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Corporate Psychopathy: Entering the Paradox and Emerging Unscathed
Abstract
Psychopathy, the dark triad and related personality disorders may have negative consequences within organisations, individuals and society. There may, however, be positive benefits in terms of creativity and reaction to stressful circumstances and extreme environments. The developing body of research is beginning to address some elements of the paradoxes related to psychopathy. In this chapter, the focus is on both concluding the key themes emerging in the field and moreover, providing guidance for addressing and minimising the exposure to organisational, societal and individual threats that can easily become toxic to those caught in the psychopathic “tangled web”.
... These subclinical psychopaths are referred to by a variety of terms. Besides the simple term as a "Factor 1 psychopath," they are also referred to as "organizational psychopath" (e.g., Boddy, 2006), "executive psychopath" (e.g., Morse, 2004), "corporate psychopath" (Babiak & Hare, 2019;Boddy, 2005;Brooks et al., 2020;Lingnau et al., 2017), or "successful psychopath" (e.g., Benning et al., 2018;Board & Fritzon, 2005;Hare & Neumann, 2008;Hervé, 2007;Weber et al., 2008). In the following, we will refer to these individuals primarily as "corporate psychopaths." ...
Since the beginning of business research and teaching, the basic assumptions of the discipline have been intensely debated. One of these basic assumptions concerns the behavioral aspects of human beings, which are traditionally represented in the construct of homo economicus. These assumptions have been increasingly challenged in light of findings from social, ethnological, psychological, and ethical research. Some publications from an integrative perspective have suggested that homo economicus embodies to a high degree dark character traits, particularly related to the construct of psychopathy, representing individuals who are extremely self-centered and ruthless, without feelings of remorse or compassion. While a growing body of research notes such a similarity on a more or less anecdotal basis, this article aims to explore this connection from a more rigorous perspective, bridging insights from psychological, economic, and business research to better understand the potentially dark traits of homo economicus. The analysis shows that homo economicus is not simply some kind of psychopath, but specifically a so-called subclinical or Factor 1 psychopath, who is also referred to as a “corporate psychopath” in business research. With such an analysis, the paper adds an additional perspective and a deeper psychological level of understanding as to why homo economicus is often controversially debated. Based on these insights, several implications for academic research and teaching are discussed and reflected upon in light of an ethics of virtue and care.
This chapter provides an overview of the book contributors’ points and some directions for future research.
The paper touches upon the relationships between the psychological constitution of an individual and organizational behaviour of employees as a manifestation of the behavioural pattern shaped in the process of the university professional training. The research analyses the differences in the display of the Dark Triad (DT) traits in students of various specializations within the Economics and Management field. The research methods include the Short Dark Triad personality test by Jones and Paulhus, a comparative analysis of curricula and the content of discipline programmes, and the methods of descriptive statistics. The research results demonstrate that there is an association between the DT traits formed by the organizational behaviour model and the specialization, which confirms the hypothesis that there is a need for a differentiated approach to shaping the organizational behaviour model. The complete psychological DT profile indicator has the highest average “darkness” level for the Business Informatics (BI) students, and the lowest was found for the Financial Management (FM) students. Comparing the specializations by the proportion of students with “potentially harmful” DT traits and “extremely harmful general psychological profile” shows that among the FM students there are no persons with toxicity exceeding the psychometric norm. At the same time, the State and Municipal Administration specialization attracts persons with a higher narcissism level, and BI is attractive to students with an elevated level of Machiavellianism and psychopathy. The research has not revealed a statistically significant relationship between the manifestation of toxicity in management students of different specializations and the content of educational programmes for six semesters. The resulting conclusion about the presence of a relationship between toxic personality traits and the choice of the specialization by Russian students is consistent with the findings of studies in other countries. The authors believe that the management training programmes should include the disciplines that support the development of interpersonal communication skills and entrepreneurial thinking as key elements of the organizational behaviour model demanded by employers.
In the decade since the publication of the first edition of The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology, the field has expanded into areas such as social work and education, while maintaining the interest of criminal justice researchers and policy makers. This new edition provides cutting-edge and comprehensive coverage of the key theoretical perspectives, assessment methods, and interventions in forensic psychology. The chapters address substantive topics such as acquisitive crime, domestic violence, mass murder, and sexual violence, while also exploring emerging areas of research such as the expansion of cybercrime, particularly child sexual exploitation, as well as aspects of terrorism and radicalisation. Reflecting the global reach of forensic psychology and its wide range of perspectives, the international team of contributors emphasise diversity and cross-reference between adults, adolescents, and children to deliver a contemporary picture of the discipline.
Acquisitive crime is a wide-ranging category in which the offender derives material gain by illegal means, usually from another person, but sometimes from organisations. The category includes shoplifting, burglary, robbery, larceny, piracy, and fraud. There are some inherent similarities in the motivations underpinning these crimes, but the differences are worthy of examination and manifest in the investigative processes of detection and prevention. As with many other types of crime, there is no simple underlying theoretical position that leads to an explanation for acquisitive, there is no one personality type associated with theft or armed robbery or piracy. This chapter examines some of the complex psychological explanations for people acquiring property and goods that do not belong to them, including evolutionary models, mental disorder, psychopathy, gender effects, cyberpsychology and individual vs social factors.
The buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs) literature to date has neglected the implications of individual personality differences amongst the parties to any relationship, thereby ignoring the complex dynamics of human interaction and behaviors on the progress and performance in such relationships. This Notes & Debates paper takes the view that personality matters, particularly toxic personality traits, and argues that for purchasing & supply researchers a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of BSRs will advance our understanding. Our study brought together psychology and supply management researchers.
We begin by arguing that much of the extant literature demotes behavior and personality to peripheral, exogenous, or even irrelevant to the study of BSRs. Second, by focusing on the emergent research into corporate psychopathy, we explore one specific aspect of individual personality differences – psychopathic personality disorder. Third, we present our findings from a study of psychopathy in two executive samples, one consisting of exclusively procurement executives, to illustrate some of the personality traits likely to prevail within BSRs.
Key to our argument, we found significant individual differences across our samples. Indeed, the incidence of psychopathic traits was higher than reported in the few prior studies of corporate psychopathy. We also found significant gender differences, marked not only by slightly higher levels of psychopathy in males than females, but by differences in the disposition of psychopathy. We also found that the relationship between psychopathy and seniority was significant, indicative of a relationship between executive status and potentially toxic behaviors.
Future studies of BSRs thus need to recognize and account for individual differences in BSRs; such differences are not inconsequential.
While there is a growing literature on “dark traits” (i.e., socially aversive traits), there has been a lack of integration with the burgeoning research literature on positive traits and fulfilling and growth-oriented outcomes in life. To help move the field toward greater integration, we contrasted the nomological network of the Dark Triad (a well-studied cluster of socially aversive traits) with the nomological network of the Light Triad, measured by the 12-item Light Triad Scale (LTS). The LTS is a first draft measure of a loving and beneficent orientation toward others (“everyday saints”) that consists of three facets: Kantianism (treating people as ends unto themselves), Humanism (valuing the dignity and worth of each individual), and Faith in Humanity (believing in the fundamental goodness of humans). Across four demographically diverse samples (N = 1,518), the LTS demonstrated excellent reliability and validity, predicting life satisfaction and a wide range of growth-oriented and self-transcendent outcomes above and beyond existing measures of personality. In contrast, the Dark Triad was negatively associated with life satisfaction and growth-oriented outcomes, and showed stronger linkages to selfish, exploitative, aggressive, and socially aversive outcomes. This exploratory study of the contrasting nomological networks of the Light vs. Dark Triad provides several ways forward for more principled and data driven approaches to explore both the malevolent and beneficent sides of human nature.
Organizations use a number of tools to help predict who will be a quality employee. Integrity tests are often used to help predict who has a higher probability of theft. This study examines the effectiveness of integrity tests in identifying predictors of White-Collar Crime against a population of convicted white-Collar Criminals in prison.
The workplace can be a hotbed of difficulty and incivility—from rumors spread about an individual, to the agonies of stress, to physical attacks and even death. Evidence suggests that not only does incivility have significant implications for employees, organizations and society, it is also on the rise. In recent years we have experienced increased acts of incivility in the workplace, social media and government positions.
There is a direct correlation between uncivil behavior and financial outcomes for organizations. It is estimated that stress related to uncivil actions in the workplace costs organizations approximately $300 billion annually. The cost of personal implications for employees is often too high to calculate as individuals experience loss of reputation and significant psychological and physical distress. With the increased use of social media, individuals are experiencing incivility that crosses the boundary between their personal and professional lives.
This book delves into the darker side of the workplace, discussing bullying, toxic work environments, corporate psychopaths, the struggles of stress, and more. It combines recent research and case studies to provide an understanding of these behaviors, and offers practical solutions on how to cultivate a healthy working environment.
https://www.routledge.com/The-Dark-Side-of-the-Workplace-Managing-Incivility/Roter/p/book/9781138559301
The notion that individuals with psychopathic personality characteristics exist in the corporate world is both a logical extension of the estimated community prevalence rates of the disorder, as well as a scientific hypothesis based on the observation that a number of the characteristics of the disorder 9.1 Introduction 139 9.2 Aim 143 9.3 Method 143 9.3.1 Participants 143 9.4 Measures 144 9.4.1 Participant Demographics 144 9.4.2 Paulhus Deception Scales: Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding 144 9.4.3 Psychopathy Personality Inventory-Revised 145 9.4.4 Corporate Personality Inventory 145 9.5 Results 146 9.5.1 Descriptive Statistics 146 9.5.2 Factor Structure of the Corporate Personality Inventory 147 9.5.3 Discriminant and Concurrent Validity 152 9.5.4 Criterion Validity 152 9.6 Discussion 154 9.7 Limitations and Future Directions 156 References 159 Appendix: Corporate Psychopathy Inventory Items 161 could convey an advantage within this context (Crant & Bateman, 2000; Kets de Vries & Miller, 1985). However, very little literature has actually tested the validity of the hypothesis, despite the proliferation of the idea in media portrayals and semi-academic publications (Babiak & Hare, 2006; Boddy, 2011b; Dutton, 2012). Given that psychopathy in its criminal manifestation has been shown to predict aggression and violent behaviour, the assumption has been that in a business setting those individuals with the disorder will be responsible for fraud (Blickle, Schlegel, Fassbender, & Klein, 2006), workplace bullying (Caponecchia, Sun, & Wyatt, 2012) and poor management (Babiak, Neumann, & Hare, 2010). Smith and Lilienfeld (2013) have, though, recently posited a ‘double-edged sword’ hypothesis, citing examples from studies that have shown positive characteristics including being a strategic thinker, being creative or innovative and successful leadership (Babiak et al., 2010; Lilienfeld, Waldman, Landfield, Watts, Rubenzer, & Faschingbauer, 2012). The present study seeks to further clarify the distinction between positive and negative manifestations of psychopathic personality characteristics in a corporate sample. The aims of the study include the development of an assessment tool to measure psychopathic personality traits in a business setting, as well as the elucidation of how these characteristics correlate with other validated measures relevant to psychopathy assessment.
