Corporate psychopathy and religious leadership

Creation or maintenance of a religious faith or institution does not preclude egregious harms by spiritual leaders, who on occasion have been indifferent to the death or immiseration of adherents and non-believers. This chapter offers a perspective on faith-centred corporate psychopathy, highlighting the significance of religious authority – traditional or otherwise – in the manifestation of the dark triad. It suggests that faith tends to make religious or secular adherents susceptible to manipulation and discipline by corporate psychopaths. It also discusses the functioning of ‘enablers’ of the psychopathy, notably senior figures who might be expected to restrain abuses, permissiveness by secular authorities and people who reinforce adherence by exiting from the belief system. The discussion centres on religious cults but is broadly applicable to faiths in general.