Understanding Psychopaths and Sociopaths: Traits, Impacts, and Interactions

In this episode of PsyberSpace, host Leslie Poston explores the complex and often misunderstood personality types of psychopaths and sociopaths. The discussion delves into how these individuals navigate through life and the distinct behaviors that characterize them. It highlights the dangers when such individuals rise to positions of power, particularly in corporate and political environments, and the impact they can have on organizations and society. The episode also covers practical strategies for dealing with psychopathic personalities in different settings, emphasizing the importance of boundaries, documentation, and emotional distance. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on how this knowledge could influence their views on leadership and personal relationships.

00:00 Introduction to Psychopaths and Sociopaths
01:10 Defining Psychopaths and Sociopaths
02:55 Corporate Psychopaths: The Hidden Dangers
05:20 Psychopaths in Personal Relationships
08:02 Psychopaths in Positions of Power
13:01 Therapeutic Approaches and Challenges
15:21 Practical Strategies for Dealing with Psychopaths
17:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

References:

• Anderson, J. L., Sellbom, M., Wygant, D. B., Salekin, R., & Krueger, R. (2014). Examining the associations between DSM-5 section III antisocial personality disorder traits and psychopathy in community and university samples. Journal of Personality Disorders, 28, 1-23.
• Babiak, P., & Hare, R. D. (2015). Snakes in suits: When psychopaths go to work. Harper Business.
• Babiak, P., Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2010). Corporate psychopathy: Talking the walk. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 28(2), 174-193.
• Boddy, C. R. (2015). Organisational psychopaths: A ten year update. Management Decision, 53(10), 2407-2432.
• Boddy, C. R., Taplin, R., Sheehy, B., & Murphy, B. (2021). Finding psychopaths in white-collar jobs: A review of the evidence and why it matters. Society and Business Review, 16(2), 170-184.
• Cooke, D. J., Hart, S. D., Logan, C., & Michie, C. (2012). Explicating the construct of psychopathy: Development and validation of a conceptual model, the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP). International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 11(4), 242-252.
• Dutton, K. (2012). The wisdom of psychopaths: What saints, spies, and serial killers can teach us about success. Scientific American.
• Garofalo, C., Eisenbarth, H., & Shane, M. S. (2022). All walks of life: Editorial for the special issue on "The impact of psychopathy: Multidisciplinary and applied perspectives." International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
• Gao, Y., & Raine, A. (2010). Successful and unsuccessful psychopaths: A neurobiological model. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 28(2), 194-210.
• Hart, S. D. (1998). The role of psychopathy in assessing risk for violence: Conceptual and methodological issues. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 3(1), 121-137.
• Henning, J. B., & Wygant, D. B. (2014). Mapping the darkness and finding the light: DSM-5 and assessment of the "corporate psychopath". Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 7(1), 144-148.
• Kiehl, K. A., & Hoffman, M. B. (2011). The criminal psychopath: History, neuroscience, treatment, and economics. Jurimetrics, 51, 355-397.
• Landay, K., Harms, P. D., & Credé, M. (2019). Shall we serve the dark lords? A meta-analytic review of psychopathy and leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(1), 183-196.
• Leistedt, S. J., Braun, S., Coumans, N., & Linkowski, P. (2009). Psychopathy: From "The Mask of Sanity" to social neurosciences. Revue Medicale de Bruxelles, 30(6), 577-587.
• Lilienfeld, S. O., Waldman, I. D., Landfield, K., Watts, A. L., Rubenzer, S., & Faschingbauer, T. R. (2012). Fearless dominance and the U.S. presidency: Implications of psychopathic personality traits for successful and unsuccessful political leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(3), 489-505.
• Mealey, L. (1995). The sociobiology of sociopathy: An integrated evolutionary model. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 18(3), 523-541.
• Ogloff, J. R. P. (2006). Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(6-7), 519-528.
• Patrick, C. J. (2007). Handbook of psychopathy. Guilford Press.
• Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Toward a taxonomy of dark personalities. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(6), 421-426.
• Reid, W. H. (1986). Unmasking the psychopath: Antisocial personality and related syndromes. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143(11), 1452-1453.
• Rogstad, J. E., & Rogers, R. (2008). Gender differences in contributions of emotion to psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(8), 1472-1484.
• Skeem, J. L., Polaschek, D. L., Patrick, C. J., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2011). Psychopathic personality: Bridging the gap between scientific evidence and public policy. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(3), 95-162.
• Spytska, L. (2024). Symptoms and main differences between a psychopath and a sociopath. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
• Strickland, C. M., Drislane, L. E., Lucy, M., Krueger, R. F., & Patrick, C. J. (2013). Characterizing psychopathy using DSM-5 personality traits. Assessment, 20(3), 327-338.
• van Dongen, J. D. M. (2020). The empathic brain of psychopaths: From social science to neuroscience in empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 695.
• Venables, N. C., Hall, J. R., & Patrick, C. J. (2013). Differentiating psychopathy from antisocial personality disorder: A triarchic model perspective. Psychological Medicine, 43(9), 1899-1910.
• Wallace, L., Heym, N., Sumich, A., & Fido, D. (2020). A systematic review on the current conceptualisations of successful psychopathy. Forensic Science International: Mind and Law.
• Walsh, A., & Wu, H. (2008). Differentiating antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and sociopathy: Evolutionary, genetic, neurological, and sociological considerations. Criminal Justice Studies, 21(2), 135-152.
• Warren, J. I., & South, S. C. (2006). Comparing the constructs of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy in a sample of incarcerated women. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 24(1), 1-20.
• Wellons, S. (2012). The devil in the boardroom: Corporate psychopaths and their impact on business. Pure Insights, 1(1), 42-45.
• Werner, K. B., Few, L. R., & Bucholz, K. K. (2015). Epidemiology, comorbidity, and behavioral genetics of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy. Psychiatric Annals, 45(4), 195-199.
• Yildirim, B. O., & Derksen, J. J. (2013). Systematic review, structural analysis, and new theoretical perspectives on the role of serotonin and associated genes in the etiology of psychopathy and sociopathy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(7), 1254-1296.