Many negatively connoted personality traits (often termed “dark traits”) have been introduced to account for ethically, morally, and socially questionable behavior. Herein, we provide a unifying, comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding dark personality in terms of a general dispositional tendency of which dark traits arise as specific manifestations. That is, we theoretically specify the common core of dark traits, which we call the Dark Factor of Personality ( D ). The fluid concept of D captures individual differences in the tendency to maximize one’s individual utility—disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility for others—accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications. To critically test D, we unify and extend prior work methodologically and empirically by considering a large number of dark traits simultaneously, using statistical approaches tailored to capture both the common core and the unique content of dark traits, and testing the predictive validity of both D and the unique content of dark traits with respect to diverse criteria including fully consequential and incentive-compatible behavior. In a series of four studies ( N > 2,500), we provide evidence in support of the theoretical conceptualization of D, show that dark traits can be understood as specific manifestations of D, demonstrate that D predicts a multitude of criteria in the realm of ethically, morally, and socially questionable behavior, and illustrate that D does not depend on any particular indicator variable included.
Individuals high in psychopathy are often portrayed as more likely to display antisocial behaviour in the workplace and to demonstrate lower job performance. Current research on the impact of trait psychopathy in the workplace is characterized by divergent findings of moderate versus weak effects. We aim to address two potential causes for these discrepant results: mono-source bias and the failure to consider the situational factors that can activate psychopathy. In addition, we used the triarchic model of psychopathy, which incorporates the meanness dimension, a conceptualization of predatory orientation. Our multi-source design disconfirmed concerns that the effects of psychopathy are merely based on mono-source bias. More specifically, we found that the predatory orientation of managers high in psychopathy and especially high in the trait of meanness was behaviourally activated by high levels of ascendency prospects and prospects for income increases. High psychopathy, mediated by consideration towards subordinates and moderated by high ascendency prospects and high prospects for income increases, was associated with low supervisory job performance ratings. Implications and limitations of our findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to adapt research conducted on subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians to conceptualise false agents in transaction cost economics (TCE). Both opportunism and information asymmetry provide a means to manipulate contractual relationships, pursuing existing loopholes for self-interest, while uncertainty and small-numbers bargaining allow false agents to exploit existing agreements during periods of rapid change, growth, and development. Considering differences in contract length preference may inform our understanding of subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians. Contextually, the rise of “quasi-governmental” hybrid organisations may produce an ideal prospect for “natural born” opportunists to reap self-interested benefits through contractual loopholes.
Design/methodology/approach
This theoretical paper addresses social norms and blind trust in contractual relationships. In turn, blind trust may provide clues about the environmental conditions that facilitate manipulation by subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians during negotiations of contract term length.
Findings
Williamson’s (1975) TCE framework provides a novel approach to subclinical psychopathic and Machiavellian behaviour by agents. Assumptions about behavioural norms may differ between the contracting party and the agent, leading to positive behavioural expectations of trust such as confidence, reciprocity, and history. The length of the contractual relationship may distinguish subclinical psychopaths from Machiavellians. The subclinical psychopath is more likely to behave opportunistically in short-term contracts, while Machiavellians more likely amass goodwill to behave opportunistically in long-term contracts. The role of uncertainty, small-numbers bargaining, information asymmetry, and opportunism is particularly relevant in quasi-governmental organisations when agents are “natural born” opportunists.
Originality/value
This theoretical paper adds to discussion of TCE related problems in organisations. “Natural born” opportunistic agents are more likely to take advantage of principals who extend trust as a goodwill gesture in a contractual relationship. Trust often represents a mental shortcut, based on “gut” reactions to save time, especially in dynamic environments. Hybrid organisations represent one such environment, in which contracting of goods and services renders comprehensive monitoring impracticable. Yet, scholarship adheres to legal mechanisms as safeguards against opportunism without acknowledging social norms that guide blind trust. Finally, contrasting motives between principals and false agents creates an inherent relationship asymmetry.
