ProNurse

I have heard of this being a requirement to be a successful manager.  

Lets face it they are focussed, self confident and driven

They don't necessarily make a mess of things Mr. Smirnoff.

If you can take dispassionate decisions without caring who gerts hurt you'll make a good military officer. you'll also make a pretty good money lender (look at the banks record on compassion). If you are driven by a need to manipulate others' emotions and behaviours you'll do well in the clergy. If you are driven by a need for excitement because of your own emotional poverty you'd do well working in A&E for example.

All these are psychopathic traits and for most of this stuff the research is out there. It's not always hugely prevalent but it's there none the less. Certainly it seems that there's been a marked rise in sociopathy among doctors and the clergy in recent years. I'd anticipate that the same can also be said of nurses but I don't know of any research to ilustrate that.

There's no reason why socialised psychopaths shouldn't continue in the positions of authority they have always occupied in society. Just because you can't empathise with or care about other people doesn't mean you can't function to a hugh level in practical terms. Just look at the last few decades in politics to see what I mean - not to mention the aristocracy, the scientific community etc etc.

Perhaps we need the occasional snake to keep things going.

Cheers,

Stuart

we are all psychopathic in some way.