Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

•Narcissistic people will find psychopaths to be solicitous of their need to get attention; anxious people will find them to be non-threatening and reassuring; many will find them exciting and fun to be with. Few will suspect that they are dealing with a psychopath who is playing up to their particular personality and vulnerabilities.

•there is the internal personality that we experience inside. Then, there is the public personality, that we want others to see. And, finally, there is the attributed personality (reputation) the view that others form about us

•the internal personality consists of dreams, fears, preferences, insecurities, who we want to be. People tend to become upset if their internal personality is not appreciated by others

•The psychopath is sharing personal details that reflect your values, beliefs, and issues. He says: I am just like you. It makes people share more and more of their inner thoughts and feelings

•The psychopath’s fourth mes- sage is: I am the perfect friend . . . lover . . . partner . . . for you.

•Given the right opportunity, Doug would “trade up” these bits of information by ap- proaching key individuals and hinting that he was aware of key organizational issues and decisions. Believing that Doug was on the inside track, they felt comfortable about revealing additional pieces of information

•psychopaths find change stimulating. Their thrill-seeking nature draws them to situations where a lot is happening. They find the increased freedom to act to their liking and capitalize on the lessened reliance on rules and policies and the increased need for freeform decision making. They take advantage of the opportunity to get a leadership or management position in a chaotic state

•Elements of extreme impulsivity and thrill seeking can also be mistaken for high energy, action orientation, courage, and the ability to multitask, all important management traits.

•One of the problems that researchers who interview psychopaths face is losing control of the interview. Psychopaths avoid answering direct questions, but rather introduce topics into the conversation that are interesting to the interviewer. Before you know it, you are the one being interviewed