to a woman. In fact, you can learn a lot about what makes a man valuable to a woman from the rich, out-of-shape guys who get women regardless - their secret is dominance.

The great part about dominance is that it's a MINDSET, which means you can pick it up and start being dominant TODAY... even if you've been a passive man, all your life. It's easy, too. Simply think, "OK, how would I act if I was the dominant man in this situation?" And then do it. Scary, yes. Tough, no. And you need no extra "skills." All you need to do is give yourself permission to go with your feelings. If you feel like kissing that pretty girl you've been flirting with - go for it. If you feel like talking to a stranger - do it.

Is your boss a psychopath? If you feel like telling your boss to go shove it... well... you may wanna think twice (only because you value your paycheck). Getting back to how this gives you power over psychopaths - Their flimsy "dominance" through charm basically disappears the second you tell yourself, "I'm in control of this situation, not him." But you have to BELIEVE it. If you truly can believe you're in control of the situation, and stick to your guns, there's not a single way he can manipulate you. And you win. Finally...

3) Standards. Rules. Checks And Balances.

The painful part about dealing with a psychopath ISN'T when he "manipulates" you into doing something you WANT to do... It's when he charms you into doing something you DON'T. This usually happens because you don't know what you're willing to do, and what you're not willing to do. Because when you have a list of shit you just WON'T DO... no one can convince you to do it. You'll simply think back to your list and think, "No dude. That ISN'T a good thing for me to do. I know that about myself."

To help you, do this exercise:

Get out a piece of paper. Fold it in half, vertically. (So you have two columns, one on the left and one on the right side of the paper.) Label the left side "Do's" and the right side "Don'ts". Then list a few things for the following categories:

• Work
• Socially
• Relationships
• Sexually
• Romantically

... And add any other ones you want.

Any time you feel "uncomfortable" about doing something, think back to your list. Was it on your "Don't" List? Then don't do it! It may feel like you're letting somebody down, or that you look like a weak (or scared) person, however, this "turning shit down on principle" behavior is INCREDIBLY attractive to women! You know why? Because it shows off that dominant mindset we talked about earlier. In fact, that's the number one women like bad boys and other "troubled dudes" - because they say "No" when nice guys won't. Now, you have that same power and that same appeal to women, without being such a dick.

So...Hopefully this article helps you out, in your work, in your relationships and in your life. What I'd love to know from you, if you'd like to leave some feedback, is this: Tell me about your WORST work / boss experience. Top story wins a little something I'll tell you about, tomorrow

Your Friend,

- Vin

Category: Blog