BusinessDay 22 Oct 2017

SUNDAY
BD
RAJ PERSAUD &
PETER BRUGGEN
Persaud and Bruggen are psychiatrists based in
London. Both are co-authors of the forthcoming
book The Streetwise Person’s Guide to Mental
Health Care.
The Harvey Weinstein sexual
assault scandal shows no sign
of winding down. Just the
opposite: police in the United
Kingdom are now investigating
several allegations involving the Oscarwinning
film producer. While Weinstein
has “unequivocally denied” allegations of
non-consensual sex, and no arrests have
been made, more than two dozen women
– including the actors Angelina Jolie,
Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan –
have publicly accused him of harassment.
The allegations stretch over nearly three
decades.
Hollywood is struggling to explain how
one of its most visible figures could have
gotten away with such behavior for so
long. Woody Allen offered an important
clue. Despite working with Weinstein on
several films, he claims that no one ever
brought allegations of abuse to his attention.
“And they wouldn’t, because you are not
interested in it,” Allen told the BBC. “You are
interested in making your movie.” Others
who worked with Weinstein over the years
have made similar statements.
Is this the Hollywood equivalent of a
police officer’s “blue wall of silence,” or is
there something more clinical at work?
One possible answer may be found in
the results of recent psychological research.
According to scientists in the United States
and Israel, there are certain personality
traits – the “dark triad” of narcissism,
psychopathy, and Machiavellianism –
that are more commonly associated with
NEWS YOU CAN TRUST I SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2017
The psychology of superstar sex predators
sexually abusive behavior.
One intriguing finding from this
research, published in 2016 in the journal
Personality and Individual Differences,
is that personality traits associated with
a proclivity for harassment may be
“specialized psychological adaptations”
that allow individuals to exploit “niches”
in society. In other words, some sexual
predators may seek careers in particular
industries that allow them to exploit others.
The researchers also found that the
disposition that makes someone successful
may also comprise the personality traits
that explain their tendency to exploit. The
traits needed to win Academy Awards, for
example, may be similar to the traits of an
individual who pursues a large number of
sexual partners and relationships requiring
little commitment.
Taken a step further, the research
suggests that we should not be surprised
to find a similar parallel in many others
corners of society. It is not just in Hollywood
where the traits that make someone a star
could make the same person an abuser.
The “dark triad” study was published long
before the allegations against Weinstein
came to light, but it remains the most
comprehensive investigation into the
personalities of sexual harassers. The
researchers – based at Oakland University
and the University of Georgia in the US,
and Sapir Academic College in Israel –
surveyed more than 2,500 Israeli men and
women. Subjects prone to exploiting others
demonstrated a number of characteristics,
including callousness, disagreeableness,
deceitfulness, egocentrism, lack of honesty
or humility, and an excessive interest in
one’s personal talents and goals.
This last trait – also known as narcissism
– is a key component of the dark triad.
Narcissists tend to be convinced of their
own magnificence, and believe that other
people should be flattered to be in their
company – even if that involves unwanted
sexual advances.
Machiavellians, meanwhile, believe
that the best way to interact with others
is to tell them what they want to hear.
Their manipulative default can lead to a
pattern of continually deceiving colleagues
and friends, which may explain why a
Machiavellian personality would engage
in sexual harassment or pursue short-term
sexual encounters. They simply believe
they are too cunning to get caught.
When abusers are unmasked, they
often seek to deflect blame. Claiming
to be suffering from a disorder such as
“sexual addiction,” or checking into a
rehabilitation clinic for “treatment,” as
Weinstein has reportedly done, fits with a
classic Machiavellian response.
If the allegations pan out, Weinstein
would be an extreme example of a “dark
triad” abuser. But this combination of
character traits is not all that rare. In fact,
powerful predators might be lurking
around the nearest water cooler right
now. According to a 1994 survey of federal
employees in the US, cited in the “dark triad”
study, 44 percent of female workers, and
19 percent of male workers, reported being
sexually harassed on the job within the two
previous years.
And, as the authors of the 2016
study remind us, sexual harassment is
not always about trying to secure sex.
Rather, psychological drives – including
the need to boost one’s sense of self-esteem,
attractiveness, or masculinity – may be
driving predators’ abuse of power in
dominating or degrading others.
What may be particularly relevant
to the Weinstein case, whatever the
outcome, is that Hollywood is itself a
bubble of narcissistic power. Psychologists
could argue that this feature explains the
blindness some have demonstrated toward
the alleged depraved behavior of one of
their colleagues.
Sexual harassment is the immediate
focus of the Weinstein case, as it should
be, given the severity of the alleged crimes
and the distress caused to the victims. But
for psychologists seeking to understand
the apparent nexus of success and abuse,
Weinstein’s apparent downfall is just the
tip of an analytic iceberg.
(c): Project Syndicate
C002D5556
Week
Quotes of the
“A litre of petrol is now N145. Electricity
supply has not improved; let us select good
materials for our elections. We did well
and we would continue to defend what we
did. The APC leaders who were throwing
tantrums at my administration on policies
concerning petroleum could not fare better
two years after they took over from him.
Goodluck Jonathan, ex-president of Nigeria.
“My administration has pledged N10 million
as grant for any film shot in the state. We
have a policy to open up our market to genuine
investors, private and public agencies
amongst others through promoting `Make in
Abia` instead of Made in Abia, proliferating
more industries in the state. Okezie Ikpeazu,
Abia State Governor.
“We have taken steps to improve the
process of the smart card readers and we
will continue to do so. We will also use
improved smart card readers in Anambra
election. We will deploy specific machine
to the specific community and we will also
provide additional machines and speak to
the community leaders. We will treat all
states equally. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman
of Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC).
Numbers
$5.5bn
The Federal Government has said its external
borrowing plan, for which it is seeking the approval
of the National Assembly, will take Nigeria
between five years and 30 years to repay.
N1.16tn
Nigeria’s budget will rise by N1.16tn in 2018,
according to projections contained in the 2018-
2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework
and Fiscal Strategy submitted to the National
Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
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From the
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• SEC_RITY is not complete without U!
• Sec-UR-rity - You are at the center.
• Amateurs hack systems, professionals hack people. —
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• Think before you click.
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Care to be aware!
Protect personal information. The identity saved
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Don’t let your trash become someone else’s treasure.
Feed your shredder often.
Passwords: Longer is Stronger.
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