I imagine the "doctor" category would look different if it was broken down by specialty. The rest of these simply seem to be correlated by a mixture of income and opportunity for (not explicitly healing) power over others.

Surgeons are in the top ten for being psychopaths and doctors are in the top ten list for being non-psychopaths?

I would have thought politician was in the mix. But at least it confirms what I think of the Catholic Church.

I find myself in several categories on each side of the psychopathy index.
@1 and @2, "doctor" definately needs to be broken down into subprofessions. I would argue that "lawyer" does too.

I'm so going to read this book.

(Fortunately for me, I fall into the psychopath category, which means I earn more).

@2 would seem to be correct.

I'm not so much surprised by the two lists, but by the order of them. I'd put clergy higher up than journalists and I'd put the police higher up than lawyers.

Accountant should be in the other column. Hardly a day goes by that I don't utter a polite version of "tough shit".

Alternative column headings.

Scorpions, frogs.

Remember, this is not DSM-IV (soon to be V) stuff and involves charged definitional momentum that equates "psychopathy" with "bad person". The headline grabbing psychopaths have acted out some negative behavior society finds abhorrent, but the behind the scenes psycho actually is your boss or doctor or neighborhood cop, who cuts through shit and gets things done without the conflict of emotional baggage. Its all in how you use the traits listed here. You want that focused, emotionless surgeon cutting off your rotting leg in the foxhole when the bombs are falling who is just fascinated with the fluidity of blood and tidy sutures...

@7 Well, then, you're just going to dive right into the field research, then, aren't you? I mean, you wouldn't be posting an armchair opinion based on nothing more than your personal bias on the internet, now would you?

Hah, lawyers are number 2. I'm guessing the number would be different if only looking at those of us who work in legal aid, helping poor people for little pay.

That sure describes nearly every CEO I've worked for. It's no wonder, when nearly every trait (aside from criminality and irresponsibility) makes for an effective one.

The exception is Paul Allen. He was very empathetic and didn't have an ego to speak of. He was also downright terrible at running a company.

I fall within the non-psychopathy category which is expected. I'm a sociopath..not a psychopath. Big difference thank-you-very-much. Time to season those fava beans.

damn...right there at #4 - Salesperson. and that the job fell into my lap makes me feel even weirder.

@5: It's kind of interesting, but the guy is a lousy, annoying writer.

I should be a journalist.

"...lacking empathy, coldheartedness, lacking guilt, egocentricity, superficial character, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity and antisocial behaviors..."

I notice that "Clergyperson" is at number 8. That seems a little low to me.