Dealing with workplace sociopaths and psychopaths

Psychopath. Sociopath.

The terms strike fear in the hearts and minds of normal, conscientious, caring people. The media use these terms when describing vicious murderers or torturers. But what do the words really mean? Are all who can be labeled 'psychopath' or 'sociopath' prone to violence and physical abuse? Or are there other, more subtle, yet just as serious ways that these personality types manifest themselves in our daily lives?

Learning to identify and deal with psychopaths and sociopaths in the workplace is an important skill, even though they may represent only a small part of the population.

Identifying Sociopaths

Identifying sociopathic behavior is not as easy as it seems. Many of the factors used to identify the sociopath are present in less extreme (and 'normal') behavior patterns. One can conclude that one is probably dealing with a sociopath only when a combination of factors is present.

Four Questions

Recent studies show that certain behavioral elements have a strong predictive value for antisocial personality disorder, which may be a predictor for future problems:

In a recent study (Comp. Psych. 48, 529), Dr. Heather Gelhorn and her colleagues from the University of Colorado have determined the four questions that identify sociopaths with a good degree of accuracy (sensitivity and specificity). Additionally, there are some other questions that also help. The best part is that these questions are easy to ask so you don’t have to have a Ph.D. or an M.D. to ask them.
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Here are the four questions:

  1. Have you ever hit someone so hard that you injured them, or they had to see a doctor? OR: Physically hurt another person in any other way on purpose?

  2. Have you ever used a weapon, like a stick, knife or gun in a fight? (Editor's note: The last two questions don't take into account self-defense situations - context is important, isn't it? Hmm...)
  3. Have you ever had a time in your life when you lied a lot, not counting any times you lied to keep from being hurt? OR: Used a false or made-up name or alias? OR: Scammed or conned someone for money, to avoid responsibility or just for fun? OR: Forged someone else’s signature—like on a legal document or on a check?
  4. Have you ever robbed or mugged someone, or snatched a purse?

Two additional questions were also found to be good indicators:

  1. Have you had a time when you bullied or pushed people around or tried to make them afraid of you? OR: Harassed, threatened or blackmailed someone?
  2. Have you ever stolen anything from someone or someplace when no one was around? OR: Shoplifted?

Why do Sociopaths Behave That Way?

...sociopathy is a disorder where people use coercion, either physical or non-physical, to overpower other people. Why do sociopaths do this? As Dr. Steve said this week, because they like to. This power behavior gives them pleasure. To them, having power is like having an orgasm. The reason physical violence is especially pleasurable for some is that observing someone else crying or wincing over what they did makes them feel especially powerful. Those sociopaths who are better at observing and understanding people just lie to hurt. They don’t have to see physical pain before they can get that gratification.
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Sociopathy Wherever You May Find It

Here are some ways that sociopathy and psychopathy can manifest themselves in the workplace.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Corporation

Some have likened the corporation to a sociopath or psychopath - because a corporation has no conscience beyond that of the people in it, even though it has a legal status and rights on its own -- it has some of the status of a "person" in the eyes of the law, but no conscience of its own.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Manager

It seems that sociopaths and psychopaths are perfectly suited to advance through the ranks of a dysfunctional organization - because, according to theory, they possess all the right attributes: superficial charm, a willingness to advance at the expense of others, lack of appropriate guilt or remorse, manipulative tendencies, self-centered world view, etc.

These tendencies, in a healthy, balanced organization, should be quickly detected and weeded out.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Co-Worker

What about the co-worker who exhibits these personality traits, but for some reason hasn't risen through the ranks? Perhaps he or she is perfectly content to stay at low levels within the organization, perhaps due to reduced scrutiny in a role that is perceived as less crucial to an organization's smooth functioning and overall health.

A dysfunctional co-worker can still do a great deal of damage. Just because someone is not a leader or manager doesn't mean that their bad behavior won't cause deep and lasting damage -- and it doesn't reduce the organization's responsibility to detect and correct this kind of behavior.