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“Which professions have the most / fewest psychopaths?”

Maybe you’ve seen this already, it seems like it was “going around” the other day. It’s a list from the book: The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success

Sure.

I have no doubt the list is accurate, at least within whatever parameters it set out for itself. But I do dispute this interpretation of the data which tries to explain why these professions line up the way they do:

Most of the professions on the right require human connection, dealing with feelings and most of them don’t offer much power. Psychopaths, by their very nature, would not be drawn to or very good at these things.

On the other hand, most of the roles on the left do offer power and many require an ability to make objective, clinical decisions divorced from feelings. Psychopaths would be drawn to these roles and thrive there.

I realize that it says “most” of the professions on the right, but I can’t help but notice two glaring exceptions:

First of all, doctors have lots of power, and it requires an ability to make objective, clinical decisions divorced from feelings. So, by that measure, it’s a perfect fit for the left side of the chart.

On the other hand, most clergy have almost no power and aren’t objective or clinical, and the job requires human connections and dealing with feelings, meaning that it’s a perfect fit for the right side of the chart.

So… yeah… If you look at 10 of something and give an explanation for 9 of them but the other 1 is completely contradictory, I don’t know if I can consider that a good explanation. On the other hand, if it’s 90% accurate, maybe that’s pretty good and I’m just being nitpicky.

Lastly: I wonder how far DMV and postal employees sway the statistics for “Civil Servants” as a whole. :-)