This article focuses on the interplay between narcissistic leaders and organizations. It attempts to capture the gist of this interplay with a model outlining the narcissistic organizational trajectory. The Energy Clash Model borrows and adapts a phase/state physics metaphor to conceptualize narcissism as a force that enters or emerges in a stable system (i.e., organization) as a leader, destabilizes it, and stabilizes it at a different state or is expelled. The model consists of three time-contingent phases: perturbation, conflict, and resolution. Narcissists create instability through waves of excitement, proposed reforms, and an inspiring vision for organization’s future (perturbation). With the passage of time, though, systemic awareness and alertness intensify, as organizational costs—in terms of human resources and monetary losses—accrue. Narcissistic energy clashes directly with the organization (conflict), a clash likely to restabilize the system eventually. The conflict may provoke the exit of the narcissistic leader or his or her accommodation, that is, steps or controls negotiated between the system and the leader (resolution). Although narcissism is subject to organizational liability, narcissistic energy, when managed and directed properly, may contribute to organizational innovation and evolution. Thus, several interventions for working with narcissistic leaders are discussed.
The notion that individuals with psychopathic personality characteristics exist in the corporate world is both a logical extension of the estimated community prevalence rates of the disorder, as well as a scientific hypothesis based on the observation that a number of the characteristics of the disorder could convey an advantage within this context (Crant & Bateman, 2000; Kets de Vries & Miller, 1985). The research sought to develop a self-repot assessment inventory to effectively measure non-criminal psychopathy to aid in the detection of psychopathic personality traits in individuals within business contexts. A key part of the scale development involved testing it's construct, divergent and convergent validity, as well as the reliability of the subscales identified through factor analysis. This involved examining the bivariate corrections between the factors and subscales of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) and Corporate Personality Inventory (CPI), as well as the Paulhus Deception Scales.
Overlooked in previous models of personality, moral character turns out to be key in predicting job performance and leadership potential
The surging interest in corporate psychopathy has underscored the need for a reliable and valid measure of psychopathic features that is suitable for research in organizational settings. The B-Scan Self is a new self-report measure of corporate psychopathy that was developed with Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) as a framework. Validity studies, using two independent Mechanical Turk samples, were designed to examine its factor structure and validity. Results indicated that B-Scan Self facets were internally consistent and unidimentional and strongly related to another self-report measure of psychopathy (SRP-III). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a reliable fifteen facets and four-factor model consistent with the PCL-R four-factor model of psychopathy. Furthermore, B-Scan Self facets were positively correlated with the Dark Triad of personality traits and negatively correlated with FFM traits of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. More importantly, B-Scan Self facets presented the same pattern of correlations with FFM traits as the SRP-III and different patterns than the two other Dark Triad measures. Although this constitutes the first validation study of the B-Scan Self and more research is needed, we believe that these results are encouraging and that the B-Scan Self provides an opportunity to study psychopathic features through the measure of work-related behavior.
The purpose of this research was to develop broad, theoretically derived measure(s) of deviant behavior in the workplace. Two scales were developed: a 12-item scale of organizational deviance (deviant behaviors directly harmful to the organization) and a 7-item scale of interpersonal deviance (deviant behaviors directly harmful to other individuals within the organization). These scales were found to have internal reliabilities of .81 and .78, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis verified that a 2-factor structure had acceptable fit. Preliminary evidence of construct validity is also provided. The implications of this instrument for future empirical research on workplace deviance are discussed.
The main objective of this research is to study the effect of personality, emotional intelligence (EI), affectivity, emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) of frontline employees in the government sector. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 625 frontline employees working at service counters in 25 ministries in Malaysia. We received responses from 519 employees (response rate = 83%). The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The main findings are: (1) personality factors of employees drive their EI, affectivity, emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, and CWB and (2) EI and affectivity impact emotional labor, emotional exhaustion and CWB. Through the integrated model, we have studied the indirect roles of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion. This is one of the few studies that have effectively integrated the five constructs into a single framework to study their effects on CWB.
Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are personality traits understood to be dispositions toward amoral and antisocial behavior. Recent research has suggested that sadism should also be added to this set of traits. In the present study, we tested a hypothesis proposing that these four traits are expressions of one superordinate construct: The Dark Tetrad. Exploration of the latent space of four “dark” traits suggested that the singular second-order factor which represents the Dark Tetrad can be extracted. Analysis has shown that Dark Tetrad traits can be located in the space of basic personality traits, especially on the negative pole of the Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotionality dimensions. We conclude that sadism behaves in a similar manner as the other dark traits, but it cannot be reduced to them. The results support the concept of “Dark Tetrad.”
We review self-report measures of socially aversive personalities. Rather than the clinical or forensic domains, our focus is on those variables that apply in normal work settings, community surveys, college samples, and laboratory research. Three of these personalities - Machiavellianism, narcissism and subclinical psychopathy - form an overlapping constellation called the 'Dark Triad'. Because of their prominence in the literature, we pay special attention to measures of those three constructs. Recent work on traditional measures is reviewed briefly, but more detailed information is provided on newer combination measures. In addition, we cover measures of other 'dark' constructs such as sadistic personality, amoralism, and sensational interests. Finally, we review recent brief measures of various dark personalities: They can be used by researchers with a need for short screening scales.
This chapter offers (1) a review of research on trait activation theory up to 2011; (2) two developments of the theory regarding (a) the role of work autonomy and situation strength, and (b) differential reward preference; (3) a trait activation perspective on person-workplace fit identifying a unique role for personality in fit; and (4) a representative review of personality research through the lens of trait activation theory as an integrative framework, including studies not citing the theory.
