Every industry and profession has its share of narcissistic and even psychopathic individuals, as well as its share of empathic people. However, are there careers or industries that seem to have more narcissistic people or at the very least, more likely chance of narcissists causing more harm in these professions than most? Research suggests that narcissists may gravitate toward certain industries and careers. This obviously does not discount the genuinely kind-hearted, generous people working in these fields – it simply sheds light on where wolves in sheep’s clothing may be more commonly found.
If there’s one industry or specialty you pray does not have narcissistic people, it’s medicine. The stakes are far higher and the access to vulnerable populations can result in long-lasting consequences. While healthcare professionals overall tend to score lower on dark triad traits, not all come away with clean hands. Many research studies note the epidemic of bullying among nurses, and show that nursing professionals tend to have a higher degree of secondary psychopathy, the more anxious and impulsive subtype of psychopathy. Surgeons also have significantly higher levels of narcissism. Obviously, not every nurse or surgeon is the same and these findings should be taken with caution and not as an excuse to stereotype or generalize. However, this may explain why you may run into some medical professionals who are deeply empathic and caring, while others are callous, entitled, or engage in bullying behaviors. You may even run into some narcissistic individuals in the mental health and related caring profession as therapists too, although clearly there are also many compassionate therapists out there.
In a study of 1,173 participants who were police officers by Papazoglou and colleagues (2019), researchers found that 94.7% of participants had moderate levels of narcissism and that 70% of participants had moderate levels of the dark triad trait of Machiavellianism. Thankfully, they had lower levels of psychopathy. Clearly, there are also people who enter law enforcement to help save lives, not harm them – and the study also shows that higher levels of compassion fatigue and burnout can heighten all three dark triad traits. However, it seems that law enforcement may be a ripe place for narcissistic individuals to gravitate toward in order to inhabit a position of power and authority – and to exert power over others. When combined with excessive force, this can be a deadly combination for innocent civilians who are targeted.
Not every CEO is a narcissist or psychopath as stereotyped and there is immense variety in this group of business owners – from the wonderful and compassionate to the more cutthroat existing in different types of businesses. However, according to some experts, narcissism tends to be three times more prevalent among CEOs than the general population. A Harvard study of 179 different CEOs also revealed that an upwards of 18 percent of CEOs may be considered narcissistic. This may be due to the fact that certain ruthless strategies and traits are needed to obtain such a top position in the first place.
When discussing the different professions and careers that narcissists tend to flock to, it’s important to remember that every career can be infiltrated by narcissistic people. No career or profession is exempt – some just tend to be popular hot spots. Other studies show there may be a difference in the careers chosen by grandiose narcissists and vulnerable narcissists, suggesting those with greater grandiose narcissism may generally gravitate toward jobs in science and business, while more vulnerable narcissists choose careers that are more social and artistic. Psychopaths also tend to choose jobs in areas such as physical science, engineering, and adventurous jobs (which makes sense given that they are thrill-seekers and sensation-seeking).
There is also a difference between perception and reality: while the careers listed here have research to back up the stereotypes, other professions need to be further investigated by studies, such as lawyers and college professors who may have stereotypes in society of grandiosity or callousness, but not much research yet highlighting this. Divorce lawyers have also noted that women tend to have more conflict-ridden relationships with people in careers not just in medicine and law enforcement but also in jobs such as military jobs, being a pilot or fireman. Narcissistic and psychopathic people also tend to climb the corporate ladder with ease, and research shows they can be workplace bullies, which means it is important to look out for traits such as superficial charm, entitlement, grandiosity, and a lack of empathy in employees and address bullying before it escalates. Healthy workplace environments often thrive when there is the presence of empathy, transparency, integrity, and accountability across all rungs of the corporate ladder.
