There are more female psychopaths than previously thought, says expert

According to Clive Boddy, an expert on psychopaths in the business world, the number of female psychopaths may be much higher than previously thought. Although the idea that psychopaths are violent, antisocial, remorseless criminals, often lie, lack empathy, lack guilt, are narcissistic and manipulative has given way to a more nuanced view, the idea that they are primarily male remains.

“Psychopaths seek money, power and control,” Clive Boddy was quoted as saying by The keeper.

According to the expert, “the behavior of female psychopaths seems quite subtle and less obvious than the behavior of male psychopaths, and therefore they are not as recognized.” However, a growing body of evidence portrays female psychopaths as “prone to expressing verbal rather than physical violence, and the violence is relational and emotional in nature, more subtle and less obvious than that expressed by male psychopaths.” Spreading rumors and lies for personal gain is also common among female psychopaths.

According to Clive, one reason there isn’t as much recognition is because part of the assessment used to identify psychopaths, known as the Levenson Self-Report Scale of Psychopathy (LSRP), is biased toward identifying the disorder in men. . That is, while the first part of the assessment analyzes the person’s degree of emotional detachment, selfishness, indifference and manipulation, the second part, covering the psychopathic lifestyle, focuses on violence and antisocial behavior.

“The secondary element and its measures were largely based on studies of criminals who were in prison at the time and were psychopaths – so researchers currently believe that these measures are insufficient to detect female psychopathy,” explained the expert quoted by the publication. newspaper.

According to the researcher, the fact that there is less research on psychopathy in women than in men may also be due to the fact that evaluators may be reluctant to label women as psychopaths.

It is estimated that 23% of men, even if they are not considered psychopaths, have traits that indicate the possibility of being “problematic for society.”

Clive Boddy’s research, based on surveys of workers, suggests that these characteristics are not uncommon among women. “About 12 to 13 percent of women have sufficient characteristics to be potentially problematic,” he said.

An expert warns that recognizing psychopathy in women and men is important, especially given the huge impact it can have in the workplace, and argues that job applicants should be subject to a selection process to help protect workers.

“The higher you go in seniority, meaning the more power and control you have, the more necessary these types of screening tests and psychometric tests become,” he said.