Snakes in Suits

Not all psychopaths are behind bars; many wear suits and ties, seamlessly navigating corporate offices while wreaking havoc on organizations and individuals alike.

1. Psychopathy Goes Beyond Violence

Most people associate psychopaths with violent killers, but their destructive influence can also thrive in social and corporate environments. Psychopaths make up about 1% of the population, yet they account for over 50% of serious violent crimes due to their lack of emotional attachment and cold calculation. However, not all psychopaths express their tendencies through violence. Some manipulate others in more subtle but equally harmful ways.

Psychopathy is diagnosed through traits across four personality domains: interpersonal, emotional, lifestyle, and antisocial. For example, they might charm their way into your trust (interpersonal), show no remorse when wronging you (emotional), shirk responsibilities or goals (lifestyle), and disregard societal norms (antisocial). These traits create a tempting blend of charisma and danger, allowing them to exploit people without guilt or hesitation.

But it’s not easy to identify them. Even ordinary, non-psychopathic individuals may occasionally possess some of these traits. Therefore, only professionals using tools like the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) can make proper diagnoses.

Examples

• Many serial killers like Ted Bundy have displayed classic psychopathic tendencies such as charm and lack of empathy.
• A corporate manager might lie and deceive to get promoted, manipulating colleagues without concern for consequences.
• A person could plagiarize someone else’s work and charm their way into taking credit for it.

2. Psychopaths Have a Predatory Process

Psychopaths approach their victims in three stages: assessment, manipulation, and abandonment. They observe their targets’ vulnerabilities, exploit them through calculated charm, and discard them after achieving their goals.

The first phase, assessment, involves identifying someone’s value, such as their money, power, or influence, and pinpointing emotional weaknesses. Psychopaths are highly perceptive and use this information to form a strategy. Next, during the manipulation phase, they tailor their persona to suit their targets, using lies and deceptions to develop trust and dependency. In the final stage, once the individual is no longer of use, the psychopath abruptly severs ties, leaving the victim confused and hurt.

This cycle enables psychopaths to use others as tools for progression in personal or professional contexts while remaining emotionless and unaffected by the troubles they’ve caused.

Examples

• A romantic partner lies about their past, making themselves seem ideal, only to leave when financial support is gone.
• An employee befriends a colleague to gain access to confidential information, then cuts ties once the objective is met.
• A scam artist gains the trust of elderly individuals through emotional manipulation solely to rob them.

3. The Corporate World Attracts Psychopaths

High-stakes environments like big corporations provide fertile ground for psychopaths. These environments often emphasize trust among employees while offering lucrative rewards such as money, power, and prestige, all of which psychopaths crave.

Corporate psychopaths tend to excel in deception and impression management, allowing them to navigate through hiring processes with ease. They manipulate coworkers and supervisors by fabricating resumes or creating an illusion of proficiency and capability. Unfortunately, their lack of empathy and self-centered nature means they are not team players. Instead, their actions often harm organizational culture, leading to high employee turnover rates and poor morale.

Though they seek organizations for personal gain, psychopaths regularly disrupt operational stability. Once in positions of influence, they may take immense risks, disregard ethical codes, and even engage in illegal practices that jeopardize the company's reputation.

Examples

• A high-level executive lies about their qualifications to attain a leadership role.
• A psychopath uses charisma to gain the trust of colleagues and then shifts blame onto others.
• Risky decision-making by corporate psychopaths contributed to the downfall of financial institutions during economic crises.

4. The Tools of Charm and Lies

Control, charm, and deceit are hallmarks of corporate psychopaths. They manipulate superiors, subordinates, and peers alike to climb organizational ladders. They do not carry the intent of providing actual value or results but focus entirely on how to gain the most for themselves.

Psychopaths identify "pawns" to serve as tools who can provide resources or assistance in achieving their goals. They also charm high-ranking executives, known as “patrons,” who promote and shield them from criticism. Over time, the same patrons become expendable as their utility wanes, leaving them blindsided and betrayed.

Through skillful storycrafting and social intelligence, psychopaths manipulate human connections, presenting themselves as ideal allies or high performers while covertly destabilizing those around them to advance.