Deciding whether to trust another individual is one of the most important decisions a person has to make, especially in social contexts. The ability to make accurate judgements of trustworthiness is predicted to be evolutionarily advantageous. There is evidence for a consistent consensus when rating faces on trustworthiness, and faces rated as both untrustworthy and trustworthy have been shown to activate the amygdala. We investigated the extent to which amygdala activation corresponds to measured trustworthiness associated with facial stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we scanned 6 participants while they viewed faces of people that varied on The Dark Triad personality characteristics. There was significant activation in the amygdala in response to faces associated with high psychopathy, high Machiavellianism and high trusting behaviour. The findings support recent work demonstrating the relationship between facial morphometric geometry and personality traits. The psychopathy findings in particular supports recent work suggesting threat to be a large component of implicit trustworthiness decisions and also suggests the neural substrates associated with cheater detection are attuned to facial geometry that might represent psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
We examine the influence of individuals’ propensity to morally disengage on a broad range of unethical organizational behaviors. First, we develop a parsimonious, adult‐oriented, valid, and reliable measure of an individual's propensity to morally disengage, and demonstrate the relationship between it and a number of theoretically relevant constructs in its nomological network. Then, in 4 additional studies spanning laboratory and field settings, we demonstrate the power of the propensity to moral disengage to predict multiple types of unethical organizational behavior. In these studies we demonstrate that the propensity to morally disengage predicts several outcomes (self‐reported unethical behavior, a decision to commit fraud, a self‐serving decision in the workplace, and supervisor‐ and coworker‐reported unethical work behaviors) beyond other established individual difference antecedents of unethical organizational behavior, as well as the most closely related extant measure of the construct. We conclude that scholars and practitioners seeking to understand a broad range of undesirable workplace behaviors can benefit from taking an individual's propensity to morally disengage into account. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
In this study, dark-side traits are conceptualised as extreme extensions of the “bright-side” traits of the Five-Factor Model that often have counterproductive effects. We predict which dark-side traits will be related to ratings of “too little” and “too much” of four leader behaviors and how low levels of Emotional Stability may accentuate the relationship between dark-side traits and excessive leader behavior. Analyses in a sample of 320 American and European managers and executives rated by 4,906 co-workers provided support for most predicted relationships, with medium-sized overall multivariate effects. Support for a moderating effect for Emotional Stability was also found. Scores near the normative mean on the dark-side traits were associated with optimal levels of the leader behaviors, whereas both high scores and, unexpectedly, low scores were associated with extreme, ineffective leader behaviors. Implications are considered for future research on the role of the dark side in leadership, re-conceptualising the interpretation of low scores on dark-side personality scales, and the coaching and development of managers.
The Dark Triad consists of three overlapping but distinct personality variables: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. To date, however, no research has empirically identified what leads these three variables to overlap or whether other variables share the same core. The present research addresses why and how dark personalities overlap. Drawing from classic work in psychopathy, Hare's Factor 1 or manipulation and callousness were found to be the common antagonistic core. A series of latent variable procedures, including Multisample Structural Equation Models, revealed that for both samples, manipulation and callousness, completely accounted for the associations among the facet scores of the psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism scales. Sample 2 also included Social Dominance Orientation, and results further confirmed that Social Dominance Orientation has the same common core as the Dark Triad. In sum, Hare's Factor 1—manipulation–callousness—emerged as common dark core that accounts for the overlap among antagonistic traits. Copyright © 2012 European Association of Personality Psychology
We study theory of mind (ToM) and empathic underpinnings of Machiavellianism by use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, where account managers are used as participants in 3 studies. Study 1 finds evidence for activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, left and right temporo-parietal junction, and left and right precuneus regions; all five regions are negatively correlated with Machiavellianism, suggesting that Machiavellians are less facile than non-Machiavellians with ToM skills. Study 2 presents evidence for activation of the left and right pars opercularis, left and right insula, and left precuneus regions; the former four regions of the motor neuron system were positively associated, and the latter negatively associated, with Machiavellianism, implying that Machiavellians resonate more readily with the emotions of others than non-Machiavellians. This is the first study to our knowledge to show a negative correlation between perspective taking and emotional sharing in empathic processes in general and Machiavellianism in particular. Study 3 tests implications of managerial control on both performance and organizational citizenship behaviors, as moderated by Machiavellianism in the field. Our study grounds the functioning of Machiavellianism in organizations in basic neuroscience processes, resolves some long-standing ambiguities with self-report investigations, and points to conditions under which Machiavellianism both inhibits and promotes performance and citizenship behavior.
Theory and research on the psychology of white-collar offenders has historically been underdeveloped, and our understanding of the prototypical high-socioeconomic-status offenders, such as today’s chief executive officers and chief financial officers, first identified by Edwin Sutherland, has not benefited from the application of psychological trait theory. In this article, the author examines the negative synergy that develops when criminal thinking traits combine with the psychological traits of narcissism and psychopathy to create risk factors for white-collar offending. Psychological trait theory may be especially applicable to those who hold some of the highest positions in corporate organizations, who influence corporate culture, and who, at times, are considered visionaries in their respective industries.
