Here's How You Can Tell If You Work With An Actual Psychopath

Put your hand up if you've ever felt like you're working with a psychopath? 

A lot of us have, including Andrew Faas.

He’s the author of a new book called The Bully’s Trap and someone with first-hand experience of dealing with such an individual in the workplace after blowing the whistle on a corrupt colleague and later facing death threats from said workmate.

While world famous psychologist Robert Hare has always claimed there are 20 signs to indicate someone may or may not be a psychopath, Faas believes there are nine key things to look out for:

Sadistic motives

Psychopaths motivate colleagues through fear rather than respect.They would prefer to destroy someone who messes up in the workplace rather than correct the problem and offer guidance.

Seriously Superficial

Psychopaths can often be witty in conversation and capable of charming an entire room with an outrageous story that makes them look good. But they are often over-reliant on such compliments, particularly in one-to-one situations and struggle in discussions of any real substance.

They think a lot of themselves

Psychopaths believe they exist at the centre of their own special universe and, as such, the normal rules that govern others simply do not apply to them. They instead live by their own twisted set of principles.

Liar Liar

Like Jim Carrey in the movie, psychopaths certainly have something particularly Pinocchio-ey about them. They simply can’t stop lying and, even when a lie is revealed, they will often just lie again to cover it up.

Parasites

It might sound like a harsh word to use but the truth is, psychopaths tend to only think of themselves and what they can accomplish in any given scenario, even if it means trampling on others. This lack of consideration for others stems from their inflated sense of themselves and the idea that they live by their own rules and are therefore immune to criticism from others.

Cunning

Psychopaths are masters of deception and manipulation, capable of deflecting any criticism or undue notice in a bid to keep themselves on top. So when it comes to the workplace, they will happily take credit for any major success while deflecting criticism or blame when something goes wrong.

School days

Workplace psychopaths have often endured a troubled childhood littered with behavioural issues, so listen out for any stories of woe involving lying, theft, truancy or vandalism. They may also have indulged in drug taking and sex during their formative years and while all of the above are common in most kids, these individuals will take them to a noticeable extreme.

No Remorse

Psychopaths tend not to give the tiniest of sh*ts about the consequences of their actions, regardless of how badly they affect others. Instead, they will look to rationalise their behaviour, deflect blame or just go into full on denial.

Crazy life goals

Psychopaths tend to have grand life ambitions but no idea how to achieve them. It might be an almost impossible goal that they somehow justify as realistic and achievable in their warped minds, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

So there you go, we know it's tough working with others sometimes...

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