Kevin Dutton(born 1967) is a Britishpsychologistand writer, specialising in the study ofpsychopathy.[1]
Work
editHe is apostdoctoralresearcher at the Department of Experimental Psychology,University of Oxford,and a member of the Oxford Centre for Emotions and Affective Neuroscience (OCEAN) research group, and says "I divide my time between lab-based research and popular writing."[2]Before this post he was aresearch fellowat theFaraday Institute,St Edmund's College,University of Cambridge,andVisiting Professorfor the Public Engagement with Psychological Science at theUniversity of Essex.[2]He gained hisPh.D.from the University of Essex in 2000 with the thesis titleMinorities as symbols of uniqueness: a break from the norm.[3]
He heads a research group on "The Role of Personality Traits and Emotion Regulation Skills in Various Occupational Domains.", and his research looks at the role of various "personality traits and emotion regulation skills" in different occupations such as "politics, investment banking, surgery, and the military", and whether action can be taken to enhance these characteristics "to improve job performance and decision making in these occupations."[2]
He has written several popular books on psychopathy, and a review stated that "his analysis tends to reinforce the idea that the chemistry ofmegalomaniawhich characterises the psychopathic criminal mind is a close cousin to the set of traits often best rewarded by capitalism ".[4]He has said that he wroteThe Wisdom of Psychopaths"as an attempt to figure out his dad"; his father worked on a market stall and was "ruthless, fearless and also extremelycharming".[5]
In his 2011Great British Psychopath Surveyhe concluded that the tenprofessions that have the highest proportionof psychopaths are:[6]
- CEOs
- Lawyers
- Media people (TV and radio)
- Sales people
- Surgeons
- Journalists
- Police officers
- Clergy
- Chefs
- Civil servants
All of these careers require a strong degree of professional detachment.[6]In the same year he featured inChannel 4's "Psychopath Night", and launched a survey to which 700,000 viewers responded. Among the conclusions: "those with the least psychopathic traits preferred cats or kittens to many other pets while the most psychopathic individuals preferred pet fish."[5]
In October 2014 he appeared onBBC Radio 4'sThe Museum of Curiosity.His hypothetical donation to this fictional museum was "a smile".[5][7]
Selected publications
edit- Black and White Thinking: The burden of a binary brain in a complex world(2020, Random House,ISBN9781473558311)
- Kevin Dutton (1 September 2016)."Would You Vote for a Psychopath? Research shows that some of the component traits of psychopathy help leaders succeed".scientificamerican.Scientific American.Retrieved29 September2016.
- The Good Psychopath's Guide to Successby Kevin Dutton andAndy McNab,with cartoons byRob Murray(2014, Bantam Press,ISBN9780593073995)
- The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us about Success(2012, Heinemann,ISBN9780434020676)
- Flipnosis: The Art of Split-Second Persuasion(2008, Heinemann,ISBN9780434016914)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Claudia Wallis (12 August 2016)."Of Psychopaths and Presidential Candidates".scientificamerican.Scientific American.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^abc"Kevin Dutton".Medical Sciences Division: Department of Experimental Psychology.University of Oxford. Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2015.Retrieved14 January2015.
- ^"Library catalogue record for Dutton's thesis".University of Essex Library.Retrieved14 January2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^Adams, Tim (7 October 2012)."The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton – review".The Guardian.Retrieved14 January2015.
- ^abc"Museum of Curiosity: Gallery 7 Room 2".Quite Interesting Limited.Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2015.Retrieved14 January2015.
- ^abDutton K The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success(2012)
- ^"The Museum of Curiosity: Series 6 Episode 2".Radio 4.BBC.Retrieved14 January2015.