Examples

• An employee befriends a secretary to spread false positive rumors about their success in the company.
• A sociopathic leader convinces their boss of outstanding achievements using non-existent projects.
• A manipulator enlists coworkers to do their tasks under the guise of collaboration while taking all credit.

5. Psychopaths Categorize Their Victims

Psychopaths classify individuals in the workplace based on utility. While pawns and patrons offer resources and support, they disregard low-utility observers, who neither help nor hinder their progress.

Ironically, observers are often the ones who can see through a psychopath’s ruse. However, fear of retaliation or lack of support prevents them from taking action. In instances where victims attempt to confront a corporate psychopath, the latter employs misinformation to undermine credibility or paint the accuser as "difficult" to discredit their allegations.

By silencing dissenters and rewarding blind loyalty, psychopaths create a precarious workplace dynamic where employees are hesitant to challenge their authority.

Examples

• Psychopaths manipulate peers into stepping down by spreading defamatory rumors about them.
• Critics are labeled troublemakers to delegitimize their concerns with management.
• Low-utility employees notice dishonesty but remain silent for fear of job loss.

6. Protecting Companies from Psychopaths

Organizations can safeguard themselves by improving hiring processes and spotting early signs of psychopathic traits. Simple actions like structured interviews, background checks, and seeking tangible examples of past work can reduce the likelihood of hiring a psychopath.

During the interview, structured questioning prevents candidates from sidetracking the conversation. Verifying references and comparing multiple interviewers’ notes can also reveal discrepancies or embellishments. Additionally, avoiding vague and subjective judgments is key to ensuring clarity in assessing a person’s fit for the role.

These actions, though basic, can make it harder for manipulators to gain entry into trusted environments.

Examples

• Simple background checks unveil inconsistencies in resumes or outright lies.
• Companies rejecting applicants unable to provide work samples to back up claims.
• Structured interviews leaving little room for psychopaths to twist the narrative.

7. Understanding Yourself is Key Defense

To effectively resist a psychopath’s manipulation, understanding your vulnerabilities and triggers is essential. Psychopaths excel at reading emotions and exploiting weaknesses to their advantage. By recognizing your own emotional hot buttons, you can become less prone to their tactics.

For example, those seeking approval or feeling vulnerable in specific areas (like self-image or career progression) are easy targets. Psychopaths often use such insecurities to build rapport or extract favors. Self-awareness acts as a barrier, lessening the manipulator’s ability to gain control.

Examples

• Compliments to boost an insecure employee's ego and win trust.
• A victim desperate for career advancement manipulated into unethical favors.
• Psychopaths targeting emotionally distressed individuals for exploitation.

8. Workplace Relationships Matter

When dealing with a suspected psychopath at work, building strong professional networks and reputations can offer protection. By being perceived as reliable, complaints or rumors spread against you lose their impact. Review company rules and documentation processes regularly to ensure alignment with ethical workplace conduct.

Filing formal concerns or addressing issues on record proves helpful in navigating false accusations. Psychopaths thrive on emotion-driven conflicts, so responding with facts and remaining composed minimizes their impact.

Examples

• Employees seeking written job feedback to counter manipulated evaluations.
• Calmly providing evidence during conflict rather than reacting emotionally.
• Building relationships across teams to dilute reliance on a single, biased perspective.

9. Sometimes, the Best Strategy is to Leave

If you find yourself in the crosshairs of a psychopathic coworker or boss, there may be situations where leaving the job is your best option. Staying in a hostile, manipulative environment poses emotional risks and career setbacks.

When leaving, avoid confrontation and collect references from diverse sources to strengthen future opportunities. Exiting with grace leaves a better impression than retaliatory actions, even when dealing with unjust treatment.

Examples

• Switching teams or departments to create distance from the toxic individual.
• Collecting strong recommendations before resigning to counter negative implications.
• Planning an exit carefully to avoid unnecessary conflicts or drama.

Takeaways

1. Learn about psychopathy and recognize manipulation strategies. This awareness helps in spotting red flags early.
2. Understand your own strengths and vulnerabilities to avoid being exploited by emotionally detached manipulators.
3. Maintain professionalism and documentation in the workplace to protect yourself from unfounded accusations and conflicts.