The use of deception during social interactions is a serious ethical concern for business. Interpersonal Deception Theory (IDT) proposes that strategies for using deception are influenced by personal factors. We tested this proposal by assessing participants’ strategies for using deception during an employment interview. Specifically, we examined three personal factors [gender, Machiavellianism, and self-monitoring (SM)] and intentions toward four types of deceptive behaviors (Extensive Image Creation, Image Protection, Ingratiation, and Slight Image Creation). We used path analysis to examine the intentions of 125 undergraduate students. Our results partially confirm the proposal of IDT by showing that intentions toward using Extensive Image Creation (i.e., generating wholly untrue personal information) are higher for men than women. Intentions toward Image Protection (i.e., hiding unattractive personal truths) are higher for men and for women high in Machiavellianism relative to women low in Machiavellianism. Intentions toward using deceptive Ingratiation are highest for men and high Machiavellianism women, but only when sufficient SM skills are present. For intentions toward Slight Image Creation (i.e., mild exaggerations to personal truths) there are no gender, Machiavellianism, or SM effects. Our research has implications for understanding how deception in the workplace can begin before an individual is hired, and we offer suggestions for several lines of future research.
Past research on socially aversive personalities has focused on subclinical psychopathy, subclinical narcissism, and Machiavellianism-the "Dark Triad" of personality. In the research reported here, we evaluated whether an everyday form of sadism should be added to that list. Acts of apparent cruelty were captured using two laboratory procedures, and we showed that such behavior could be predicted with two measures of sadistic personality. Study 1 featured a bug-killing paradigm. As expected, sadists volunteered to kill bugs at greater rates than did nonsadists. Study 2 examined willingness to harm an innocent victim. When aggression was easy, sadism and Dark Triad measures predicted unprovoked aggression. However, only sadists were willing to work for the opportunity to hurt an innocent person. In both studies, sadism emerged as an independent predictor of behavior reflecting an appetite for cruelty. Together, these findings support the construct validity of everyday sadism and its incorporation into a new "Dark Tetrad" of personality.
Unethical behavior in the workplace is a widespread phenomenon. In this article a model for the ethical culture of organizations that consists of eight dimensions is employed to explain unethical behavior. The sample was composed of 341 triads consisting of a manager and two direct reports. The results show that six dimensions of ethical culture were negatively related to observed unethical behavior: ethical role modeling of management, ethical role modeling of supervisors, capability to behave ethically, commitment to behave ethically, openness to discuss ethical issues, and reinforcement of ethical behavior. Two of the eight dimensions, clarity of ethical standards and visibility of (un)ethical behavior, were not significantly related to unethical behavior. This study demonstrates that multiple dimensions of ethical culture have to be taken into account to reduce unethical behavior. The study opens up avenues for future research about the significance of each dimension in specific settings, the dynamic relationship between these dimensions, and the instruments required to improve each dimension of ethical culture.
This chapter establishes the scene for the rest of this book. It begins with a brief definition of the conversation management (CM) approach to investigative interviewing, before explaining the psychology of investigation as a decision-making process. Having distinguished the two opposing ethical perspectives on investigation, the chapter then introduces the context for the creation and emergence of CM with a detailed description of the practice of expedient interrogation of suspects and expedient interviewing of witnesses up to 1993: the year that PEACE — the national investigative interviewing model framed upon CM — was introduced. It also investigates the evolution of PEACE, the subsequent emergence of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) approach to interviewing vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, and the Professionalising of Investigation Programme (PIP). Ultimately, the chapter concludes with a synopsis of research findings that underpin the effectiveness of CM and how we continue to develop our approach to CM.
The current study sought to examine the association between the Dark Tetrad traits and accuracy in assessing a target's vulnerability using nonverbal gait cues. In a sample of 126 undergraduates, accuracy was positively associated with psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and everyday sadism, while narcissism was unrelated to accuracy. A hierarchical linear regression analysis also suggested that there is considerable overlap between these constructs, as Machiavellianism and everyday sadism did not add incrementally to the prediction of accuracy over and above psychopathy. Overall, this study provides support for previous research associating psychopathy with accuracy in perceiving other's vulnerability based on gait cues and raises questions about the construct validity of the Dark Tetrad. While the fault of victimization lies solely on the perpetrator, it is important to explore whether vulnerability cues can be modified to reduce predatory behavior.
The term dark triad refers to the constellation of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Over the past few years, the concept has gained momentum, with many researchers assuming that the dark triad is a prominent antecedent of transgressive and norm-violating behavior. Our purpose in this meta-analytic review was to evaluate (a) interrelations among narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy; (b) gender differences in these traits; (c) how these traits are linked to normal personality factors; and (d) the psychosocial correlates of the dark triad. Our findings show that dark triad traits are substantially intercorrelated, somewhat more prevalent among men than women, predominantly related to the Big Five personality factor of agreeableness and the HEXACO factor of honesty-humility, and generally associated with various types of negative psychosocial outcomes. We question whether dark triad traits are sufficiently distinct and argue that the way they are currently measured is too simple to capture the malevolent sides of personality. Because most research in this domain is cross-sectional and based on self-reports, we recommend using a cross-informant approach and prospective, longitudinal research designs for studying the predictive value of dark triad features.
