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Navigating the workplace can often mean encountering colleagues who are difficult or even manipulative. While some individuals may engage in impulsive or dishonest behaviors to gain advantage, distinguishing between merely troublesome coworkers and those displaying psychopathic traits can be complex. Geraint Anderson, a former London banker turned author, shared his personal experience of being evaluated by a clinical psychologist who suggested he may have exhibited “situational psychopathy”—a state triggered by the demands of surviving in a fiercely competitive corporate environment. “I had to really become a kind of worse version of myself in order to thrive in this environment,” Anderson reflected.
Anderson, now 53 and based in Monmouthshire, explained that certain aspects of contemporary workplaces tend to favour and reward psychopathic behaviors. Over 12 years working as a financial analyst in London’s financial district, he accumulated millions but chose to leave his job just before the 2008 financial crash. Commenting on the culture of the city, Anderson said, “The city rewards this dark triad behaviour… being uber confident, being able to control and manipulate others, not getting emotionally involved in decisions and being decisive.” He acknowledged that adapting to this environment meant drawing out the “worst side” of his personality to succeed.
Understanding psychopathy involves recognizing it as a form of antisocial personality disorder rather than a standalone clinical diagnosis. People with such traits often manipulate others, lack remorse, behave irresponsibly, struggle to maintain long-term relationships, have difficulty controlling anger, and refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. Anderson’s journey into the finance world began somewhat unexpectedly in his early 20s. Once selling trinkets in Goa, India, he was convinced by his brother to apply for a finance job—a role he never intended to hold long-term. Before attending his interview, Anderson famously transformed his appearance to fit the corporate mold: “I cut off my ponytail, shaved off my beard, took all my earrings out, bought a £60 suit – all that’s totally true – the day before I had my interview.”
He recounted how his obsession with success in banking quickly grew, with bonuses becoming a “way of gauging how wonderfully successful a human being I was,” and sparking intense competitiveness. Some of the qualities he attributes to his rapid rise, such as fearlessness and a certain “glib charm,” align with psychopathic characteristics. He observed a detachment from emotional reactions to high-pressure situations on the trading floor, which served him well in the corporate environment. Reflecting on this phenomenon, Anderson noted, “A lot of traits psychopaths possess are ones that the corporate environment rewards” and that such traits can be “incredibly useful in high-powered jobs in the city.”
From a psychological perspective, Robert Snowden, a Cardiff University expert, has studied psychopathy extensively and noted the lack of empathy as its fundamental trait. Psychopaths, he explained, “may take advantage of other people, exploit other people, not care about other people,” though most do not engage in violent crimes. Snowden emphasized that corporate settings can inadvertently attract individuals with psychopathic tendencies, given the unemotional, profit-driven nature of some workplaces. Importantly, while psychopathy is measured on a scale — with a typical threshold at 25 out of 40 on the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) — Anderson scored around eight or nine, suggesting a mild presence of traits rather than full psychopathy. Ultimately, as Anderson’s recent assessment by forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes clarified, he was not a psychopath but had demonstrated a “situational psychopathy,” adapting his behavior to thrive in a ruthless, ambition-driven culture. Daynes summarized, “You don’t need to be a psychopath to thrive—for a while at least—in a psychopathic culture.”
Despite his climb up the corporate ladder, Anderson became disillusioned with the greed and reckless risk-taking endemic to the industry. He described a moment of realization: “I just looked around and thought ‘I’m on the wrong team’… What on Earth are you doing? You are part of the problem.” Deciding to leave the financial sector, he became the anonymous columnist “City Boy” in the London Paper, exposing a lifestyle filled with excess and vice. His experiences were later captured in his book *Cityboy*, which sold over 400,000 copies and was translated into six languages. Recently, he has continued to explore the theme of psychopathic traits in career advancement through his fifth book. Anderson admits that while he was a “less pleasant person” during his time in finance, he is now a “warmer person,” striving for integrity rather than manipulation, though he humorously notes his wife might see things differently
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