“They can be very strong and, in some ways, make good leaders… but there are many deficits to their leadership and it’s all about them and not about other people,” he added;
“The fundamental trait of psychopathy is that lack of empathy for other people.
“Most psychopaths never kill anybody. But they may take advantage of other people, exploit other people, not care about other people.”
Snowden said some corporate environments may appeal to people with psychopathic traits as they often need “to be quite unemphatic” and focused on making money.
There is no treatment available for psychopathy, as “psychopaths often believe that there’s nothing wrong with them”.
Anderson was recently evaluated by Kerry Daynes, a consultant and forensic psychologist, who concluded he was not a psychopath.
Daynes said he may have become a “situational psychopath”, adapting his behaviour to thrive in an environment that rewarded ruthless ambition.
She added: “You don’t need to be a psychopath to thrive – for a while at least – in a psychopathic culture.”
She said Anderson was able to “crank up” his “darker personality characteristics” to succeed in his environment, something that was in “the sweet spot that most people can’t attain”.