Psychological study: bankers more destructive than psychopaths

Skybird · 09-25-11, 08:16 AM

German ediiton of Der Spiegel gives a short article refrring to a study done by the university of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The compared two groups, psychopaths and investement bankers, via a questionaire. To their great surprise, if not shock, they found the level of destructiveness in investement bankers to be surpassing that of psychopaths by a very significant margin. They aimed at doing damage to the other for the mere sake of it, and made more unscrupulous decisions on the basis of much greater egoism and willingness to take risks, than psychopaths who were interviewed by the same questionaire.

This does not mean, so say the authors, that all bankers are mentally ill, but it means that they often show a much greater aggressiveness than psychopaths in the meaning of that it leads them to not only taking insane risks and accepting to do damage, but that they aim at trying to crush their rivals and defeat them in business by actually destroying them. Not so much maximising profits but the destruction of the other for the sake of this destruction itself becomes the drive of their decision making and acting. The project leader says that especially noteworthy is that bankers acting this way DO NOT gain higher accumulated profits than "tamer" bankers, and that they do not focus on a working method of constantly and properly accumulating incomes with calm and disciplined strategies, but that just gaining more than the other and minimising the other's income becomes priority of their decisions.

Frightening, and worse a finding than I would have expected. That modern economies live by extremely unhealthy and destructive images of man's "ideal" behavior", I already assumed. Mind you that capitalism claims greed, selfishness and envy to be positive drives for society that help to improve the overall wealth of all. But that you can quantify that empirically by use of clinically used questionaires, is horrifying, because it shows how bad it really is. It also leaves little reason to be optmistic and hopeful for the future.

The project leader compared it to a man who uses a baseball bat to go after the same cars of his neighbours like the one he owns himself, to improve his own shine by demolishing the others' cars.

Christian Bale in "American Psycho" on my mind. It's a really mean little movie, and there is so much truth in it.

Torplexed · 09-25-11, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

Frightening, and worse a finding than I would have expected. That modern economies live by extremely unhealthy and destructive images of man's "ideal" behavior", I already assumed.

Oh, I believe it as of the news today. Once more Greece is to be saved, to save the banks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/f...-prepared.html

We're talking about 2 trillion euro here. They're going to try to "ringfence" off Portgual, Ireland, and Greece and try to keep contagion (heck, unstoppable zombie virus more like it rather than mere "contagion") from destroying them all. And this includes trying to save Spain and Italy, which they are deeming Too Big To Fail countries. So of the PIIGS, they're going to let P, G, and the little I go belly up, but save S and the bigger I. Lot's of luck, there.

So, conjuring up more money from nowhere to paper over losses in the money that was already conjured up from nowhere. This could get ugly.

MH · 09-25-11, 10:25 AM

Why not..... they may have sort of gambling problem.
The thrill of the game is all that matters.

Skybird · 09-25-11, 11:38 AM

This desire to earn more than the other and to defeat him,l reminds me of what you can see in the garden, when you feed birds. There may be corn enough for all, and loacted in various places, but there is always some birds that do not eat, because they spend all there time to chase back and forth and chase all other birds away. And if the other bird is picking five meters away, and the bully-bild sits on a heap of corn ten times as big as itself - it still chases away that other bird.

Humans are just animals, too. I just say: mating behaviour, display behaviour, sex. Rationality plays no dominant role in so many people's life, while our hormones and our animalistic instincts do! Freud said civilisation is just a very very thin layer of watery paint on the surface of our beasty heritage. He was right.

MH · 09-25-11, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

! Freud said civilisation is just a very very thin layer of watery paint on the surface of our beasty heritage. He was right.

I agree to that regarding this and many other issues.

CaptainMattJ. · 09-25-11, 12:52 PM

Pffft. capitalism. The definition of screwing over the middle man. Might as well be equated with monarchy, few ruling the many without giving a good god dam about what they have to say.

Makes me wonder when the "average working man" will snap out of his closed minded life bubble and realize what they are doing to him.

