Snakes at Work

by Jelsy Cadenas Santos

Before starting my undergraduate studies, I loved watching crime dramas. They were both exciting and intellectually challenging puzzles. Once I started my university career, I found myself drawn to the study of psychopaths and their crimes. Recently I went further into the research in this fascinating field of study by reading Snakes in Suits by Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare, which details how psychopaths function in the workplace. I think this book can be a useful tool for both for people who are already in the workforce and for people like myself who are still in school.

The “snakes” we find in this book refer to psychopaths in the workplace. Alternating between the work of scientists — including the authors — and fictional narratives, this book lays out what psychopaths seek, how they go about achieving it, and how their behavior affects those around them. One part of the book particularly stood out to me: many psychopaths apply a three-step process to achieve their goal: assessment (figuring out who is of value to them), manipulation (they put up a façade to gain the trust of others so they can use them), and abandonment (they abandon the person after they are of no use to them).

Babiak and Hare provide an example of this process in a fictional narrative about Dave. Dave is a psychopath who starts working at a new office by faking his credentials. He gets the job easily because he is charming and seems qualified. However, things take a turn for the worst really fast. Dave’s boss Frank and his coworker Dorothy are the first to experience Dave’s manipulation. Dave takes credit for Dorothy’s hard work and manipulates Frank so much that Frank questions his own sanity. After moving up the ladder, Dave then abuses people on his team to the point that they ask to be relocated. Before Frank can set things straight, Dave successfully gets Frank fired by the top boss and becomes his replacement! This devastates the whole office. Reading this book, I felt as excited and fascinated as I felt back when I watched the crime dramas that first sparked my interest in psychology. However, I also felt horrified, because psychopaths are real people, causing havoc in their workplaces.

One of the most alarming things I realized from reading this book is that many of the traits psychopaths possess (charm, confidence, and strength) are traits organizations look for when hiring somebody — especially for positions of power like managers and CEOs. Although psychopaths make up only 2% of the overall population, the damage they can cause to an organization and its employees is devastating. They can cause similar disruption if they are in our research labs or our group projects for a class.

How can the shocking facts and narratives found in this book help someone like me, who is currently a student and about to become a professional? Snakes in Suits raises awareness to help us protect ourselves and others. By getting a peek into the process of how a psychopath works, we are better prepared to see past their lies and manipulation. It also made me realize how important it is to speak up against bullying and deceit in the workplace. Sometimes the person being manipulated doesn’t know they are being used, but it might be obvious to those around them. Therefore, it is important we look out for our colleagues and coworkers. And if we find ourselves being abused by coworkers or supervisors, we need to remember that there is no shame in coming forward; even the best of us can be deceived.

How can we avoid being put in this situation in the first place? When you meet someone who is charming, don’t bend the rules. Check references. Check credentials. When you are considering hiring or promoting someone or just letting them into our research lab, get feedback from several people, ideally including both people who are equal or above them in status and those who are below them in status. Note if they are abusive or manipulative towards anyone. However, all these precautions won’t be enough. Most of us have little control over who our co-workers are, who our fellow lab members are, and often even who we work with on a term project. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to everyone, regardless of current or future profession. Such knowledge may be invaluable someday to protect yourself, a peer, or your entire organization from becoming a victim of a snake in a suit.

Jelsy has been a member of the Interactive Measurement Group since Fall 2018. During her time in lab, she has co-authored a research poster on the perceived social intelligence of robots and has taken on numerous leadership roles. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in biology and hopes to graduate in the Spring of 2021.