Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

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Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

In Which professions have the most psychopaths? The fewest?, Eric Barker defines psychopathy as
Eric Barker wrote:Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has been variously described as characterized by shallow emotions (in particular reduced fear), stress tolerance, lacking empathy, coldheartedness, lacking guilt, egocentricity, superficial character, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity and antisocial behaviors such as parasitic lifestyle and criminality.
To see the list, click on the link.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by beardsworth »

I can't help noticing that most (but not all) of the professions listed as heavily psychopathic are traditionally occupied by a disproportionate number of men, while most (but not all) of the professions listed as least likely to attract psychopaths are traditionally occupied by a disproportionate number of women. Empathy, anyone?
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by SecretAsianMan »

#2. Yes! Meanwhile, my significant other is #7 on the good list.

Opposites do in fact attract, apparently.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by lws6772 »

Interesting. I'm in the top half of the -psychopathy list. :happy
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Don't know about professions, but that definition sounds like a few people I've disassociated myself from in the past. Nutz would be very mild description of them.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by Nestegg_User »

It seems unlikely that journalist would be that high up there....
and now for the obvious question: what about taxi drivers? :shock:
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by donocash »

I wonder about the accuracy of the list.

These lists are based on what?
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

donocash wrote:I wonder about the accuracy of the list.

These lists are based on what?
The article linked by me has a link to a book "The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success Hardcover" by Kevin Dutton. But learning from the personal experience is more fun.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by Bmac »

I'm a surgeon and a doctor. Where does that leave me? How does that Venn diagram work?
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

Bmac wrote:I'm a surgeon and a doctor. Where does that leave me? How does that Venn diagram work?
Your left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by nisiprius »

If an osteopath treats disease by correcting bone misalignment, a naturopath treats disease with natural remedies, a homeopath treats disease with tiny doses of drugs whose effects resemble disease symptoms, and an allopath treats it with drugs whose effects are the opposite of disease symptoms...

...what does a psychopath do?
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by frugaltype »

I'm surprised to see clergymen in there. On the other hand, there seems to be a great divide in that profession, some being totally unempathic and extremely nasty and others being perhaps the best people ever.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by The Wizard »

I figured Postal Workers would be in the left-side list somewhere, but no...
Attempted new signature...
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

The Wizard wrote:I figured Postal Workers would be in the left-side list somewhere, but no...
Postal workers are civil servants.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by Ged »

VictoriaF wrote:
Bmac wrote:I'm a surgeon and a doctor. Where does that leave me? How does that Venn diagram work?
Your left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

Victoria
Either that or schizophrenia.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by HueyLD »

Thanks a lot Victoria. It's nice to know that I am in an occupation with very few psychos.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by tetractys »

Being in a profession on the list doesn't mean your a contributor. For example there are many surgeons that lower the surgeon rating below CEO. So being on the list doesn't mean your one way or the other. -- Tet
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by mptness »

After looking at the list, I'm not likely to be one, but very likely to work for one.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

frugaltype wrote:I'm surprised to see clergymen in there. On the other hand, there seems to be a great divide in that profession, some being totally unempathic and extremely nasty and others being perhaps the best people ever.
Not surprised at all - another reason why attendance has fallen off the cliff at church. I actually know of one clergyman who got excited when folks were losing their jobs, homes and in deep despair during the financial crisis - giddy is more like it, claiming it was good business for him being able to corral more sheep into the flock. :oops: I don't like cold, totally unempathic people who get nasty when you inform them what's not in the Holy Book.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by solonseneca »

This list is woefully incomplete. Obviously the author has never been to the DMV or the floor of the stock exchange.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

solonseneca wrote:This list is woefully incomplete. Obviously the author has never been to the DMV or the floor of the stock exchange.
The DMV personnel are civil servants. The exchange floor players are apparently less psychotic than journalists.

