Are White-Collar Criminals Sociopaths?
Having studied over a hundred white-collar criminals with an insider’s view for over eight years, I am often asked if those who commit these crimes are sociopaths or psychopaths. Interestingly, this question is most often posed to me directly by the spouses of the perp. I am not a clinician so that question, although valid, would require the professional evaluation of a specialist in a clinical setting. Neither sociopathy or psychopathy are considered clinical terms or disorders, but both are included in the Cluster B category of personality disorders that include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. Regardless of any formal diagnoses it has been established by criminologists that those who commit white-collar crimes have attributes associated with Cluster B disorders, particularly, antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.
Generally, white-collar criminals possess varying degrees of ASPD, namely, a lack of constructive conscience, an abundance of self-assurance, behave in ways that harm others for personal gain, and are high risk tolerant. Given that established description, few would disagree that crimes of pure greed are committed by master manipulators who possess the hallmarks of an antisocial personality disorder.
There is some controversary among the scientific community about whether or not antisocial behavior stems from genetics or from environmental constructs. Some say that sociopaths are made and psychopaths are born, but it is interesting to note that an article in Psychology Today written by Dr. Jean Kim, a surgeon-scientist and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated that “sociopathy is related more to negative socialization from upbringing or unstable social environments.” In my own up close observation of white-collar criminals, all display characteristics of antisocial personality disorder but there is no uniformity regarding nature over nurture. In other words, the situational environment of these perps runs the gambit between having been raised in poverty, great privilege, in a normative nurturing environment, or an unstable environment. Obviously, the question of how and why humans fall into antisocial personality disorder is far more complicated than their formative construct (SES).
While it’s true that most white-collar criminals share anti-social personality traits, it is wise to leave the clinical diagnosis to those who are equipped to make them. But despite the majority of white-collar perps being widely considered as charming, generous, family/community oriented, trustworthy, and excellent at their job, (and most white-collar criminals are indeed all of these things), there is no getting around the fact that there is a serious disconnect between right and wrong for individuals who well know the difference, but choose to rationalize and then perform high risk/high dollar crimes.
In 2005, Harvard Psychologist Martha Stout wrote the book The Sociopath Next Door and posits that as many as 1 in 25 people may be sociopaths. This statistic is alarming because most people think of sociopaths and psychopaths as at the very least being a danger to society and at most, cold blooded killers. The reality is that those afflicted with ASPD fall along a spectrum and most are high functioning members of society who pose no threat to themselves or others. In other words, many people fall along the ASPD spectrum yet they do not perform criminally. It is the level of behaviors associated with ASPD that determine the level of dangerousness. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “But he’s such a nice guy!” given the over a hundred perps I have had the opportunity to observe, I would have a hundred bucks.
In the 1900’s F. Matthias Alexander was a failed actor but a master in the field of voice control. He was sought after by fellow actors and even some rather well noted historical figures who wanted to have more control over their breath and elocution. Although he had little formal education, Alexander would prove to be a man of great knowledge and would go on to broaden his teachings to develop the Alexander Technique based on his theories of "conscious control, antagonistic action, the unreliability of self-perceptions and sensations, and inhibition and the means whereby." His philosophy on mind and body control would later touch the field of medicine. He wrote several fascinating books, one in particular that delves into how humans can train their thinking to align with their intentions called Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual as a follow-up to his first book, Man’s Supreme Inheritance. His many theories included “the mental and physical deterioration of man; that the unhappiness in the world today (1910) are due to the fact that in meeting the conditions of civilized life, man still reacts instinctively with his gaze concentrated on the "end" to be gained; the means which fails to give conscious consideration to the "means whereby" the end is to be reached; that sensory appreciation is delusive; and that man is dominated in his reactions by subconscious habits or instincts.” Alexander’s philosophy is a good place to start to begin to understand mind over matter in today’s even more complex world, including how those who are seemingly compliant within the world around them can end up behind bars. I prefer this deep dive into the human condition rather than utilizing sociopathy and psychopathy to explain the modern day white-collar criminal.
The mindset of the white-collar criminal is fascinating because it is complex. Most people have various levels of self-awareness regarding some or all of the deficiencies in their health, social, and professional status, and either accept or counteract accordingly. But white-collar criminals are often so thoroughly disconnected from self that they experience an “unreliability of self-perception” which leads to their ruin, and also the ruin of those who are closest to them. After all, the lies we tell ourselves can, and often do, the most damage. The white-collar criminals among us have a seamless ability to appear to be outwardly compliant to the degree that their behavior is compliant up to a point as a means to their end to support their own agenda, yet, much like reptiles blend into their surroundings for protection, or before attacking their prey, you never see a bad actor’s criminal behavior coming because bad actors are notoriously GREAT actors! But in the end, white-collar perps, whether consciously or not, will walk right up to the edge of a thousand foot cliff, tie a knotted rope around themselves and connect it to each of their family members and willingly walk right off of it, putting an end to the lives they and their families have spent a lifetime building. If that isn’t fascinating, I don’t know what is.
For those who are interested in taking a deep dive into the complicated profile of the white-collar criminal, please consider booking my webinar Profiling the White-Collar Criminal: Hiding in Plain Sight which is one of six modules of my New Perspective on Deterrence series. Introduction to the series can be viewed here - A New Perspective on Deterrence
