The Everyday Sociopath

One of the principles taught in Strategy 360 is to beat the competition. This takes several forms, but one of the most damaging types of competition can sometimes come within our own company, community or organization. It is the "everyday sociopath."

It may seem somewhat dramatic to refer to someone as a "sociopath", but this condition is actually not that uncommon. According to Harvard University's Dr. Martha Stout, one person in 24 is a sociopath. A common myth about sociopaths is that they are all crazed serial killers. Indeed, most sociopaths blend in quite well with everyday life ... except one thing ... they do not have a conscience. Sociopaths do not "feel" the way we do. Despite this, they often have a trademark level of "charm", and people who are ignorant can be drawn in and come under their spell.

Sociopaths often become leaches or con artists, but they can also masquerade as successful business people or professionals. They may be married and have lots of kids. They can literally stand in front of a church group, a group of Boy Scouts or an organization to assist battered women, lie about their accomplishments and then pitch a phony charity and ask for donations. Then a sociopath - without blinking an eye - will use the money to buy Lakers tickets...and a limo to take them to the game! They do it with a smile and they never accept responsibility for the damage that they do.

When a normal person lies, they will typically have physiological effects that show up on a lie detector. When lying, a normal person will slightly sweat, tremble or have an increase in blood pressure. But sociopaths are "wired" differently. They can actually "flat line" a polygraph test. They lie, even when they have no reason to lie. The problem is real, as they can wreck havoc with companies, professional firms, families, neighborhoods or any organization.

So how do you know if you are dealing with a sociopath? A simple litmus test is to know that if you catch a person in three lies (particularly in areas where there is no real reason to lie), you probably have a sociopath on your hands. If this is a question, I recommend that you read the book, "The Sociopath Next Door" by Martha Stout, PhD.

There is rarely a “happy ending” with the everyday sociopath. The bottom line, once you identify a sociopath, put as much distance as possible between them and you.