With the collection of saws and power tools remodelers have, psychopathic traits wouldn’t seem desirable in a remodeler.
But among psychologists, being a psychopath is not synonymous with murder and mayhem. The science blog Bakadesuyo talks with Dr. Kevin Dutton, an Oxford researcher who wrote The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. Instead, when talking about psychopaths, psychologists are referring to a specific set of individuals with a distinct subset of personality characteristics: ruthlessness, fearlessness, charm, charisma, coolness under pressure, focus, and deficits in conscious empathy.
“It’s not a case that you’re either a psychopath, or you’re not. Some people clearly are; those people [are] at the high end of the spectrum,” Dr. Dutton tells Bakadesuyo.
The takeaway is that psychopathic behavior is also productive behavior. Ever heard of the popular slogan “Just Do It”? It was inspiredcourtesy of infamous psychopath Gary Gilmore before his execution.
Other productivity examples from psychopaths are the ability to live in the moment, and the ability to uncouple behavior from emotion.
Read more on Bakadesuyo.