ABSTRACT
This chapter describes research conducted over the past several years on psychopathic individuals who have successfully entered the mainstream workforce and continue to enjoy profitable careers in business. Many psychiatrists and psychologists see the psychopath him- or herself as a client in a clinical setting, there to receive some assistance in dealing with clinical issues; in other situations, the client seeking counseling is the psychopath's victim. People with power and influence become patrons, protecting the psychopath from detractors and assuring a fruitful career. However, the employees in the companies in which psychopaths were identified reported a significantly greater number of negative emotional feelings and psychological issues than is normally encountered. In addition, they found that high psychopathy scores were related to higher levels of charisma and communication style but lower scores on responsibility and performance. The role of corporate psychopathy in leadership was further tested against the Full Range Leadership Model.
