Psychopathic Cultures and Toxic Empires [Soft Cover ]

Estimates of the percentage of psychopaths and sociopaths in society range from 1% to 4%. The proportion of those with psychopathic traits is greater in certain professions, including banking, law and the media. This is not surprising as psychopaths are attracted to environments where they can maximise their influence and rewards. Many people imagine psychopaths to be like serial killers in films. While it is true that some killers are psychopathic, it is also true that many more people in 'respectable' jobs have psychopathic qualities. Indicators include self esteem being derived from personal gain, power and pleasure, lack of concern for feelings, needs and suffering of others and a tendency to exploit, deceive and coerce. They may appear charming but this is superficial and used to manipulate as, ultimately, other people are prey. There has been greater focus in recent years on psychopaths who avoid being imprisoned or diagnosed and who gain positions of power. These are particularly dangerous because - as well as having a detrimental impact on those around them - they are are in a position to shape society and create what I term 'psychopathic cultures'. Pathological cultures can be found in families and small networks, larger institutions, global corporations and governments. Once a pathological culture has been established, it can expand and infect healthy cultures - whether directly led by psychopaths or not. Long after a psychopath who infected an institution has moved on, the culture may remain toxic - which is harmful to those working within in. Because the need to conform is so strong, decent people can end up emulating psychopathic traits if they find themselves within a pathological culture. A range of environments are discussed in this book, using the terms psychopathic, pathological and toxic cultures. The mention of individuals linked to particular organisations does not imply that those people are being defined as psychopathic