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  • Essay / Psychopaths and What We Can Learn From Them

    Table of ContentsIntroductionConclusionReferencesIntroductionWhen we think of “psychopaths” or the term “psychopathy,” the images that come to mind are those of manipulators, terrorists, psychotic serial killers, the cold-blooded murderers depicted in horror films or the kind of nocturnal creatures that crawl in the worst nightmares; definitely not someone you would want to cross paths with. The reality is, however, that psychopaths are more common than you think, making up about 1 percent of the entire human population. It is plausible to say that we are practically swimming among the “psychopaths”. If this is the case, how could we live in such happiness, in complete peace and tranquility, as we are experiencing now? The truth is that our conception of what “psychopathy” actually is is only true to a certain extent, because not all psychopaths are senseless killers or perpetrators of heinous crimes. Most lead normal lives, maintain good human relationships, hold stable jobs, and surprisingly, more often than not, are very successful due to the interesting traits that accompany their psychopathic nature. At least 21% of all CEOs are psychopaths, and many more work and specialize in medical and legal fields (Dutton, 2012). The three main characteristics that allow them to achieve such great achievements while fitting so perfectly into our society are their superficial charm, callousness and ability to work under stress which, upon careful consideration, can be put to good use for the greater good. good, both socially and personally. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayFirst of all, psychopaths are incredibly successful thanks to their well-known captivating superficial charm that has the ability to attract everyone around them so that they become unconscious puppets. who trust them unconsciously. Outwardly, these creatures appeal to us in the rawest possible human sense, as they seem immensely capable, confident, charismatic and powerful, yet warm, compassionate and welcoming to all. However, as previously stated, this is only skin deep. Various studies have shown that psychopaths are born without a wide range of human emotions such as empathy, the ability to understand and feel the pain of others, and are less likely to develop emotional attachment due to part of their brain, the amygdala, the region that regulates said emotions, being visibly smaller than those of normal humans (around 18%), making them incapable of processing these basic emotions. Additionally, they have higher testosterone levels, which makes them more aggressive than normal people, giving them a heightened sense of pride, hence their bottomless confidence, bordering on narcissism. To compensate for their emotional deficit, psychopaths spent their time observing those around them in order to imitate and mimic, which, in turn, sharpened their minds and caused their emotional intelligence to skyrocket, allowing them to read people like a book even if they didn't have one. all human emotions themselves and being able to easily infiltrate any social hierarchy. They then use them to persuade, manipulate and force people to do what they want and behave in a way favorable to the psychopaths themselves. However, this skill set is horrible when used atextreme, such as exploitation of people for example, but beneficial when used moderately and correctly, especially in sales or a work environment. They are excellent salespeople due to their persuasive skills and a perfect team player when it comes to teamwork, as their kind mask makes people feel safe and understood while knowing exactly what their teammates need and what needs to be done for the team to achieve it. their objective in the most efficient way possible. Second, and without a doubt, psychopaths are extremely callous creatures. They are not prey to emotions, unlike most of us who tend to let our own emotions and those of those around us run wild. and interfere with our decision-making. Their way of making decisions is cold, detached and backed by pure logic, which makes them the best candidates for business jobs and higher positions like CEOs, managers, politicians, all jobs that require making difficult and harsh decisions with little or no respect. to emotions, both internal and external. Take Steve Jobs for example, who, of course, was not a psychopath but possessed that “leader” trait. He couldn't be more indifferent to what people thought of him, ganged up on him and was fired from his own company until he was rehired. If this had happened to someone with great emotional sensitivity, it would have become very ugly and there would not be the Apple we know today. Lucky for us, it was Steve Jobs and he just returned to work. That being said, although we can never be, nor should we ever be, entirely detached from all emotions, because these are the things that make us “human”; rather, we should learn to distance our decision-making from our own internal troubles and those of others. Because at the end of the day, most of these emotions are just a distraction that might keep us from making the right, meaningful decision. Finally, the last best trait of psychopaths is their ability to work under conditions of extreme stress. A study by O'Leary, Loney, and Eckel (2007) showed that the human stress hormone known as cortisol, which is released when the body is under stress, whether mental or physical, was found to be less reactive in psychopathic individuals. For them, stress is a state of emotions, triggered by fear, insecurity and doubt, always present but so strongly attenuated that we hardly pay attention to it. In short, they simply see the problem, know it needs to be addressed, deal with the problem, and move on without being the least bit “stressed” about the occasion. It is for this reason alone that they do their jobs well and consistently better than those who are constantly plagued by mundane emotions such as fear, worry, and so-called doubt. What we can learn from this is simply to fear and worry a little less. Ultimately, what needs to be done remains to be done. The sooner these emotions are processed, the sooner we will be able to take action and the happier we will be in achieving our end goal. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayConclusionIn conclusion, psychopaths have advantageous traits that give them a high probability of succeeding in today's society, such as their superficial charm, callousness, and ability to work under stress. Although we should never strive to be like the psychopaths who do not