Schöneboom · 09-25-11, 01:09 PM

"I'm shocked, shocked to find that bankers are greedy and unethical!"

joegrundman · 09-25-11, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schöneboom

"I'm shocked, shocked to find that bankers are greedy and unethical!"

indeed, it's just a pity that the tax-payer is meant to cover their losses for them

Skybird · 09-25-11, 04:43 PM

A joke I once read on a sign or a calender leaf in a bureau:

"Personalführung ist die Kunst, Angestellte so schnell über den Tisch zu ziehen, daß die Reibung Nestwärme erzeugt."

=

"Personnel management is the art to pull employees over the table so fast that the friction creates nest warmth."

09-25-11, 08:16 AM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Psychological study: bankers more destructive than psychopaths German ediiton of Der Spiegel gives a short article refrring to a study done by the university of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The compared two groups, psychopaths and investement bankers, via a questionaire. To their great surprise, if not shock, they found the level of destructiveness in investement bankers to be surpassing that of psychopaths by a very significant margin. They aimed at doing damage to the other for the mere sake of it, and made more unscrupulous decisions on the basis of much greater egoism and willingness to take risks, than psychopaths who were interviewed by the same questionaire. This does not mean, so say the authors, that all bankers are mentally ill, but it means that they often show a much greater aggressiveness than psychopaths in the meaning of that it leads them to not only taking insane risks and accepting to do damage, but that they aim at trying to crush their rivals and defeat them in business by actually destroying them. Not so much maximising profits but the destruction of the other for the sake of this destruction itself becomes the drive of their decision making and acting. The project leader says that especially noteworthy is that bankers acting this way DO NOT gain higher accumulated profits than "tamer" bankers, and that they do not focus on a working method of constantly and properly accumulating incomes with calm and disciplined strategies, but that just gaining more than the other and minimising the other's income becomes priority of their decisions. Frightening, and worse a finding than I would have expected. That modern economies live by extremely unhealthy and destructive images of man's "ideal" behavior", I already assumed. Mind you that capitalism claims greed, selfishness and envy to be positive drives for society that help to improve the overall wealth of all. But that you can quantify that empirically by use of clinically used questionaires, is horrifying, because it shows how bad it really is. It also leaves little reason to be optmistic and hopeful for the future. The project leader compared it to a man who uses a baseball bat to go after the same cars of his neighbours like the one he owns himself, to improve his own shine by demolishing the others' cars. Christian Bale in "American Psycho" on my mind. It's a really mean little movie, and there is so much truth in it. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-25-11, 11:38 AM	#4
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	This desire to earn more than the other and to defeat him,l reminds me of what you can see in the garden, when you feed birds. There may be corn enough for all, and loacted in various places, but there is always some birds that do not eat, because they spend all there time to chase back and forth and chase all other birds away. And if the other bird is picking five meters away, and the bully-bild sits on a heap of corn ten times as big as itself - it still chases away that other bird. Humans are just animals, too. I just say: mating behaviour, display behaviour, sex. Rationality plays no dominant role in so many people's life, while our hormones and our animalistic instincts do! Freud said civilisation is just a very very thin layer of watery paint on the surface of our beasty heritage. He was right. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-25-11, 12:52 PM	#6
CaptainMattJ. The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sin City Posts: 1,364 Downloads: 55 Uploads: 0	Pffft. capitalism. The definition of screwing over the middle man. Might as well be equated with monarchy, few ruling the many without giving a good god dam about what they have to say. Makes me wonder when the "average working man" will snap out of his closed minded life bubble and realize what they are doing to him. __________________ A popular Government without popular information nor the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives - James Madison

09-25-11, 01:09 PM	#7
Schöneboom Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 651 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	"I'm shocked, shocked to find that bankers are greedy and unethical!" __________________ Dietrich Schöneboom, U-431 "Es wird klappen, Herr Kaleun. Ganz sicher."

09-25-11, 04:43 PM	#9
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	A joke I once read on a sign or a calender leaf in a bureau: "Personalführung ist die Kunst, Angestellte so schnell über den Tisch zu ziehen, daß die Reibung Nestwärme erzeugt." = "Personnel management is the art to pull employees over the table so fast that the friction creates nest warmth." __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-25-11, 10:25 AM	#3
MH Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 3,184 Downloads: 248 Uploads: 0	Why not..... they may have sort of gambling problem. The thrill of the game is all that matters.