Why is Wall Street full of psychopaths?
A surprisingly high number of financiers have an “unparalleled capacity for lying,” according to a new, unsettling report that’s rattling the industry
One out of 10 Wall Street employees is a clinical psychopath, estimates Sherree DeCovny in CFA Magazine [pdf for purchase], compared with one out of 100 people in the general population. That statistic is “shocking,” says Sam Ro at Business Insider, and, while it doesn’t mean Wall Street is crawling with ax-wielding serial killers (see American Psycho), the extreme character traits outlined in DeCovny’s report are certainly prevalent — and often admired — in the industry. Here, a guide to Wall Street’s madness:
What are the symptoms of Wall Street psychopaths?
They “generally lack empathy and interest in what other people feel or think,” writes DeCovny, who bases her report on interviews with several trade psychologists. Financial psychopaths are capable of displaying “an abundance of charm, charisma, [and] intelligence,” but also possess an “unparalleled capacity for lying, fabrication, and manipulation.”
How does it affect their work?
In extreme cases, financial psychopaths become compulsive gamblers, driven by “the chemical rush of serotonin and endorphins” that accompanies gambling, writes Alexander Eichler at The Huffington Post. Of course, “an appetite for risk can seem like a positive business trait on Wall Street, where big gambles sometimes lead to big rewards.” But when bets go bad, psychopaths “dig themselves into a deeper hole and deny any wrongdoing or failure,” DeCovny says. Financial psychopaths lie to others — and themselves — about the extent of their problem, and “commit forgery, fraud, theft, and embezzlement to support their habit.”
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MMM..guess they are simply proving the Bible to be right with its description of the characteristics of greed and avarice and worshiping mammon… there is nothing new under the sun…that is why we should be closely looking at the spiritual aspect of these candidates…that will tell you where their heart is and if they really care for you…as society goes…as social issues are ignored so goes the nation…
Pelosi- Frank – Wiener – Reid- Gore – Gracen – Blago have some kind of DNA defect or alteration.
Someday someone will discover the elusive Liberal Loon gene.
Can you imagine if all the members of Congress were tested??? I’ll bet it would be 50% or more.
Perhaps many, may be devotees of Talmudic, cAH Ba’al istic, Zo HAr, or Mid RA ish’s: KOL NIDRE: prayers of supplication to Satan/ Lucifer, for ExHonoration [ WithOUT Honor,] lusting for PURIM and other DEMONIC Blood feasts, as Night Kills/Murders, as those whom Burn or EAT Their YOUNG; or Each Other, on The WALL St., as the Cain AH Ba’als, Cain AH nites, Ashtoreth, Mo Loch, Astarte, and other Dark, M AH LoCHian PAHgAHan Mystere gods or god Men/AH Mon?
Not just Wall Street, most large corporations …..
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/i-am-fishead-are-corporate-leaders-psychopaths/
Jesse James knew the answer to that way back when – “Because that’s where the money is!”
They are focused and driven, that leads to their making it to the top of what ever field they enter.
I have personal knowledge on this topic and the article, IMO, is off. There are far more people than 10% with psychopathic tendencies in positions of power. Perhaps 10% of all people, but what we should be concerned about are people with psychopathic tendencies that are in power.
Psychologist have been hired to develop instruments/tests that look for multiple traits in the same candidate: intelligence, creativity, ambition, and psychopathy. Big business wants smart, ambitions people that don’t have a conscience about screwing people over. Who do you think came up with the complex financial instruments like derivatives, MBS, CDO, CDS, etc.? The article and/or comments also pointed out that politicians also share styles with people who are identified as psychopathic.
The field has been around for at least 60-70 years.