Psychopaths are social predators, and like all predators, they are looking for feeding grounds. Wherever you g... — Robert D. Hare

Psychopaths are social predators, and like all predators, they are looking for feeding grounds. Wherever you get power, prestige and money, you will find them.

Author: Robert D. Hare

Insight: We like to think ruthlessness belongs in crime documentaries or boardrooms we'll never enter. But Hare's observation points to something more unsettling: exploitative people aren't drawn to any particular field—they're drawn to opportunity. A charismatic manipulator can thrive just as easily in a nonprofit as a corporation, in a friend group as a workplace, in a volunteer organization as a government office. Wherever there's trust to exploit or leverage to gain, they can find fertile ground. The uncomfortable part isn't that bad people exist—it's recognizing that systems promising reward and status act like a magnet. Someone without genuine empathy or conscience will naturally gravitate toward environments where they can take without genuine accountability. It's not that power corrupts; it's that power attracts those already willing to be unscrupulous. A CEO, a trusted mentor, a charming friend—the role matters less than the access. This doesn't mean everyone in power is predatory, of course. But it does suggest we should pay attention when someone seems unusually comfortable with deception or unbothered by others' pain. The real skill isn't spotting monsters—it's noticing when charm becomes a tool, and when ambition stops being about contribution and starts being purely about extraction.