Revealed: The top jobs for PSYCHOPATHS – it’s bad news for mechanics

Is your colleague secretly a psychopath?

If you’re a mechanic, the answer might be yes. 

Scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign have revealed the jobs that attract the most psychopaths.

For their study, the team enlisted more than 600 participants, who were quizzed about their dark personality traits, as well as their interest in eight career areas. 

The results revealed a ‘clear pattern’. 

People with psychopathic traits were more drawn to hands–on and practical work activities.

In terms of specific careers, this includes mechanics and engineers. 

Yan Yi Lance Du, the study’s lead author, said: ‘The need for power and status can be a fundamental drive behind the careers people pursue.’

The dark personality traits are also referred to as the Dark Triad by psychologists. 

Each of the three traits – narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy – are made up of particular undesirable attributes. 

Machiavellianism is characterised by manipulation and exploitation of others, a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on self–interest and deception.  

Narcissism is characterised by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy, 

Meanwhile, psychopathy is characterised by enduring antisocial behaviour, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness. 

Previous studies have identified links between the Dark Triad and several traits – including not liking animals, humiliating others, and being single. 

In their new study, the team set out to understand whether or not there’s also a link between these traits and career choices. 

‘Although there is longstanding research on the link between personality and interests, researchers have just begun to examine how dark personality traits are related to vocational interests,’ they explained in their study, published in Personality and Individual Differences.

To get to the bottom of it, the team surveyed 609 university students, aged 17 to 32. 

The participants first completed questionnaires measuring their dark personality traits.

Psychopathy was assessed via their reaction to statements such as ‘I can convince people to do what I want’, while Machiavellianism was measured with thigs like ‘I think that it is OK to be unethical for the greater good’. 

Narcissism, meanwhile, was measured through their agreements with statements including ‘I am great’, and ‘I want my rivals to fail’. 

Next, the participants rated their interest in eight career areas – Health Science, Creativity, Technology, People, Organization, Influence, Nature, and Things. 

An analysis of their answers revealed that people who rated ‘Things’ as the most important career area were more likely to have psychopathic tendencies. 

Jobs in this area include mechanics and engineers.  

‘Individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits prefer solitary and practical work environments, likely due to their low motivation for social affiliation and interaction,’ the team explained. 

Participants with a high interest in the ‘People’ category – which includes jobs like social scientists and psychologists – were more likely to have Machiavellian views. 

And those who were more interested in ‘Creativitity’ and ‘Influence’ scored more highly for narcissism.

Jobs in the ‘Creativity’ category include designers and movie directors, while those in the ‘Influence’ category include politicians and lawyers. 

‘We found that confidence based traits, such as boldness and a desire for admiration, were most closely linked to leadership interests, especially in business, politics, and law,’ Mr Du said. 

The most toxic people in the workplace, however, are those who combine psychopathic boldness or narcissistic self–enhancement with other malevolent traits, according to the researchers. 

‘These individuals are the so–called “successful psychopaths” and “successful narcissists”,’ the team explained. 

‘While they appear superficially charming, organizations should eschew promoting them into top management positions, lest it become almost impossible to control them.’

WOULD YOU KNOW HOW TO SPOT A PSYCHOPATH?

Psychopaths display different traits depending on their disorder.

Common signs include superficial charm, a grandiose notion of self-worth, the need for stimulation and impulsiveness, pathological lying, the ability to manipulate others and a lack of remorse and empathy.

But despite the popular association, not all psychopaths become killers.

Experts claim people usually find psychopaths intriguing, but can’t put their finger on why. 

This is down to incongruous behaviour because psychopaths tend to do a lot of acting to deceive, or mimic normal reactions, sometimes changing their views and reactions quickly.

For example, Self-professed psychopath Jacob Wells said that upon meeting someone, he tries to become ‘the most interesting person they know’ and presumably adopts suitable interests and responses to do this.

His response also gives away another common trait – a grandiose notion of self-worth – in that he can be the most interesting person in the room.

Psychopaths occasionally tend to exhibit unconvincing emotional responses, with slip-ups including tone of voice or body language.

This may be because they are unable to understand emotions such as fear and love, but can mimic them.

Generally psychopaths’ ’emotions’ are shallow and short-lived and there is a manipulative ulterior motive to showing them.

For example, Mr Wells said he offers to do favours and tells false secrets to people to gain their complete trust.

He also displays insincere charm – another trait associated with psychopaths.

He says: ‘I keep secrets, and tell them fake secrets to further gain their trust, and once they trust me enough, I ask for favours, reminding them of the favours I did them. I can get literally anything from them, which is incredibly useful.’

Psychopaths typically display an incredible ability to manipulate others and sometimes take pleasure in doing so. 

Psychopaths often have an air of superiority about them, perhaps shown by Mr Wells’ belief he can spot other psychopaths

Even expert Dr Hare, who came up with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) used as a diagnostic tool to determine where someone lies on the psychopathy spectrum, warns that anyone can be duped during a short interaction with a psychopath.