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by uglystickrules »

From Wikipedia on Munchausen by proxy -

One study showed that in 93 percent of cases of MSbP, the abuser is the mother or another female guardian or caregiver.[9] The female preponderance of the perpetrator may be attributed to socialization patterns that encourage females to seek the sympathy and assistance of others, and to the prevalence of women as the primary care giver within such patterns. Neuropsychological testing of perpetrators has shown either normal results or nonspecific abnormalities.
MSbP may also be attributed to another prevalent socialization pattern, which places females in the primary care-taking role. A psychodynamic model of this kind of maternal abuse exists.[36]

I find this to be very telling considering the link shows that psychopaths are more likely to enter into predominantly male occupational roles, whereas it's assumed there would be fewer psychopaths in predominantly female occupational roles. The prevalence of women in cases of Munchausen seems to correlate with the predominantly female occupations that require sympathy in caregiver roles. Perhaps there is a spectrum of sympathy much like there are spectrums of everything else, but I would think it would take a thick-skin and ability to separate oneself from the possibility the patient may die in some cases in order to function on the job.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by VictoriaF »

uglystickrules wrote:From Wikipedia on Munchausen by proxy -

One study showed that in 93 percent of cases of MSbP, the abuser is the mother or another female guardian or caregiver.[9] The female preponderance of the perpetrator may be attributed to socialization patterns that encourage females to seek the sympathy and assistance of others, and to the prevalence of women as the primary care giver within such patterns. Neuropsychological testing of perpetrators has shown either normal results or nonspecific abnormalities.
MSbP may also be attributed to another prevalent socialization pattern, which places females in the primary care-taking role. A psychodynamic model of this kind of maternal abuse exists.[36]

I find this to be very telling considering the link shows that psychopaths are more likely to enter into predominantly male occupational roles, whereas it's assumed there would be fewer psychopaths in predominantly female occupational roles. The prevalence of women in cases of Munchausen seems to correlate with the predominantly female occupations that require sympathy in caregiver roles. Perhaps there is a spectrum of sympathy much like there are spectrums of everything else, but I would think it would take a thick-skin and ability to separate oneself from the possibility the patient may die in some cases in order to function on the job.
Perhaps, female MSbP caregivers have a day job at the DMV?

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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by uglystickrules »

VictoriaF wrote:
uglystickrules wrote:From Wikipedia on Munchausen by proxy -

One study showed that in 93 percent of cases of MSbP, the abuser is the mother or another female guardian or caregiver.[9] The female preponderance of the perpetrator may be attributed to socialization patterns that encourage females to seek the sympathy and assistance of others, and to the prevalence of women as the primary care giver within such patterns. Neuropsychological testing of perpetrators has shown either normal results or nonspecific abnormalities.
MSbP may also be attributed to another prevalent socialization pattern, which places females in the primary care-taking role. A psychodynamic model of this kind of maternal abuse exists.[36]

I find this to be very telling considering the link shows that psychopaths are more likely to enter into predominantly male occupational roles, whereas it's assumed there would be fewer psychopaths in predominantly female occupational roles. The prevalence of women in cases of Munchausen seems to correlate with the predominantly female occupations that require sympathy in caregiver roles. Perhaps there is a spectrum of sympathy much like there are spectrums of everything else, but I would think it would take a thick-skin and ability to separate oneself from the possibility the patient may die in some cases in order to function on the job.
Perhaps, female MSbP caregivers have a day job at the DMV?

Victoria
Moonlighting as a nurse and getting some down-to-Earth hellish antipathy at the DMW would definitely even someone out.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by ddb »

frugaltype wrote:I'm surprised to see clergymen in there. On the other hand, there seems to be a great divide in that profession, some being totally unempathic and extremely nasty and others being perhaps the best people ever.
This profession was the one I most expected to see on the list.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by dm200 »

Not too surprising ..

Interesting that "surgeons" is on the left and "doctors" is on the right.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by uglystickrules »

ddb wrote:
frugaltype wrote:I'm surprised to see clergymen in there. On the other hand, there seems to be a great divide in that profession, some being totally unempathic and extremely nasty and others being perhaps the best people ever.
This profession was the one I most expected to see on the list.
I'm surprised murders and executions aren't on here. (slips on raincoat, moonwalks with ax to Huey Lewis)
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by solonseneca »

Because of my dyslexia, after I got depressed I went to see a psychopath. Instead of getting a prescription for Zoloft, I wound being duck taped to a trash compactor in a K-mart parking lot. Later I found out the perpetrator had a day job of being a shrink. Go figure. So I guess it is best not go crazy in the first place.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by General Disarray »

Politicians should be at the top of the list.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

Post by avenger »

Bmac wrote:I'm a surgeon and a doctor. Where does that leave me? How does that Venn diagram work?
Also surgeon and doctor.
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Re: Professions that have the most/least psychopaths

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