This article explores general principles of state whistleblower laws and alerts nurses to considerations when deciding whether to report an employer violation. Reporting an employer violation can be difficult for any employee but especially for nurses because nurses are torn between their desire and duty to advocate for clients' safety and their desire to maintain employment. The author suggests questions to consider when deciding to “blow the whistle” and alerts nurses to statutes of limitations that may affect when nurses must report violations. The article also illuminates policy and procedural issues for various states that affect how and to whom nurses report violations to protect themselves under whistleblower protection laws. Finally, this article explores personal and professional consequences that nurses should consider before reporting violations.
Few studies have examined the manner in which individuals view, interact with, and manipulate others, or their ability to identify and respond to others’ emotional cues. More specifically, no research has examined the capacity of individuals high in psychopathic traits to perceive and recognize extremely fleeting emotional expressions (i.e. micro-expressions) that could allow them to infer emotional vulnerability in others. The current study examined whether psychopathic traits [measured via the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-4 (SRP-4); Paulhus, D. L., Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2016). Manual for the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (4th ed.). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems] were associated with the ability to identify micro-expressions in others. Participants (N = 132) viewed videos of 1/25th second micro-expressions and attempted to identify the displayed emotion. The results indicated that SRP scores were positively associated with a heightened ability to identify sadness micro-expressions, particularly among observers who were women. Additionally, various SRP subscales were related to emotion selection tendencies and accuracy rates, which also differed between the sexes.
In a difficult economic climate it is more important than ever to manage bad behaviour in the workplace and minimize the damage negative and destructive employees can have on an organization. This book looks at the problems companies can face but also shows how to resolve these issues and work towards a positive outcome.
When it comes to person perception, does one “judge a book by its cover?” Perceivers made judgments of liking, and of personality, based on a photograph of an unknown other, and at least 1 month later, made judgments following a face-to-face interaction with the same person. Photograph-based liking judgments predicted interaction-based liking judgments, and, to a lesser extent, photograph-based personality judgments predicted interaction-based personality judgments (except for extraversion). Consistency in liking judgments (1) partly reflected behavioral confirmation (i.e., perceivers with favorable photograph-based judgments behaved more warmly toward the target during the live interaction, which elicited greater target warmth); (2) explained, at least in part, consistency in personality judgments (reflecting a halo effect); and (3) remained robust even after controlling for perceiver effects, target effects, and perceived attractiveness. These findings support the view that even after having “read a book,” one still, to some extent, judges it by its “cover.”
Purpose
– This current paper reviews the theoretical speculations concerning psychopaths in the workplace that were originally presented in a paper published in this journal in 2006. The 2006 paper was called: “The Dark Side of Management Decisions: Organisational Psychopaths”.
Design/methodology/approach
– This is a review of the literature on workplace psychopaths since 2006.
Findings
– This current paper determines that while many of these prior speculations about workplace psychopaths have since been supported by evidence, several others remain unexplored. This finding suggests that several important avenues for further research remain in this important area. In particular, links between corporate psychopaths, bullying and lowered corporate social responsibility have been established. On the other hand, links between corporate psychopaths, career advancement, fraud, and corporate failure as exemplified in the 2007 global financial crisis, have been under-explored.
Social implications
– Corporate psychopaths are worthy of further research because of their impact on society, for example on corporate social responsibility and their willingness to dump toxic waste material illegally.
Originality/value
– The paper provides an extensive review of research into corporate psychopaths to date and highlights areas where further investigation would be potentially rewarding.
Long the stuff of clinical lore, successful psychopathy has recently become the focus of research. Although numerous authors have conjectured that psychopathic traits are sometimes associated with occupational or interpersonal success, rigorous evidence for this assertion has thus far been minimal. We provide a status report on successful-psychopathy research, address controversies surrounding successful psychopathy, examine evidence for competing models of this construct, and offer desiderata for future research.
Foreword by Tim Judge. Preface. Individual Differences at Work. Methods to Assess Work Behaviour and Potential. Personality Testing in the Work Place. Types and Temperaments at Work. Personality Disorders at Work. Cognitive Ability at Work. Social and Emotional Intelligences at Work. Creativity at Work. Attitudes, Beliefs, Styles and Values at Work. Integrity and Honesty at Work. Competency at Work. Conclusion.
Psychopathy is related to parasitic behavior that is both antisocial and high-risk. Such individuals are unlikely to consider consequences when engaging in selfish financial behavior, even in the face of punishment and financial loss. After completing Dark Triad measures (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism), participants were told that everyone could gamble (in a clearly biased game) with the next person's bonus. Participants were then randomly assigned to think their bonus was still intact or nearly depleted. Participants were then given the option to punish the previous participant. Finally, participants were given the option to gamble with the next participant's bonus. Wins benefited current participants, and losses hurt the next participant. Participants were reminded that they could be punished by the next participant and lose everything. Results indicated that all three Dark Triad traits correlated with attempting one round of gambling. However, only individuals high in psychopathy persisted in gambling, leading to greater financial loss of the next participant. These findings highlight the importance of screening for malevolent traits in the financial world, particularly psychopathy.
