Experts claim that psychopaths and sociopaths share similar characteristics. They lack a sense of what’s right and wrong and are incapable of truly understanding another person’s feelings. The difference between the two is that the psychopath doesn’t have a conscience.
They could lie to you about the job and tell you that you’ll get a promotion and bonus when the boss knows full well that you won’t. They’ll look you dead in the eyes and say your job is super safe and secure right up until the moment they fire you.
A sociopath is the psychopath’s little brother/sister. They have a bit of a conscience and recognize that they’re lying to you, but do it anyway.
Here are some signs to watch out for to determine if you’re working for a sociopathic or psychopathic boss
These managers may lack empathy and understanding. They don’t have any regard for others. They’ll come across as charming and charismatic and mimic real emotions. They’re skilled actors who feign interest to manipulate you for their own personal gains and corporate advancement.
They yell and scream
Sociopaths tend to be hot-headed and spiral out of control. They’ll call you out in front of your colleagues and bite your head off for minor mistakes. There is no talking to the boss, as they are right and you are wrong.
Supervisors steal the credit
You’ll labor on a difficult project for months. You’ve sacrificed nights, weekends and family functions to deliver for your manager ahead of schedule. Behind closed doors, they’ll happily and excitedly tell you how proud they are of you, extol all of your virtues, slap you on the back and talk about a possible promotion and raise. At the high-level meeting with senior executives to present the work, your manager takes all of the credit.
They micromanage
Your boss dictatorially proclaims where you must sit, when you may take your lunch, how you speak, when you must arrive at the office and what time you can leave work at night. They control every single aspect of your job and work-life.
No bonuses
The official word from your manager is, “According to top management, there will be no raises or bonuses this year.” Mysteriously, you later find out that they received a phenomenal raise and much bigger bonus than last year.
‘Me, me, me’
They know everything about everything and will make sure that you and everyone else knows this. Their job, life, work and relationships are the only things that matter. They will spend hours complaining about how difficult it is to be them.
Divide and conquer
They create dissent and animosity between co-workers, pitting them against each other for any morsel of credit, raise or promotion.
If this sounds familiar, it’s time to switch jobs!
