When people hear the word “psychopath”, the image that often comes to mind is that of a serial killer or violent criminal, shaped as much by Hollywood as by psychology. Hannibal Lecter, Javier Bardem’s character in No Country for Old Men and Kevin Spacey’s in Seven have helped establish a familiar cultural stereotype: the psychopath as an extreme, calculating and violent figure. But Leanne ten Brinke, a social and personality psychologist, argues that this picture obscures a more complicated reality.
According to the Canadian psychologist, many people who never approach such extremes can nevertheless display significant traits associated with psychopathy and other so-called dark personalities. They may be parents, partners, friends, colleagues, bosses or political leaders. As she explains to EL PAÍS, psychologists increasingly understand psychopathy and other personality disorders not as rare conditions entirely separate from ordinary personality, but as extreme levels of traits that can otherwise exist within normal human behaviour.
Ten Brinke, 40, is a professor and director of the Truth and Trust Lab at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She has devoted more than a quarter of a century to researching these darker aspects of personality, which she explores in her 2026 book Personas venenosas, published by Grijalbo. Psychopathy, she explains, represents only one part of what is known as the “dark tetrad”. The other three are narcissism, expressed through exaggerated self-esteem; Machiavellianism, characterised by a tendency to manipulate and exploit others; and sadism, or enjoyment of another person’s suffering.
The implications become particularly striking when these traits enter positions of authority. A study cited by Ten Brinke found that between 3% and 4% of people occupying senior management positions or serving as CEOs displayed levels of psychopathy approaching the clinical threshold. In the general population, the figure was 1%. That means such personalities are three times more prevalent in senior leadership than in the population as a whole.
The finding raises an uncomfortable question: are societies more likely to place people with dark personality traits in positions of power? Ten Brinke believes there are circumstances in which the answer may be yes. Traits such as emotional coldness, recklessness, disregard for social conventions and harsh treatment of perceived rivals can become confused with the qualities associated with strong leadership.
The attraction becomes stronger during periods of fear and uncertainty. Research, she says, increasingly indicates that when people experience fear, economic inequality or military activity around them, they tend to gravitate towards dominant leaders. In such circumstances, societies may seek someone who appears capable of protecting them. People with darker personality traits can project precisely that image because their style is based on dominance and the subordination of others rather than collaboration.
This creates a paradox. Personalities that appear powerful and decisive may be perceived as especially competent at precisely the moments when societies feel most vulnerable. Yet research conducted by Ten Brinke suggests that the appearance of competence does not necessarily translate into better performance.
In a study of hundreds of financial managers over a period of 10 years, her research team initially expected psychopathic traits to provide an advantage in an intensely competitive environment. The results pointed in the opposite direction. Managers with higher levels of psychopathic traits made less money than their peers, rather than more.
The findings concerning narcissism were different. People with high levels of narcissism generated the same amount of money as less narcissistic individuals, but the volatility of their investments was considerably greater. Ten Brinke suggests that this may be related to impulsive decision-making or an excessive confidence that leads people to remain committed to an investment even when it is not a safe bet.
The consequences of dark personalities extend beyond financial performance or political leadership. Ten Brinke argues that their influence can be experienced in ordinary relationships and workplaces, where the damage may be difficult to quantify. People working for bosses with psychopathic traits can experience stomach problems, ulcers and headaches, she says. The difficulty is that physical and psychological suffering is harder to measure than financial losses.
That difficulty, she believes, may mean that society underestimates the effect these personalities can have on everyday life. The problem does not necessarily require a person to be clinically psychopathic. The broader concern is the presence of personality traits that can repeatedly produce manipulative, hostile or damaging interactions.
Recognition, therefore, becomes one form of protection. Ten Brinke points to several early warning signs that can emerge during initial interactions. These include people who constantly interrupt others but dislike being interrupted themselves, people who repeatedly talk about themselves and frame conversations to make themselves appear the most intelligent or the person with the greatest leadership potential.
Other signs may be found in apparently inappropriate emotional reactions. Someone might laugh when another person describes their suffering, remain unusually calm in a situation in which most people would experience fear, or express hostility while smiling. None of these behaviours alone establishes a diagnosis, but Ten Brinke argues that recognising such patterns and observing whether they recur in subsequent interactions can help identify problematic traits.
Yet not every difficult person can simply be avoided. The person displaying these characteristics may be a boss, a parent or a sibling. In such situations, Ten Brinke does not suggest that their personality can be changed. Instead, the aim is to make interactions less damaging.
One strategy is to establish clear boundaries. People with dark personality traits can have difficulty following social rules that most people understand and respect. Another recommendation is to reinforce positive behaviour. If such a person behaves honestly or helps someone, rewarding that behaviour can encourage its repetition because these individuals may be motivated by rewards. Punishment, she says, does not work particularly well with people displaying psychopathic traits.
Her advice also applies to children who begin displaying such traits early in their development. The objective is not to assume that a child is destined for a particular future, but to encourage more constructive behaviour through appropriate responses.
Narcissism presents another challenge because people with high levels of narcissism can react badly to criticism, negative feedback or failure. Direct criticism can provoke a strong reaction. Ten Brinke says that this response can be reduced when the person feels that the other party belongs to the same team and shares the same interests.
The principle can apply even within families. If, for example, a sibling displaying these traits needs to contribute more to caring for a parent, Ten Brinke suggests beginning the conversation by establishing a sense of common ground rather than immediately confronting the person with criticism.
The broader issue is not simply whether individuals with dark personality traits exist, but how societies respond to them. Ten Brinke’s research suggests that the traits associated with psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism and sadism exist on a spectrum, rather than being confined to the extreme figures portrayed in popular culture.
As the world experiences fear, uncertainty, inequality and conflict, the appeal of dominant personalities can increase. Yet the evidence cited by Ten Brinke also challenges the assumption that dominance necessarily means competence. In financial management, higher psychopathic traits were associated with poorer results, while narcissism was associated with greater investment volatility.
The challenge, then, lies both in recognising these traits and in understanding why they can become attractive. People may vote for leaders who display them; employees may find themselves working for them; families may have to negotiate with them. The response, according to Ten Brinke, is neither panic nor the expectation that such personalities can simply be transformed. It is greater awareness, clearer boundaries, careful communication and an understanding of the behaviour patterns that can turn ordinary human traits into destructive extremes.
In that sense, the most important question may not be how to identify the psychopath of popular imagination, but how to recognise the darker traits that can exist much closer to everyday life — and how societies, organisations and individuals respond when those traits are placed in positions of influence.