There are many instances in which individuals can become locked into a costly course of action. Because it is often possible for persons who have suffered a setback to recoup their losses through an even greater commitment of resources to the same course of action, a cycle of escalating commitment can be produced. In this paper, I review recent research on the escalation of commitment and try to integrate its complex and often conflicting determinants.
This chapter looks at employees as a key resource in an organisation and explains how the productivity of this human resource can be helped or hindered by organisational rules and procedures, supervisors, managers and other constraints. It defines organisational constraints and then outlines why Corporate Psychopaths can affect them. The chapter discusses the findings from an empirical investigation into whether the presence of Corporate Psychopaths in an organisation influences the level of organisational constraints within it. It concludes that Corporate Psychopaths do influence the level of organisational constraints, by a large factor. As corporate psychopathy increases within an organisation, so does the level of organisational constraints. The implications for human resource selection and management policies are discussed in terms of the potential for screening employees for psychopathy.
Purpose ‐ The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of pre-employment integrity testing in culturally distinct samples. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Integrity test scores from a total of 1,632 job applicants from three large banking corporations in Colombia, Israel, and Ukraine were studied and matched against a standard criterion of self-reported counterproductive work behaviors. Findings ‐ Mean test scores differed significantly across the countries, as hypothesized, while no evidence of adverse impact was found for age or gender in any of the samples. In addition, consistently significant validities were maintained in each country, resulting in the potential utility for mitigating counterproductive work behaviors among employees. Research limitations/implications ‐ The results of this study are believed to make theoretical and practical contributions to our current understanding of integrity testing in personnel selection in cross-cultural settings. As such, the findings may be of particular importance to the numerous organizations and practitioners around the world administering integrity tests today. These results notwithstanding, future cross-cultural studies of this kind should include external performance measures in order to investigate possible method biases related to the use of self-reported criteria. Originality/value ‐ Despite extensive research on integrity testing in recent decades, this is one of the few studies to look at cross-cultural integrity testing, and one of the first to examine integrity testing in the specific countries studied here.
Although it is recognized that “dark personalities” engage in a high level of interpersonal manipulation and exploitation, little is known about whether or how they assess a target’s potential vulnerability prior to such behavior. This study examined the relation between the Dark Triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) and strategies used in the assessment of personality and emotional states related to vulnerability in others. Participants (N = 101) were asked to form impressions of stranger “targets” (with either high or low known vulnerability features) describing themselves across thin slice video, audio, or transcript modalities. Results indicated that dark personalities engaged in a relatively superficial interpersonal analysis and exhibited a “negative other” heuristic by which they generally perceived all targets as being weak and vulnerable to victimization. This negative other heuristic led to impairments in their ability to accurately assess certain features of others. We propose that instead of being keen “readers” of others, dark personalities may rely on their own personality and physical features (e.g., charm, good looks) to draw in vulnerable victims or adopt a “quantity over quality” strategy to find victims and then use active manipulation tactics to exploit them.
Psychopathy represents a unique set of personality traits including deceitfulness, lack of empathy and guilt, impulsiveness, and antisocial behavior. Most often in the literature, psychopathy is described as pathology — a disorder that has been linked to a variety of biological deficits and environmental risk factors. However, from an evolutionary perspective, psychopathy, while it could be a disorder, has been construed in the context of an adaptive strategy. In this article we will examine the strengths and weaknesses of two models suggesting that psychopathy is an adaptive strategy, and one model suggesting that it is a form of pathology resulting from accumulated mutations. Overall, we do not find that there is strong enough evidence to draw firm conclusions about one theory over another, but we highlight some areas where future research may be able to shed light on the issue.
The literature on narcissism in organizational contexts is reviewed. We begin by describing the context of narcissism and several relevant theoretical approaches to understanding it. We next describe research on narcissism in a range of organizational topics, from leadership to meta-organizational issues. We conclude by highlighting several reoccurring themes involving the role of narcissism in organizational contexts, with an emphasis on articulating directions for future research.
Dark side traits have been associated as much with success as failure in specific occupations. This study examines the possibility that some “dark side” traits may be advantageous in particular occupations by focusing on the relationship of eleven dark side traits with six, self-report, validated measures of occupation behaviour and potential. Nearly 5000 British adults completed the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), and the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) which has six criterion-based measures of occupational scales. Whilst some disorders (i.e. Excitable, Sceptical) seemed consistently associated with low work outcome and potential ratings, others seemed either neutral or positively associated (Bold, Diligent). Some dark side traits were highly variable being positively associated with some occupational scales, but not others (Mischievous, Colourful). The total ‘potential’ index of three potential measures showed most positive correlations with dark-side traits. The present results suggest that the manifestation of specific dark side traits may not always lead to work problems.
This paper examines the psychopathology of the white-collar criminal acting as a corporate leader. It looks at the impact of a leader's behaviour on other employees and the organisational culture developed during his or her reign. We propose a 12-step process to explain how an organisation can move from a legally operating organisation to one in which unethical behaviour is ignored and wrong doing promoted. Events from Enron, Barings Bank, WorldCom and other corporations provide examples of this process.