White Collar Crime- A Criminal Personality

Personality rather than poverty may be why some commit corporate crimes, says Duane Dobbert, a behavioral analyst who teaches forensic psychology at Florida Gulf Coast University and is writing a book about corporate-level con men.

"My concerns are those people you don't see coming," he says, particularly those characterized by antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathic personality disorder. It can be found in white-collar con men as well as serial rapists and murderers-such as Ted Bundy-and more common criminals, he says.

"They are driven by not just greed or lust, but an actual disorder of personality," Dobbert says. Unlike those with other personality disorders, however, these people are not only aware of their problems, they capitalize on them.

"They believe they have a right to drive a Bentley and live in an $8 million house and they will find the mechanism to do it," he says.

"The only difference between a criminal sitting in maximum-security prison and one out there doing corporate-level crimes are $1,000 suits, $100,000 cars and $3 million homes, and also, generally speaking, a higher level of intelligence. The higher their level of intelligence, the more covert their activity is," Dobbert says.

Usually men, those with psychopathic personality disorder tend to be articulate, sophisticated, good looking and manipulative. They often gain trust by the mere appearance of success. They're also pathological liars.

"The psychopathic personality disorder has a degree of egocentricity that says, 'I'm the only significant person in the world and everyone else is less than I am.' They are conscience-deficient, they do not feel remorse, they do not feel guilt, and they do not feel anxiety unless they're about to be caught," Dobbert explains. "Two antisocial personalities can't occupy the same piece of space. You won't find two in a golf foursome." But, Dobbert adds, such a person "will find a partner with the best handicap."

Psychopathic personalities are often attracted to politics, Dobbert says, and "you're going to find them where there's money," such as venture capital, development or auditing. "These people are smart enough to get around the IRS," he says.

They leave a trail of destruction, not just of those they have stolen from, but also of lawyers, accountants and others duped into advising clients to do business with them.