Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Business Insider: The Shocking Statistic About Psychopaths On Wall Street

bi.com h/t Ace of Spades

quote:

A shocking statistic jumped out at us. From the article:

Studies conducted by Canadian forensic psychologist Robert Hare indicate that about 1 percent of the general population can be categorized as psychopathic, but the prevalence rate in the financial services industry is 10 percent. And Christopher Bayer believes, based on his experience, that the rate is higher.

Comment:

This follows a line of thinking I once had.  Maybe I was on the right track.  Anybody  in a leadership position may be more inclined to be psycopathic or sociopathic.  My understanding of these conditions are that they don't feel that deeply, so they need something more than the average person in order to relieve their immense boredom.  Getting into activities which would drive normal people insane only stimulates them.  In short, they can handle situations that normal people cannot.  They are, in turn, driven towards it.

Now this may sound like an endorsement of psychopathy or sociopathy-- but it isn't.  I see it as a warning not to trust these people too much.

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