In my last short, I spoke about rebranding, which has branches, labels, and frames often used by societally safe psychopaths in other ways, besides rebranding an Oracle product as their own.

Societally safe psychopaths is my own nomenclature for individuals who navigate societal norms, yet exhibit a conspicuous absence of empathy, remorse, or moral accountability. They don’t seek physical harm, but their influence can be corrosive in quieter, more insidious ways. They thrive in boardrooms, bureaucracies, and social circles. The violence they perpetrate is reputational, psychological, systemic.

Some fail to notice these individuals as they fall prey to the front they present, and of course as long as they do not become the target of the societally safe psycopath they’ll stay smitten, often while being used as a pawn.

How does one become prey of the societally safe psychopath:

• Being an intellectual or creative threat
  • Demonstrating conpetence that outpaces the psychopath’s abilities
  • Offering creative ideas and solutions that shift attention or influence
    • Such as taking the best aspects of multiple custom solutions and creating a generic, or turnkey, ready to use solution.
  • Solving problems other’s could not, thereby earning trust or visibility.
  • Asking thoughtful questions that expose contradictions or gaps.
• Social or Moral Dissonance
  • Disagreeing with the psychopath, especially publicly or persuasively.
  • Holding a different viewpoint that challenges their constructed reality.
  • Refusing to engage in their groupthink or performative loyalt.
  • Upholding ethical standards that contrast with their expediant behavior.
    • Especially when the deleterious results of such behavior are pointed out.
• Authenticity and Integrity
  • Being genuinely liked or respected.
  • Building trust organically, rather than through manipulation.
  • Refusing to engage in or play political games or compromise standards or values.
• Disruption of Control
  • Refusing to be intimidated or silenced.
  • Navigating their influence to get things done.
  • Gaining access to decision-makers or resources they want to monopolize.
  • Being self-sufficient, making their gatekeeping irrelevant.

These are all guaranteed sure-fire ways to become the target of a psychopath. Having mentioned the term “pawn” earlier, it would be remiss to not explain how one becames a target without also disussing how to become the succeptible pawn.

Psycopaths leverage something I refer to as Idea Supplanting, a form of gaslighting, which is used to manipulate the perception of the pawn and undermine their sense of reality. This is the quiet and calculated replacement of the authentic identity or contributions of a person, or thing, with a distorted vesion that aligns with the goals of the psycopath.

How this works:

• Reframing strengths as threats or problems
  • “Bob sure is technically adept, but he isn’t a people person. We need to just lock him in a room with a computer.”
  • Goal:
    • Isolate and devalue his strengths.
• Plant subtle doubts and hints
  • “Bob sure is difficult to work with”
  • “Bob doesn’t know what he is doing”
  • Goal:
    • Erode trust without requiring evidence.
• Appropriation of ideas
  • “I think I can speak for everyone when I say Bob is a problem and difficult to work with”
  • Goal:
    • Hijack consensus and position themself as the voice of reason.
• Redirection of admiration
  • They reposition themselves as the best interpretor of other’s behavior and what needs to be done about it.
  • Goal:
    • Present themselves and their judgement as the solution to the problem that they themself have manufactured.

Psychological persuasion can be a powerful tool to the psycopath. Here is an expanded upon scenario from above:

“Bob is difficult to work with.” Once that seed is sown, every future interaction with Bob is subtly reframed through that lens.
For example, when Bob identifies a problem, articulates it clearly, and proposes a thoughtful solution, the response isn’t admiration for his insight or initiative. Instead, his behavior is interpreted as confirmation that he really is difficult to work with.

His competence becomes misread as confrontation. His clarity is mistaken for rigidity. The original narrative supplants reality and Bob’s strengths are weaponized against him.

Targets are chosen, because they are often:

• Highly competent
• Principled
• Visible
• Emotionally intelligent

Pawns are chosen, because:

• They choose compliance over competence
• They are emotionally and psychologically available
• They are a narrative fit and cast into roles
  • Roles:
    • The fixer
    • The buffer
    • The loyalist
    • The “safe” dissenter
  • They aren’t chosen for who they are, but how they can be framed
• They are a low threat to power

Largely, it is not a failure to find that one is a pawn, they were chosen for a reason, a role, and manipulated, some knowingly and willingly, others by wanting to do what is perceived as right.

You will run into people like this in the work and social environments, more likely in white collar roles, as the societally safe psychopath generally avoids real work, but they do exist in other roles as well. It is worthy to understand what you are dealing with and recognize the game you have been pulled into.

I chose a principled exit from one organization where this was particularly rampant. Doing so in a methodical manner leaving behind a trail of professionalism, clarity, and quiet reserve to act as my legacy and the contradiction to an inept dysfunctionally toxic environment. (See the August 3rd blog entry)

Taking with me the lessons learned.

An organization who then chose to bad mouth me to representatives of other organizations, a vendor, and anyone who would listen, but with a beneficial aspect. It prompted me to start blogging again as I wrap up a Master’s in Data Analytics.

Reference Blogs:
August 6, 2025: https://modba.net/2025/08/06/speed-is-relative/
August 3, 2025: https://modba.net/2025/08/03/the-myth-of-being-hard-to-work-with/