Psychopathic Leaders: How To Stay Mentally Strong Against Them
Psychopathic leaders are real psychological exploiters and we must stay mentally strong in front of them. It is these bosses who, in a work environment, do not hesitate to ask for impossible or even unethical tasks. They like to exercise domination, they are arrogant, callous and dishonest. All these practices do not prevent, far from it, that they climb more each day the hierarchical pyramid.
How to explain this phenomenon ? Is our society more and more tolerant of this kind of aggressive behavior from our leaders? The name of a politician who wields power through this dynamic comes to mind all of us. We all know (or have known) a business leader who fulfills the characteristics of a psychopath.
However, we must keep in mind is that these types of profiles have always existed in our daily life. The subject is therefore not new. However, the difference we have today is that we are very familiar with their psychological anatomy, as well as their unmistakable and harmful effects.
A psychopathic leader is not a criminal. However, he resorts to such anti-social, damaging and dishonest tricks that he could, from an ethical point of view, rise to the level of any individual already prosecuted. And yet, we still live with them; moreover, nothing makes us think that this kind of reality will change.
Therefore, it is recommended that we learn how to manage them.
Stay strong in the face of psychopathic leaders
Dr. Karen Landay and her colleagues in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama conducted an interesting study in early 2018. The article is titled “Been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology .
One thing this team of experts tells us is that not all of our bosses have psychopathic traits. In addition, not all psychopaths hold positions of power and not all commit violent acts. This is something that we must first clarify. This does not prevent a significant percentage of today’s business leaders from having this “dark” moral compass.
For starters, psychopathy is not a simple trait. It is actually made up of a whole range of behaviors. Some will point the finger at some of them with more relevance and others will hardly have a high score in areas characteristic of this pathology. However, several authors agree on the fact that psychopathic leaders come together in three fundamental dimensions:
- Interpersonal mastery or psychological daring
- Disinhibited behavior or impulsivity
- Adverse and instrumental empathy. Be careful, what we have to start to consider is that the psychopath reads and intubates the emotions of others. However, not only does he care, but he also tries to manipulate them in order to use them in his favor.
These are the characteristics that explain his rise. They allow us to understand why they are so daring in business, charming at times and why they hold high positions, leaving so many collateral victims in their wake. Knowing this, let’s now see what mental mechanisms we should use in the face of psychopathic leaders.
1. Don’t show intimidation at their behavior.
The psychopathic leader uses our emotions and weaknesses to gain control. And when he does, he likes it. However, as much as possible, we should avoid showing ourselves as they want: vulnerable.
Sometimes it can be complicated, but it is vital that we remain energetic and that our personal barriers are well protected. We must not be intimidated by them, because as soon as they perceive it, they will gain ground. Self-assertion will be our best ally.
2. Keep control of your emotions
People with this type of psychological profile generally do not have good control over their emotions. If, for our part, we manage to be skilled in this characteristic, we will have an advantage over them.
This behavior involves maintaining adequate mental calm. Let us not get carried away by anguish and anger. If we lose our balance, they will start to manipulate our emotions even more.
3. Don’t fall for their psychological traps
Psychopathic leaders are great storytellers. They will not hesitate to explain aspects of their life and experiences to us, to show charm and skillful closeness. Make no mistake about it. It is a ruse, a subtle and effective trap to gain our confidence and be able to dominate us.
4. Be their mirror, show them their own flaws.
Whenever possible, we should achieve two things. The first is to keep our personal boundaries protected, so that they do not violate them. The second is to show psychopathic leaders their own flaws.
Therefore, when they turn to us, we need to turn the conversation back to their person and their toxic dynamic. An example: “ At today’s meeting you looked a little stressed, you even yelled at us. Perhaps it would be good if you meditate a little on the task you have asked us to do. I think you know that this is excessive and that today we will not be able to accomplish it ” .
5. Avoid face-to-face meetings, better an email
It is clear to us that it is not always possible to keep our boss at bay. Often times, we are more than forced to deal with them face to face day in and day out. It can be tiring, but it’s not the worst: we also run the risk of psychological exhaustion.
So whenever you have the chance, it is advisable to keep them away and talk to them via email and message. In fact, there are studies that confirm the effectiveness of these measures. Communication is less aggressive and the work flow is improved.
In conclusion, as we pointed out at the beginning, nothing seems to give us any clues that this kind of situation will go away. Managers, business leaders and politicians with psychopathic traits will continue to appear year after year. Running away from them is the best answer, but, as we well know, it is not always possible.
We must therefore learn to live with these profiles, to act rather than react and, in essence, to train to have a good survival kit in order to protect our psychological health.
Our thoughts Learn about the story of Boadicea, a courageous Celtic queen who fought against the Romans.
