The documentary I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? examines the possibility that people in positions of power may have psychopathic tendencies. This is a topic that has been debated for centuries, but now, due to advances in neuroscience, we are able to look at the evidence and determine whether this is true.
The neurological definition of a psychopath is a person with decreased response to fear and often less connections to the frontal lobe, which is responsible for reasoning. It is believed that those who lack fear and empathy are more likely to take risks and thus be more likely to reach high levels of success. However, it is important to differentiate between someone who kills out of pleasure and one who takes advantage of an opportunity due to lack of fear or remorse. In the former case, pleasure can be derived from carrying out destructive acts, whereas in the latter case, the reward lies within the payoff from the act and any suffering caused by it would be treated as inconsequential.
When looking at this issue from a societal standpoint, it should be noted that ‘lesser’ evildoers or sociopaths are potentially more dangerous as they differ very little from most other members of society. Put in situations where such behaviour is rewarded or excused through diffusion of responsibility, these individuals are likely to thrive – making them even more dangerous than those driven by intense pleasure seeking desires.
Given all this information it becomes increasingly clear why I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? is worth watching. The documentary offers insight into the minds of corporate leaders and provides potential explanations as to why some may behave without regard for others’ wellbeing. It poses questions about our own values as well as questions about how decisions made by these particular individuals could ultimately shape our future.. So if you’re curious about whether corporate leaders really could be psychopaths then I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? should definitely be on your must-watch list!
