Snakes in Suits summary

Chapter 1: Not all psychopaths are

Snakes in Suits by Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare. What's in it for me? Protect yourself from the predators in our midst.

Do you know people at work who lie constantly for apparently no good reason? Do they also seem slick and charming, but really just work people like tools to get what they want? Do they avoid responsibility and act impulsively? Do they take credit for the work of others?

If so, that person might be a psychopath. Not all psychopaths wind up in jail. Some wheedle their way into big corporations and become so-called corporate, or white-collar, psychopaths. Once they're in, they manipulate their bosses, colleagues and subordinates to get what they want while destroying everyone in their way.

In the following chapters, you'll find out what psychopaths are like and why they're able to easily identify and take advantage of your weaknesses, even if you're a trained psychologist. You'll also discover the simple divide-and-conquer tactic psychopaths use to manipulate their way into power in a company while keeping co-workers and bosses in the dark about their true nature. Finally, you'll discover how you can prepare yourself for the unfortunate event of having a psychopath in your life. Because although they're a rare occurrence, it's likely you'll meet one sooner or later, and you don't want to become their lunch.

Chapter 1. Not all psychopaths are violent serial killers. For most people, the mention of the word psychopath evokes images of serial killers and evil villains from movies, like the disturbing character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

But how accurate of a depiction is that, really? Some 1% of the general population fit the criteria of the personality disorder known as psychopathy. We will dive into the traits of such individuals soon. But first we must acknowledge that there is some truth to the Hollywood image.

Psychopaths do tend to be more violent and prone to criminality than the general population. Though they represent only 1% of the general population, they are responsible for over half the serious and violent crimes that occur in society. Their violence is especially chilling since it tends to lack any emotional component. Rather, it's usually a cold means to an end.

However, not all psychopaths are violent criminals and, in fact, the definition and diagnosis of psychopathy is a complicated and difficult matter. Perhaps the best description can be extracted from a diagnostic tool called the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The checklist states that psychopathic behavior is exhibited as abnormalities in four domains of personality. In each domain, the specific psychopathic traits can be identified as follows.

In the interpersonal domain, psychopaths are superficial, deceitful and grandiose. In the emotional domain, psychopaths lack empathy, remorse and the ability to take any responsibility for their actions. In the lifestyle domain, psychopaths tend to lack life goals and act in a very irresponsible and impulsive way in general. Finally, in the antisocial domain, psychopaths typically have a history of lacking behavioral control, evidenced by delinquency in adolescence and adulthood.

These traits paint a compelling picture of remorseless, impulsive predators who take what they want and care little for the rules of society. However, a word of caution, readers should not jump to conclusions about themselves or someone else being a psychopath, based on these criteria, as only qualified professionals can make such diagnoses, and even perfectly normal people may exhibit several of these traits.

Chapter 2: There's a Predator Hunting

There's a Predator Hunting You Unfortunately, sooner or later, you're likely to meet a psychopath. When this happens, you'll probably have no idea who you're dealing with. Most psychopaths wind up in prison because they lack the skills to manipulate people to get what they want, forcing them to resort to a more direct approach, violence.

But psychopaths who are not incarcerated are much more subtle and capable manipulators. They often use the following three-stage process. First, in the assessment phase, psychopaths will evaluate their victims' utility to them, for example, the victim's ability to provide them with money, power, sex, celebrity, recognition, and so on. At the same time, psychopaths will also assess their victims' weak spots.

Not distracted by emotions or social inhibitions? Psychopaths are experts at reading people and can easily identify their needs, likes, vulnerabilities, and emotional hot buttons. Second, in the manipulation phase, psychopaths extract what they want from the victim. They do this by changing their personality into a completely fictitious character, whoever is needed to manipulate the victim.

Psychopaths are pathological liars and can quickly make up whatever stories they think will strengthen the bond with their victims. They are incredibly adept at managing the impression they make on others and can change their apparent personality to suit any situation. Anxious victims find them soothing and bored victims find them exhilarating. A chameleon changing its color to snare a fly seems an apt analogy.

Finally, in the abandonment phase, when victims are no longer useful to them, psychopaths discard them abruptly, typically cutting off all contact. The victim is often left in emotional turmoil, shocked at the betrayal of a supposedly close friend or lover. Psychopaths do not feel regret or remorse over this action like normal people. In fact, they don't feel any emotion at all.

Brain imaging experiments have shown that psychopaths' brains do not react to emotional material like the brains of normal people. They know that other people have things called emotions, but they neither feel nor appreciate them themselves.