Study identifies skill that helps 'toxic people' become professionally successful

A research shows that 'toxic personalities' who are considered socially adept by their colleagues are considered more capable by their superiors and occupy a higher hierarchical position.

Toxic personality is a term used to collectively describe a person who behaves greedily, immodestly and unfairly and takes the truth very lightly.

The study was led by Dr. Mareike Kholin, Bastian Kuckelhaus and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Blickle from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bonn and the team, with the results presented online in advance in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Having a social skill, in general, is a good thing at the workplace, as it helps to open locked doors and to help cope with daily stress. However, mastering the very same social skill can also be used to deceive others, or break someone's trust.

"We have to get used to the idea that social skills can be a double-edged sword," says Kholin.In personality tests, "toxic" persons have low scores in the categories of honesty and modesty.

"Such personalities tend to focus on themselves all the time," says Blickle. "Good social skills enable them to deceive others."

On the other hand, those who are distinctly honest and modest are a real joy for their team. Such individuals behave fairly and allow colleagues to share in their successes.

Psychologists from the University of Bonn investigated the phenomenon by interviewing various work teams, accessed their behavioral patterns and collected data from a total of 203 employees, colleagues, and superiors.