Apt to be unethical: functional psychopathy in organizations (Atena Editora)

Abstract

In this article we carry out a theoretical analysis on how the person with characteristics similar to those of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) has the skills to act in a society that prioritizes the values of individualism and greed. We show that the ability to adopt unethical behaviors can be crucial for these people to appear as assertive, capable and accomplishing professionals. They are not only able to achieve individual results, but, above all, to lead entire teams to achieve the goals of their organizations. Such individuals are known as functional psychopaths. From a psychological point of view, a large part of the indicators related to functional psychopathy seem to be associated with changes in the regulatory function that emotions exert on the human decision-making process. Functional psychopathy represents a challenge for organizational managers and staff in human resources sections. Furthermore, the evaluation processes, based on the results, are not very sensitive to differentiate between: (1) lack of empathy and courage; (2) selfishness and zeal; and (3) manipulation and leadership. It is concluded that only more sophisticated, laborious and costly processes could be sensitive enough to identify these people and their perverse work strategies during the selective and evaluative processes in the business environment. So, they are all around us and, given the cultural orientation of companies towards individualism and greed, they are probably here to stay.