![]() Here, such individuals could theoretically cause much more damage than employees with fewer responsibilities and privileges. But in at least some cases the good had outweighed the bad when it came to performance reviews and promotions: some participants with high psychopathy scores already held senior management positions. In this study, psychopathic traits were associated both with “successful” attributes (e.g., being creative and innovative, having charisma and good strategic thinking), and with maladaptive ones such as poor performance, lack of responsibility and poor team player ability. The large majority of participants had none or low levels of psychopathic traits, however there were more individuals with high traits than would be found in typical community samples. Associations between psychopathic traits were examined in relation to performance assessments by managers and co-workers. who had been selected to participate in a management training program. ![]() In one study from a corporate setting, psychopathic traits were examined in 203 professionals from seven companies across the U.S. ![]() This contradictory personality constellation echoes the psychopathy concept, in that some psychopathic traits (e.g., fearlessness) can be advantageous but co-exist with more maladaptive traits such as hostility and exploitative behavior. The trickster character is like the double-edged sword personified: successful in many ways yet able to cause profound damage. That the destructive process has gone quite far before the deceptive behavior is revealed also seems typical, and results from the charismatic, outgoing style of a trickster, which can help the trickster evade detection for a while. In the composite vignette above loosely based on various well-publicized real-life examples, it took time for the management group to discover the frauds and embezzlement conducted by the energetic c olleague before he was fired. There is probably a “tipping point”, however, at which the group turns against the cheater to exclude them. For example, it could be evolutionarily advantageous for one member of a group to take the lead and explore potentially dangerous terrain. Other core characteristics of the trickster such as being risk-seeking, bold, and creative can be advantageous for an individual as well as for a group of people, if these features benefit the welfare of the group. But a certain degree of deceptive, manipulative and cheating behavior can be accepted if the majority of individuals in the group are honest and trustworthy. Without this norm, the group quickly falls apart. According to the “cheater hypothesis”, in any group of individuals, honest and trustworthy behavior is the most adaptive behavior as a rule. To better understand why trickster behavior is so widespread, we also need to understand how and why the trickster behavior thrives. That people across the world and throughout centuries seem to recognize the trickster character indicates that such people are very adaptive and flexible, and are able to turn up in various settings. ![]() Features typically associated with the trickster overlap considerably with some psychopathic traits. When the deceptive behavior is revealed, the trickster moves on to another venue, seemingly unconcerned. Tricksters are also quite skilled at gaining access to new environments to exploit. The character is described as charming, verbally facile and smooth but at the same time slick and manipulative. The trickster is a mythological character who appears in various aspects of folklore, including Greek and Nordic mythology. Such people can be thought of as modern incarnations of trickers. What makes a person cause such profound damage, and how do such people repeatedly gain access to new environments to exploit? The trickster The specific environments differ, the details differ, but the key elements of the story repeat themselves: a person manages to dupe others and sometimes an entire group of people, followed by devastating consequences like emptied bank accounts, professional roles taken on under faked identities and major financial or research fraud. We hear similar stories in the news media again and again. The energetic look on his face was unchanged. There he was in the center of the photo, their newly recruited senior medical advisor. ![]() A high school friend had posted a photo from the medical clinic where she was doing her residency. Three years later, I stumbled upon a familiar face on social media. Then, all of a sudden, our energetic colleague had disappeared. There always seemed to be meetings and obligations elsewhere. As time went on however, he was at his desk more rarely. He quickly became the center of attention at board meetings. I had not traveled much abroad, and felt like I could experience the entire world through his vivid stories. I still remember when he joined our team in my workplace. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |