Psychopathy and an Absence of Love in Organizations

To those unaware of workplace psychopaths the notion of psychopaths within organizations, or corporate psychopaths as they have come to be known, may be somewhat counterintuitive. However, corporate psychopathy theory, entailing the idea that some psychopaths are able to regulate their antisocial impulses so as to be able to do well within organizations, has been supported in research. For example, it has been found that psychopathy is positively associated with various indicators of workplace success in terms of hierarchical advancement. The psychopathy-related traits of ruthless manipulation and lack of empathy are associated with managerial level appointments and the gaining of monetary rewards. This chapter discusses psychopathy and what the influence of a psychopath absence of love in organizations means for employees, organizations, and society. For employees the results of psychopath leadership are initially experienced as being emotional in nature, with negative affect, at levels as extreme as hatred, leading to withdrawal. Organizations lose committed employees and therefore stagnate or decay. For society, as the quote above asserts, the loveless organization may bring into being events which are detrimental to future human survival. These may include environmental pollution and resource depletion beyond sustainable levels.