

How to spot a psychopath at work - ivenkys
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3579402.stm

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crazydiamond
It really doesn't say much -- very successful .. manipulative .. no emotion ..
the last 2 are quite subjective, quite common too.

There was an article on this topic some time back. Much more elaborate.
Someone had done many years of study and came out with the conclusion that
there are a large number of psychopaths. Even at home we could have relatives
who are "sub-clinical psychopaths". He devised a test, but iirc, he advised
others not to follow it, or to take its results seriously. However, it seems
people have been using it while recruiting.

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j_baker
That's the nature of the human mind. Everything is highly subjective. Until
somebody invents an objective way to diagnose someone as being mentally ill
it's what we have to work with.

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arethuza
I can recommend "The Sociopath Next Door":

[http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-
Stout/dp/07...](http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-
Stout/dp/0767915828)

~~~
pohl
The audio book version is well done, too.

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known
The core of a sociopath—no empathy, no conscience and desiring only power,
control and sex.

[http://www.lovefraud.com/blog/2010/05/10/what-sociopaths-
wan...](http://www.lovefraud.com/blog/2010/05/10/what-sociopaths-want-power-
control-and-sex/)

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j_baker
Narcissistic and takes credit from other people. Sounds like the arch-typical
PHB to me.

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Tichy
Doesn't say how.

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crazydiamond
The previous article I am speaking of (can't recall) spoke of how psychopaths
can be totally emotionless when you describe their crimes to them. They cannot
put themselves in the shoes of their victims. One way of getting them to
confess was actually running down their achievements, comparing them to a
well-known serial killer.

In some cases, this ploy succeeded and the suspect admitted to several murders
that the police did not know of , or had not linked to the suspect. The need
for attention, or to show off was so great.

The above post seems to refer to sub-clinical psychopaths. Its something we
should _not_ be trying to judge - perhaps - we could land up judging normal
people as psychopaths, since such methods of judgment _could_be_ error-prone,
subjective and may not apply to people from different cultures or upbringing.

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uiythgfb
I am a psychopath and the drumming down of my achievements would not work on
me. I don't hurt others to show off, I do it for my own satisfaction.

You're probably thinking of low-functioning sociopaths, the ones who commit
serial murders and get caught. Those people probably do need to show off.

My style is more to post an ad on Craigslist looking for prostitutes, find the
real names of the women who respond, and then twirl them around my finger as I
threaten to tell their family and friends (and then tell them anyways).

Posting on websites like this is about as much as I need to show off.

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mamute
I once got a new manager and found that he is a psycho. So I loose my job and
other managers started loosing her jobs because of his manipulation. This
story did not ended yet.

