Psychopaths are hard to identify most of the time. These are not the maniac characters you see in the movies or read in the books. Often psychopaths appear normal, making them difficult to recognize.
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, someone with a psychopathic personality type is defined as someone who has a majestic sense of self and an ability to handle other people. But a diagnosis is rarely simple.
Kevin Dawn, a British psychologist and writer, specializes in the study of psychopathy. In his book, The Wisdom of the Psychopaths: What the Saints, Spies, and Serious Assassins Can Teach Us for Success, "made a list of jobs that attract most psychopaths.
"Functional psychopaths", as he calls them, "use their ambitious and charismatic personalities to succeed in the society of general sovereignty." In other words, psychopaths often live as normal people.
See below which are the top 10 career options for psychopaths, ranking them in ascending order in popularity. You'll probably be surprised
10. Civil servants
Being a civil servant is the 10th most popular career choice for psychopaths, according to Dawson. In fact, in 2014, British government officials were considering recruiting psychopaths to "maintain order" because they manage "the crises well", while "they have no feelings about others or moral codes and tend to be very smart and sensible ".
9. Chef
Most psychopaths have no intention of harming others, so do not worry about the fact that chefs have access to flames and knives during their working day. Psychopaths thrive in chaos, where other people may fail, so this could be a reason that works so well in a tedious kitchen.
8. Clergy
In a blog article of Psychology Today, FBI veteran Joe Navarro explains some of the reasons why psychopathic people can choose a career in the clergy. Among these is the fact that religious organizations can provide people with the ability to exploit others while at the same time giving legitimacy to their actions. It is also easy to make alliances, which can give handlers the advantage of gaining access to sensitive information.
7. Police officers
One of the characteristics of psychopaths is how they work very calmly under stress. Police officers have a very intense and dangerous job, so it is a huge asset if someone remains calm in a crisis. This could be a reason why law enforcement is a popular career choice for psychopaths.
6. Journalists
In his list, Dawn lists some of the features of psychopaths. Among them is charm, focus, cruelty and action - all of which are beneficial to journalism, especially when there are strict deadlines and answers and information from sources have to be taken.
5. Surgeons
A study, published in The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, tried to find out if surgeons were likely to be psychopaths. The results showed that counselors at University Hospitals are rated higher on a scale of psychopathic personality than general hospital counselors. Possible reasons given by researchers are that "immunity to stress is the primary feature of doctors' personality," and surgeons need to make quick and difficult decisions everyday.
4. Sellers
A psychopathic person who works in sales tends to exhibit features such as shameless self-promotion, theft of other people's contacts, the constant desire to earn the most money, and the inability to become a team player. Depending on how your organization works, this could be either your worst nightmare or you are the ideal candidate for a sales career.
3. TV or radio broadcaster
Some psychopaths also present narcissism, which is undoubtedly useful in a task that requires a lot of public visibility. The popularity of this career choice for psychopaths may also be because the work of a television broadcaster or a radio producer also requires that they remain calm before the pressure.
2. Lawyers
In "Confessions of a Sociopathic: A Hidden Life on the Surface," the author, MD Thomas, a self-proclaimed sociopath, claims that his illness helped him to be a better lawyer. Psychopathic features such as self-confidence, coldness and fraudulent charm may be useful for lawyers. In the right context, they could even make someone extraordinary.
1. Managing Director
Psychopaths have something called "resilience to chaos". This not only means keeping their temper under stress - but they also sometimes create ugly hardships for everyone else because they feel good when everyone around them struggles to do it. Some psychopaths can use this method to climb up the career ladder to the top. Others are not necessarily so manipulative, and they reach the top through their skills alone.
