Psychopathy is often portrayed as a rare and distant phenomenon – something confined to movie villains or prison cells. Yet when psychopathy is combined with narcissism and Machiavellianism to form what psychologists call the Dark Triad, its impact becomes far more immediate. Individuals with these traits can wield disproportionate influence over our culture, institutions, and daily lives. What goes on inside their minds, and how do they shape the world around us?
How to spot a psychopath: ‘It’s like the difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat’
People with persistent predatory personalities cause an inordinate amount of pain. Recently, our shared understanding of them has grown – and it could help protect us
Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution | Meaningness
How muggles and sociopaths invade and undermine creative subcultures; and how to stop them.
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aka FiveFactor, OCEAN - Personality Test - In psychological trait theory, the Big Five personality traits, also known as the OCEAN model is a suggested taxonomy, or grouping, for personality traits,[1] developed from the 1980s onwards. When factor analysis (a statistical technique) is applied to personality survey data, it reveals semantic associations: some words used to describe aspects of personality are often applied to the same person. For example, someone described as conscientious is more likely to be described as "always prepared" rather than "messy". These associations suggest five broad dimensions used in common language to describe the human personality and psyche.[2][3] The theory identifies five factors: openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious); conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless); extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved); agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/callous); neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits (more)
Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution (2015) | Hacker News
Any marginally successful group attracts sociopaths. The more power available to someone installing themselves at the centre of an elite clique that runs the organisation, the more attractive it is. No-one ever sees it fully until they get on the wrong end of one of these toxic power dynamics, there is so much subtle BS working against anyone trying to face this stuff down that it's almost pointless wasting your life trying.
The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis: The Rules of the Game Keep Us Trapped - The Great Simplification
In this episode, Nate is joined by Greg Elliott, a systems theorist and author of the Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis (PSH), to unpack why our institutions themselves have become so psychopathic, and how that affects the behavior of the average human.
The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis (PSH): A Guide to Symbolic Selection, Behavioural Architecture, and the Evolution of Human Gameboards
How human created symbolic systems alter the adaptive environment, select among behavioural strategies, generate institutional games, and reshape the evolutionary conditions inherited by future actors
The thinking style that makes people vulnerable to extremism | Psyche Ideas
The people most drawn to ideological thinking and authoritarianism aren’t aware of what makes them so susceptible
Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study
The differences across cultures in the enforcement of conformity may reflect their specific histories. , With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.
The Emotional Toll of Living With Institutional Betrayal - Dame Magazine
What happens to us when institutions protect power instead of people? From Epstein to ICE, institutional betrayal is inflicting trauma and moral injury.
Six ‘dark patterns’ used to manipulate you when shopping online
Online shopping offers unparalleled convenience, but also poses significant risks due to manipulative design practices known as ‘dark patterns’. These tactics subtly influence consumer behaviour, often leading to unintended purchases or compromising consumer privacy. Here are six dark patterns to watch out for next time you are shopping online.
Stockholm syndrome
Stockholm syndrome is a disputed disorder in pop psychology characterized by the tendency of hostages to develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is named after an attempted bank robbery in 1973, in Stockholm.
Empathy, Thick and Thin
When we empathize with someone going through something, we often draw on our past experiences with the someone and the something. These kinds of experiences gro
Days of Lead
Descend into the shadows of 1970s Italy in this gritty Wretched setting. In the fictional city of Cittaferra, political terrorism, organised crime, and institutional corruption threaten to tear society apart. Face off against dangerous extremists like the neo-fascist Alba Dorata or the militant Marxists of Mano Rossa. Match wits with cunning mafia bosses and their shadow networks bleeding the city dry. Or defy power itself as an activist, rogue cop, or underground journalist.
"[PSH] asks not only what the psychopathic profile is, but where it wins. ... whether the traits that once had to remain parasitic at the margins of reciprocal communities can become structurally amplified in environments where consequence is abstracted and reward is symbolic."
The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis Guide for Readers
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