When Do Dangerous Traits Become Leadership Skills?
An Evaluation of the Psychopath
When you hear the word 'psychopath,' you probably picture Jack The Ripper, Ted Bundy or Anthony Hopkins doing his famous fava beans scene. But what if I told you that psychopathy doesn’t always fit that image? In fact, high-functioning psychopaths are all around us—teaching in classrooms, running companies, leading congregations, and even playing heroes on screen or being heroes on the battlefield.
More often than not these individuals exhibit traits like charm, fearlessness, and emotional detachment, which make them uniquely suited for leadership. When people with psychopathic traits are diagnosed it's usually with antisocial personality disorder because it covers sociopathic and psychopathic behaviours. But still, the question is, why do we trust them so easily?
The Charm of High-Functioning Psychopaths
Psychopathy exists on a spectrum. At one end, you’ve got violent offenders. At the other, you’ve got individuals who can navigate society without breaking the law while seeming to maintain strong emotional intelligence or insight. They know themselves.
According to psychologist Robert Hare (1991), psychopathy is characterized by traits like superficial charm, manipulativeness, and a lack of empathy. These traits sound sinister, but in the right context, they can look a lot like admirable qualities.
Take the business world. Studies show that 4-12% of CEOs exhibit psychopathic traits, compared to just 1% of the general population (Boddy, 2011). Why? Because the same traits that make psychopaths dangerous—boldness, risk-taking, and the ability to stay calm under pressure—are exactly what corporate boards look for in a leader.
Think about it, who better to make tough decisions or navigate high-stakes environments than someone who doesn’t feel the weight of emotional consequences? This is where the chips fall in society.
Psychopaths in the Classroom, Church, and Boardroom
It’s not just CEOs who benefit from such psychopathologies. You’ll find these individuals attracted to education, religion, law enforcement, and even entertainment like everyone else:
1. Education
Senior teaching staff, particularly in competitive institutions, often operate in environments that reward ambition and control. A study by Gliebe and Moss (2019) found that manipulative and assertive behaviors are easily mistaken for leadership in academia. These traits help some rise to the top—but they also create toxic power dynamics.
2. Clergy
Religious leaders wield immense trust and influence, which can be exploited by individuals with psychopathic tendencies. The Catholic Church abuse scandals revealed how some clergy members used their positions to manipulate and exploit others (Doyle, 2018). A façade of morality can mask a darker reality.
However, it must be said that paedophilia and psychopathy are totally different things; paedophilia is a sexual attraction to children of a certain age. Realistically, we know overlaps exist, such as the paedophilic murderers of innocent children like Ian Huntley.
3. Law Enforcement and Military
Professions like policing and the military attract people with sought after fearlessness type traits and an ability to detach. While these qualities are essential in high-pressure scenarios, studies show that law enforcement professionals are twice as likely to exhibit psychopathic traits compared to the general population (Krakowski, 2019).
4. Celebrity Culture
Actors, musicians, and influencers thrive on attention. Psychopathic traits like charm and narcissism blend right in with the kind of industries where charisma is currency. Hollywood scandals, from the 'casting couch' to PR cover-ups, are rife with examples of power being abused by those who can effortlessly manipulate public perception (Glenn & Raine, 2014).
Why Do We Trust Them?
So, why do we fall for psychopathic people? The answer lies in human psychology. Studies show that we’re wired to trust confidence and charisma (Hogan & Kaiser, 2005). High-functioning psychopaths excel at projecting these traits, making them appear capable—even when their actions say otherwise.
As Jon Ronson explores in The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry (2011), our society regularly confuses psychopathic traits for ambition, resilience, or leadership.
Ronson interviews psychologists and explores case studies, revealing how traits like charm and fearlessness make these individuals seem like natural leaders—despite their darker tendencies. The following years after Ronson's book was released in the UK, terrestrial television produced shows on the same subject with online psychopath tests for the public to take. The psychopathic character could suddenly make a great protagonist in fiction once more.
Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience experiment (1963) uncovered something more frightening than the anti social personality. Participants in his experiment were instructed by a figure of authority (a researcher in a lab coat) to turn a handle to administer painful electric shocks to another person (an actor pretending to be in distress) which was set up to gradually increase throughout the experiment.
Despite clear displays of the human suffering (screaming, yelling, pleading) most participants continued to comply with the cruel instruction of the authority figure, shocking the person to perceived dangerous levels. This showed an inherent tendency of regular people to trust and obey authority figures, even when doing so to hurt people!
So, who was being sadistic here, there authority or the ones who applied the electric shocks? What does that say about regular people?
The Double-Edged Sword of Psychopathy
Not all psychopathic traits are bad. In fact, some can be assets. Bravery and focus under pressure can save lives in the military. Charisma can inspire action in business or politics. But when left unchecked, these traits can turn toxic. The key is awareness. By understanding how psychopathy manifests in trusted roles, we can better evaluate leaders and hold them accountable. After all, the line between a trusted leader and a manipulative exploiter can be dangerously thin.
If we take the case of the child nurse, Lucy Letby, for example, who was found guilty for killing infants. We can see how arduous it was to reach a guilty verdict: however many flaws were uncovered in the trial and the medical evidence was questionable by a body of highly educated medics. Lucy Letby's psychiatric assessments showed she was not ASPD or psychopathic, but stressed from her dire circumstances.
Final Thoughts
Anyone, regardless of being deemed a psychopath or not can do terrible things. We know high-functioning psychopaths aren’t always the villains we imagine. In many cases, people high on the psychopathic spectrum are people we admire most — authority figures like our bosses, celebrities, teachers and pastors.
But their success can come at a cost of having less empathy as opposed to raw cognitive intelligence. Understanding the roles psychopathy play in leadership can help us ask the right questions: Are these people in high places leading us, or manipulating us? Are we trusting them for the right reasons? So, the next time you admire a bold political leader, ask questions, are you seeing resilience or manipulation?
Are your religious figures showing leadership or is it narcissism? Is everyone in your local authority showing guidance when you seek help or is there dominance? Do any people in your life enjoy the suffering of others?
References
Babiak, P, and Hare, R.D, (2006) Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. New York: HarperCollins.
Boddy, C.R, (2011) Corporate Psychopaths: Organisational Destroyers. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Doyle, T.P, (2018) Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandals and the Culture of Denial. Jefferson: McFarland & Company.
Glenn, A.L, and Raine, A, (2014) Psychopathy and Instrumental Aggression. In: K.A. Kiehl and W.P. Sinnott-Armstrong, eds. Handbook on Psychopathy and Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.145-161.
Gliebe, S, and Moss, K, (2019) Toxic Leadership in Academia. The Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2), pp.1-9.
Hare, R.D, (1991) The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). 2nd ed. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.
Hogan, R, and Kaiser, R.B, (2005) What We Know About Leadership. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), pp.169-180.
Krakowski, M, (2019) Psychopathy and Law Enforcement. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 30(3), pp.383-398.
Milgram, S, (1963) Behavioral Study of Obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), pp.371-378.
Ronson, J, (2011) The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry. London: Picador.
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