Dr. Robert D. Hare (Ramsland, n.d.) has been a consultant for the FBI on psychopaths for over 30 years. He has developed and tested the “Hare Psychopathology Checklist” that has been well validated through the clinical research in psychology. Through his research, Dr. Hare makes the connection of psychopathology (Achbar & Simpson, 2003b) to many corporations’ behaviors. He discovered that some organizations are known to exhibit the six key areas identified by the World Health Organization on their “Personality Diagnostic Checklist” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which include:
o Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
o Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships
o Reckless disregard for the safety of others
o Deceitfulness: Repeated lying and conning others for profit
o Incapacity to experience guilt
o Failure to conform to social norms with respect for lawful behaviors
• Consider the connection between corporations and psychopathology. Examine how psychopathology might impact a corporation’s social responsibility.
• Build an argument as to whether or not most large American corporations are psychopathological and exploitive, with little regard for social responsibility.
• In the argument, explain what you think are the root causes of this (for either position).
• If it is believed that corporations do exhibit psychopathological characteristics, explain what might alleviate these.
• If it is believed corporations are not psychopathological and exploitive, explain what is keeping them from not being so.
