The Enigma of the Successful Psychopath: An In-depth Examination

In this thesis, I examine three psychological characteristics – psychopathy, autism, and intelligence – and consider how they are related. Psychopathy is a condition that has long captured the public imagination. Articles and blogs are devoted to murderers with psychopathic features. Movies and TV shows have been based on real-life famous psychopaths narrating the horrible crimes they have committed. Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and guilt, manipulation of other people, and violent antisocial behavior. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. “Successful psychopaths” are those who have all the traits of a regular psychopath, but instead of using them for violence, they use the traits to succeed in their exploitation. At least some successful psychopaths appear to be characterized by high intelligence. The third psychological characteristic, autism, is a developmental disability that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. Several researchers have explored links between autism, psychopathy, and intelligence. I then examine how these characteristics may be embodied in a case study of Elon Musk.