The Emotional Intelligence of Cheats

In my previous blog I defined the 7MTF/Humm as the “Five-Factor-Model + Corporate Bully + Corporate Psychopath.”  I then came across an interesting article “Cheats Smell Success” by Ruth Ostrow in the Australian (7/4/18).

According to the article psychologists say we all cheat to varying degrees and that it is a behaviour that we pick up while young or at school.  Subsequently Ostrow argues that cheating is a natural part of Darwinian evolution and that narcissistic personality types rise to the top by cheating.  They have the ruthless ability to kill off rivals and lack of empathy to ensure the genetic survival of the species.  Ostrow says this comes from being super-competitive and feeling superior to your rivals and if things are not going well then you are more likely to cheat.  In addition you will continue to do when you are winning.  Success begets cheating begets success.

I agree with some of these statements and disagree with others.  Cheating does depend on genetics and for 7MTF/Humm practitioners the degree of cheating depends on the level of two traits: The GoGetter/Hustler and the Regulator/Normal.

The mental illness associated with the first of these is psychopathy.  Narcissism is a subset of psychopathy.  We all have some psychopathy inside ourselves.  Some of us however are at the top end of the spectrum.  These people define the world into winners and losers and ego-centrically see themselves as definite winners in life.  They take care of those in the family circle but are ruthless to those outside it.  They lie easily and will deny yesterday’s opinions with unbelievable emotional intensity.

They are often accused of lacking empathy.  This is not true; what they do lack is compassionate sympathy.  What they do when first meeting someone is try to work out what makes him or her tick.  To do this they are charming and agreeable.  However, if they conclude you are not useful to them, they will soon discard you socially.  They are not driven by the desire to win, they are driven by the desire for material success.

The Regulator/Normal is driven by the desire for order and is associated with the mental illness of neuroticism.  People who are highly neurotic lack self-control.  People who are low in Neuroticism are self-disciplined and follow the rules and norms of the day.  As we get older our Regulator/Normal grows stronger and stronger.  We become more conservative and more law-abiding.

The combination of Normal and Hustler is what defines your level of cheating.  I have often argued that if someone has high Hustler but unfortunately grows up in a poor socio-economic neighbourhood, has dysfunctional parents and a meagre education the chances of imprisonment are high.  However if the same person grows up in a rich neighbourhood, has successful and ethical parents, and attends a good private school, the chances of becoming a successful investment banker are excellent.

This article was published on LinkedIn on 9 April 2018

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/emotional-intelligence-cheats-christopher-golis/?published=t