Pervasive pattern of disregard

bar code, youThere are billions and billions of pages indexed by Google.

When a subject returns 100 links or even 1000, we know there’s little interest, not much said.

I found only 1210 hits for “corporate psychopathy”.

C’mon people!

Corporate Psychopathy, Montague Ullman, M, D.

In psychiatry there is a diagnostic entity variously known as psychopath, sociopath and antisocial personality disorder. The central feature of this disorder is the failure to develop any ethical standards of social behavior, The concept of ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ is foreign to the psychopath. That remarkable advice is replaced by ‘do unto others as it pleases you regardless of consequences.’

In a democratic society government is supposed to serve the needs of every member of that society. There are two models for such societies, Both involve capitalism. The social democratic societies, such as in Scandinavia, temper the profit motive so as to restrict the massive inequities and ensure that health, education, security and opportunity is available to all. They do this by a system of taxation that succeeds in narrowing the gap between the haves and the have-nots so that a significant proportion of the population is not in trouble.

In the United States where capitalism is given a much freer rein there is the possibility of the profit motive getting so out of hand that those on top are enriched at the expense of those left behind, That is “wild capitalism”. The recent run of failures of formerly very profitable corporations are a prime example of that, and how painful it is for those who are ultimately victimized by it.

A corporation has been endowed with personhood by the Supreme Court. It is not a person but it is run by persons. If the ethical standards of those at the top fail to maintain a certain level of social responsibility, the result is the insidious onset of corporate psychopathic behavior. A few get very rich and the others wake up one day to find themselves abandoned by the institution they trusted.

Pinstriped Psychopaths by Eric J. Fry

Some psychopaths occupy a prison cell. Others occupy a corner office. Both are dangerous.

Psychopathy is destructive, no matter whether it roams the back streets or roams on Wall Street.

Is There a Cure for Corporate ‘Psychopathy’? by Jeffrey Nesteruk

Has corporate law created a monster?

There is no cure to corporate psychopathy as strictly speaking it is a personality trait not an illness. Wherever it is encountered, there is destruction and paucity of ideas and goodness. The closest psychopathy get to illness is the illnesses left after their passing.

Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington

The excesses of corporate America have become more than just a social crime; they are a direct threat to the well-being of our society… CEO bad boys, highlighting their personal extravagances such as ostentatious mansions, million-dollar birthday parties and interest-free loans straight out of the company kitty. As we all know by now, while these so-called business leaders enjoyed the very, very good life, market values for their respective companies were going down the tubes.

Psychopath in a suit by Leon Gettler

Is the boss a psychopath?

Not a murderer, a vicious criminal or rapacious scam-meister. But we know the type. Oozing charm and charisma but with no emotional depth; more sizzle than steak. These are the ones who are manipulative and ruthless enough to do whatever it takes and stick the knife into anyone standing in their way. With their finely honed political skills, sharp timing and chameleon-like abilities, they thrive on risk, chaos and upheaval. And they are cold-blooded enough to claim later that they did nothing wrong.

The Corporation, a documentary exploring the psyche of the corporation, came to the conclusion that if the corporation can be regarded as a legal person, as it is under United States law, its personality would meet all of the DSM-IV requirements for being a psychopath (such as conning others for profit and recklessness). [Interview with Joel Bakan author of The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power]

A comprehensive article on corporate psychopaths at FastCompany.

The more sociopaths are allowed to shape the world around them to best suit their own interests, the more damage they do to the society and the more sociopaths they CREATE.


We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims. – Buckminster Fuller