Do you suspect that someone you work with is a psychopath? Do they act superficially charming, lack remorse, lie to you, cheat, or attempt to manipulate you? Read more to find out about our study.
Dear Members of the Lovefraud Blog,
My name is Janelle and I am a Master’s student at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. I’m currently working on my Master’s thesis in Forensic Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Adelle Forth. The topic of my research is psychopathy in the workplace and the effects this has on victims.
Psychopathy in the workplace is a relatively new area of study in psychology. Most of the research to date focuses on the psychopathic individuals while neglecting to take into account the voices of survivors. I want to investigate how psychopaths establish relationships in the work environment and the behaviours they exhibit that lead you to believe they are psychopathic or that have victimized you. I also want to know what effects and impacts the relationship has had on your job and your life outside of work.
If you believe that someone you work with possesses psychopathic traits and you would like to share your experience by participating in the study, please click here. This link also contains more information on the study. Please note you must be 18 years of age or older to participate and the study is only available in English. Any questions, comments, or feedback about this research project or its content, are welcome at working.with.psychopath@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Janelle
UPDATE
The survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Deb – You can describe your experience no matter when it happened.
@Deb- yes, please share your experience and participate in the study even if you no longer work with the psychopath.
Thank you!
Janelle
Janelle,
a guy who reads my blog sends me interesting links.
This one is CLASSIC and completely documented through the courts because it’s been prosecuted and the spath is in prison.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/419/petty-tyrant
I didn’t listen to it, I read the transcript. It’s so outrageous that it actually triggered me to read what this guy did, at his workplace, for so many years and how he got away with it.
You might be able to investigate it further through records or the people involved. If you do, I’d be interested in anything more you find out.
Warning: be prepared to be slimed when you read it.
I couldn’t figure out how to read the transcript. My connection is too slow to listen to it.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/419/transcript
Oxy, try this link
Thanks Sky, you know here is a quote “was surrounded above and below by people who looked the other way.” THE FENCE SITTERS who don’t take action to STOP the bad guys.
Whether it is folks that don’t stop the Nazis, or the ones who see “the hangman” and don’t try to act until they are the last man in the town that hasn’t been hanged.
All it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing. How often is that the case. 🙁
I participated describing a sociopath who was my boss until I left the position 7 years ago. However, apparently the sociopath wasn’t done with me — several years ago when I interviewed for the position I currently hold, the sociopath gave me a very good reference — then proceeded to sing the praises of another former colleague who she was sleeping with. The former colleague got the job. My current boss knew within months she had been sold a bill of goods by the sociopath and hired me. The lover was history within a year.
Today I learned something about the whole situation that truly makes me wonder about the sociopathic traits of my current boss. Apparently when my current boss decided to extend the offer to the sociopath’s lover, a colleague of mine, who specializes in employment law, pointed out that (a) the lover hadn’t applied for the position; and (b) the position was already listed as “closed” on the federal website, so all my current boss’ actions were in violation of federal law. Her response? I have ways I can get this past HR. Sociopath #2?
matt, wow, what was in it for her?
Matt,
Did you read the article about the guy in NY that Sky posted the link to?
Your boss who is supposed to be HONEST and do things RIGHT and she breaks the law herself. Well, makes me have more confidence in the “law” and those who take an oath to uphold it.
NOT!!!!!!
I did note some things about the guy though.
1) He was the son of a man who died in prison.
2) he was on his 3rd wife at the time of his arrest
3) he seemed to enjoy humiliating his employees
4) he was big time into control
5) he operated on threats, revenge and violence
6) he was very narcissistic
7) he was paranoid
8) he openly broke rules and controlled the union and his bosses and HR
9) he hired and fired at will
Oxy, this guy did things in a lot of ways the same as my spath did. First, suck up to the people in power, find the crooked ones and pander to them.
Then sabotage anyone who doesn’t play your game. The part about running the electric bill up so that it made one guy seem incompetent, then taking over his job and lowering the bill by freezing the employees was just the type of thing my spath would’ve done.
From what I can tell, this guy didn’t kill anyone. but maybe he did. I’m sure he’d have liked to.