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Can You Guess Which Profession Has the Most Psychopaths?
iVillage ^ | October 31, 2013 | Kiki Van Son

Posted on 11/06/2013 5:08:01 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia

We’re all a teensy bit mad, but how many true psychopaths do we have among us? Apparently, more than you think.

“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,” explains Eric Barker, in The Week.

Now, think about all the people who might fit that description. Then, compare it to the list psychologist Kevin Dutton compiled in The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. Here are the 10 most likely professions for psychopaths and the 10 least likely.

(Excerpt) Read more at ivillage.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: mentalillness; psychopath
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
This list makes a lot of sense, when using the definition (from dictionary.com) of "psychopath":

psychopath: person with a psychopathic personality, which manifests as amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.

For CEOs, etc, psychopathy would be an asset - imagine needing the ability to lay off 1000 people, some of whom you know pretty well. I couldn't do it, but then I'm not a psychopath. :-)

As far as politicians are concerned....I think that they're more along the lines of sociopaths ... which (again, according to dictionary.com) are psychopaths on steroids:

sociopath: a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

21 posted on 11/06/2013 5:43:05 AM PST by wbill
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
My gut sense before reading this says those in healthcare or law enforcement. Any profession where the nature of the interaction is someone who has power or influence over another human being that may have a compromised sense of security... think cancer patients that are anxious about being sick and in pain, ultimately, dying... or inmates in prison with no ability to fight for themselves... or mentally handicapped people.... or children. Now let's see how far off I am. I do know that studies reveal that a full 4% of the population are technically sociopaths, which is quite different from psychopaths... hmmm.
22 posted on 11/06/2013 5:43:55 AM PST by Rodamala
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To: Thorliveshere

You are spot on. In my profession I deal with psychiatrists and most of them are nuttier than the people the treat. I think they knew they were nuts when they were young, so they went into psychiatry hoping to find out what is wrong with them. You wind up with a collection of really weird people trying to define “normal” for the rest of us normal people. Of course they are going to de-classify homosexuality and pedophilia as psychiatric disorders. They don’t want to label themselves, now do they?


23 posted on 11/06/2013 5:45:07 AM PST by henkster (Communists never negotiate.)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

This writer has never employed Nurses.


24 posted on 11/06/2013 5:49:35 AM PST by KC Burke (Officially since Memorial Day they are the Gimmie-crat Party.h)
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To: elcid1970
I’ve always heard the highest suicide rate for M.D.s is among psychiatrists.

I heard it was dentists. You know, they're always looking down in the mouth...

25 posted on 11/06/2013 5:49:57 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Without reading the article, I am going to guess “lawyers”.

Now to see.


26 posted on 11/06/2013 5:52:05 AM PST by chesley
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To: KC Burke

27 posted on 11/06/2013 5:53:00 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia (Democrats: The perfect party for the helpless and stupid, and those who would rule over them.)
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To: chesley

Almost. They were second.

On the other hand, a lot of CEOs are lawyers, so there.

I once knew a president of a steel company who had been a sniper in Vietnam. I allways thought that was perfect training for an executive.


28 posted on 11/06/2013 5:55:33 AM PST by chesley
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To: MrB

My first one, too


29 posted on 11/06/2013 5:57:16 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
Politics
Finance
Sales

30 posted on 11/06/2013 5:59:57 AM PST by Oratam
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

As suspected. No on Mechanics, truck drivers, warehouse, blue collar workers.


31 posted on 11/06/2013 6:02:48 AM PST by showme_the_Glory (ILLEGAL: prohibited by law. ALIEN: Owing political allegiance to another country or government)
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To: MrB

Oooooo.....that’s corny!

I guess then you’ve heard of Alexander Graham Kowalski, the world’s first telephone Pole?

;^)


32 posted on 11/06/2013 6:02:52 AM PST by elcid1970 ("In the modern world, Muslims are living fossils.")
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

I didn’t read the whole article, but I’d have to say that Human Resources professionals are real close to #1. Sadistic, cold, and heartless.


33 posted on 11/06/2013 6:11:15 AM PST by MayflowerMadam ("If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait until it's free." P.J. O'Rourke)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

I’m guessing the medical profession. Although it does attract some caring and compassionate people, it also attracts sadists and psychopaths.


34 posted on 11/06/2013 6:13:03 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Exhibit "A" and Exhibit "B"
35 posted on 11/06/2013 6:17:29 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: Michael.SF.

When I worked in a hospital it was common knowledge that the doctors who went into surgery did so because they didn’t like patients. They only wanted to deal with patients who were asleep.

Of course, there are exceptions to every “rule.”


36 posted on 11/06/2013 6:19:00 AM PST by Help!
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To: elcid1970

In which movie did John Wayne say that?


37 posted on 11/06/2013 6:31:42 AM PST by Bigg Red (Let me hear what God the LORD will speak. -Ps85)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Politics.


38 posted on 11/06/2013 6:33:20 AM PST by pgkdan
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

It is a little alarming to me that neither chefs nor surgeons can be trusted with the knives.


39 posted on 11/06/2013 6:37:56 AM PST by newheart (The worst thing the Left ever did was to convince the world it was not a religion.)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Congress and used car salesmen.


40 posted on 11/06/2013 6:39:26 AM PST by SkyDancer (Live your life in such a way that the Westboro church will want to picket your funeral.)
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