Abstract
In this article we hypothesize that psychopathic leaders may be attracted to positions of power because in such environments they can fulfill their need for domination and control over other people. Although social dominance is a well-established trait in psychopathy, social dominance as a motivational factor in those high in psychopathy has received surprisingly little attention in literature and research. In this article we propose that social dominance and dominance motivation may be part of the psychological profile of certain psychopathic subtypes, but not of others. Furthermore, the scarce theory and research on psychopathy and dominance motivation is reviewed. Finally, we will additionally analyze research on the different motivations between the larger group of the Dark Triad and propose new insights on the importance of the need for domination for those high in psychopathy in comparison to other fundamental life motivations. Based on these analyses we propose a clarification for the (estimated) high prevalence of psychopathic individuals in leadership positions.
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This paper answers why psychopaths keep ending up as CEOs and politicians.
Researchers mapping out the mechanics of "successful psychopathy" found that corporate capitalism and modern political selection systems are not neutral.
They are hyper-efficient filtering machines.
And they are specifically optimized to select for the exact traits normal people find repulsive.
Normal leaders are constrained by empathy, guilt, and long-term risk aversion. They hesitate when a decision hurts people. They feel the weight of collateral damage.
Psychopaths don’t have an emotional brake pedal.
When a company or a political party needs someone to ruthlessly slash budgets, fire thousands of people, bluff through a crisis, or project absolute, unshakeable confidence, normal candidates stutter.
Psychopaths step right up.
Their superficial charm, pathological fearlessness, and total lack of remorse look identical to "strong leadership" during an interview or a campaign.
They weaponize corporate chaos. While everyone else is panicking, they ruthlessly manipulate the narrative, step over their peers, and take credit for the wins.
They weaponize charisma to dazzle the board or the voters, and hide their emptiness behind a mask of high performance.
The system rewards the ruthlessness, promotes them to the top, and punishes anyone who tries to slow them down with ethics.
The researchers call it a feedback loop of structural decay.
Corporations and governments built an environment where being entirely devoid of a conscience isn't a disqualifier.
It’s a competitive advantage.
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I completely disagree! The world today needs leaders with vision and empathy! Leaders who can unite teams and make them work towards a common goal!
Today's CEOs and politicians are not fit for purpose. Maybe, this is the reason that things are not getting better...
Time to rethink?
