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Pawns, Patrons, and Patsies
131
MASTER PSYCHOLOGISTS?
Many psychopaths appear to be masters at understanding human
psychology and at finding and exploiting the weaknesses and vulnerabilities
of others. It is unclear whether this reflects an inherent talent
or whether they simply work harder than the rest of us at searching
for buttons to press. In any case, their strongest challenges no doubt
are individuals with strong personality traits such as narcissism, assertiveness,
and dominance. These individuals are particularly important
to psychopaths because they also tend to be in the higher
levels of power. Although they may share some of the psychopath’s
traits (that is, strong ego, sense of entitlement), they lack the psychopath’s
cold-blooded efficiency.
Unfortunately, no group is more surprised to learn that they
have been psychologically manipulated than those who believe they
are smarter and stronger than others, no matter how true this may
be. Narcissistic managers, in particular, tend to rise to management
positions in organizations in disproportionately large numbers. Being
particularly self-absorbed, they are known to use (and abuse) their
subordinates and play up to their superiors to assure their own personal
career success. (See pages 40–41 for similarities and differences
between narcissists and psychopaths.) We have spoken with a number
of narcissistic managers who also felt victimized by corporate
cons: much to their own surprise—and not easy for them to admit—
they were outclassed and outgunned. Additionally, and this really
plays into the hands of the corporate con, individuals with strong
personalities, such as narcissism, are far less likely than most to seek
assistance, guidance, or even personal feedback until it is too late,
making them attractive long-term targets.
As noted above, psychopaths identify and use informal leaders to
support their quest for status and power. Individuals with informal
power exist in every organization and play a major role in keeping the
organization’s day-to-day operations afloat. Consider Mary, a staff
assistant for a major company. She was a delightful person, had a
wealth of information about the organization, and as we learned