Good article by a sociopath in this weekend’s WSJ

[Totem Polar]

Worth a read, to see things from the inside. I find myself at once interested, and feeling (go figure) some empathy for this individual, while also seeing into the effort to normalize sociopathy, psychopathy, and antisocial personality disorder. As someone who has seen first hand the destruction that a “snake in a suit” can wreak upon entire organizations and/or corporations—let alone individuals—I have very mixed emotions reading the article. I’ll pick up her book when it comes out, because, knowledge is power. JMO, OMMV, FWIW, etc.

https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/...opath-68ebe08b

[Paul D]

I read that article when it came out. Kudos to her in her efforts to reach out to people who may be suffering from this and not know it. Thus, it could help someone from falling down a steep social spiral. However, most people who have antisocial personality disorders are at a minimum dicks or more commonly destructive people who have no shame, no regards to other people's rights, and no empathy. A lot of them are professionals who use this disease to get try to climb up the ladder. Fuck those guys.

[Totem Polar]

Fuck those guys.

Indeed. Large amounts of human suffering can be attributed to high levels of sociopathy in the instigators. One of the kindest, most diligent teachers that I know (like, waaaay nicer than I am at this point in my life, and I’m pretty agreeable as a rule) once confided to me behind closed doors that she’d feel nothing but relief if the sociopath that we were both dealing with met her untimely demise in a fiery car crash or somesuch. She wasn’t wrong to express that feeling—the person in question was/is a real piece of shit that left a continual wake of destruction behind, without exception. So, yeah, fuck those guys, no disagreement from me.

[HeavyDuty]

Election talk?

[fatdog]

"sociopathy—like many personality disorders—exists on a spectrum."

I think this is true.

I had a business partner 2000-2004 who I am certain was a sociopath. In the beginning working together we clashed and our 4 other business partners could not understand why I was not getting on with him well. At the end of 4 years when he left us, I was the only one still on speaking terms with him. He was able to project this charming personality and initially got on well with most people, but he had no deep friendships or long terms friends to my knowledge. Nobody he used to work with at the law firm he was in before he joined us ever cared to see him or invited him to stuff. None of the college/law school buddies who kept in touch. He did have a wife and kids but that appeared from my distance to be very strained.

He had a law degree and an accounting degree and had passed his CPA. Since that time he has bounced between about 3-4 companies working for the private equity types, who admire him and what he can accomplish for them, but I doubt anybody else who has had to work with him feels the same.

He will work in pursuit of his goals always, and does not care who gets hurt in the process, and if somebody does get injured they deserved it or had it coming because....

As time has gone on and I have more exposure to the venture capital/private equity outfits, I think there are a lot like him that fit into that stable and thrive there.

[BillSWPA]

As a Christian I believe that every single human being is capable of redemption, BUT ONLY if they are willing to acknowledge their need for it, and genuinely desire and pursue it. This lady appears to meet that standard.

Unfortunately people who are good talkers but incapable of walking the walk or who do not care what happens to you as they pursue their goals are all too common in the business world. Being self employed has provided some interesting lessons in spotting them. They succeed because they are quite good at leading people wherever it serves their purpose to take them.

[SAWBONES]

An interesting take on the WSJ article & its author & subject from Not the Bee:

https://notthebee.com/takes/i-guess-...work-out-great

[Totem Polar]

An interesting take on the WSJ article & its author & subject from Not the Bee:

https://notthebee.com/takes/i-guess-...work-out-great

I agree with the bee that the author of the WSJ article is functioning well in society because the shock collar is working. And, as previously noted, I’m also picking up the “normalization” vibe in the WSJ offering. FWIW.

I wish William April was still around to ask about all this.

[TCinVA]

He'd probably tell you that a sociopath playing for the sympathy and understanding they will never give you is right on course for what you should expect from them.



That interview is essentially the equivalent of a vegetarian (at least for now, because they've eaten meat before and will again) having a conversation with a cow about how the entire relationships between humans and cows is just misunderstood.

[rob_s]

I read the article and thought about posting about it here. Then I saw an article about bill maher’s comments about over-self-diagnosing mental health issues(and don't get me started on public school teachers doing it to kids). And thought there were some interesting threads between the two. Reminded me of the autosm thread here recently.

And the thread tied between the two to me is that not only are people self-diagnosing but they are also playing pop psychologist with others and projecting all sorts of “psychopath”, and “sociopath” and the new favorite “narcissist”.

But two thoughts arise:
1) why is it we have “good” mental health problems that deserve our help, patience, and sympathy (depression, autism, anxiety, eating disorders) and “bad” that deserve our derision? If it's all mental “health” then shouldn't it'll be treated the same?

2) I see very little with regards to what to do about it of you're one of these people that has narcissism or sociopothy*. To that I appreciate seeing an article and a book like this.

*notice that the trend now is “person with autism” or “has anxiety” vs we still say “narcosist” and “sociopath”?

PS
In business, I find a lot of people projecting diagnoses onto those that are more successful than themselves. While I agree that in general to truly get to the top you have have(or mimic) certain undesireable tendencies, that does not a diagnoses make. Flip side being, your self-diagnosed “good” mental health problems maybot actually be what are holding youbsck either.

The truth is, IME, being successful in business is 95% right place/time and 5% willing/able/demented enpugh to take advantage of the opportunities(S). Of course, most of the successful don't see the luck and think it's all hard work and such. Which, perhaps, is an indicator of those “bad” mental health problems…