Are surgeons psychopaths?

The sight of blood makes me dizzy, the thought of cutting someone open and seeing/feeling their organs make me ill. How can a surgeon do this and feel no sort of emotion?
My friend is currently studying medicine at university, he has informed me he as already performed on a dead body, I asked him if he felt any sort of repulsion in doing so, he replied saying he felt nothing. Does this not imply doctors, more specifically, surgeons are in fact Psychopaths?

What do you think?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

william walker

It is really good if they are. However not all of them are. They train for years and have a massive team to do different things. So...

Reply 2

Breakingbank

Original post by william walker

It is really good if they are. However not all of them are. They train for years and have a massive team to do different things. So...

I agree that if indeed it is a psychopathic trait, it is good as who else would perform the surgeries? They all specialise in different fields but at the end of the day, it is all the same thing, cutting someone open themselves and performing a surgery.

Reply 3

Smilin’ Knight

Na that doesn't seem so bad, it looks like its a bit like cutting steaks off a joint. But the smell on a dead one? that i wouldnt be able to deal with :nope:

kudos to your friend for that

Reply 4

Chicken?

I guess the saying "work before twerk" comes into effect, the focus on the job overcomes your feeling and you feel nothing until it's over

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Reply 5

qwer1234

Surgery is one of the top jobs that attracts psychopaths: [1]

1. CEO
2. Lawyer
3. Media (Television/Radio)
4. Salesperson
5. Surgeon
6. Journalist
7. Police officer
8. Clergy person
9. Chef
10. Civil servant

However, other medical roles, even as a doctor, tend to repel psychopath:

1. Care aide
2. Nurse
3. Therapist
4. Craftsperson
5. Beautician/Stylist
6. Charity worker
7. Teacher
8. Creative artist
9. Doctor
10. Accountant

I imagine this comes down to the perceived God complex of a surgeon in an operating theater. He's the boss. He has control. It's well suited to his lack of fear, and to his need/want for novel, risky action. He makes a great surgeon. This is different to (internal) medicine doctors who generall work in teams and are less commonly found in extremely high stakes moments that rely soley on them. It's a real positive ego-trip loop for the psychopathic surgeon. Of course, not all surgeons are psychopaths, just like not all lawyers or bankers or CEOs are, but these jobs will attract more of them than others because of the clinical, detatched nature of the work needed, compared to the more 'caring' role a pill-presribing physician may have.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

K.C

Original post by qwer1234

Surgery is one of the top jobs that attracts psychopaths: [1]

However, other medical roles, even as a doctor, tend to repel psychopath:

I imagine this comes down to the perceived God complex of a surgeon in an operating theater. He's the boss. He has control. It's well suited to his lack of fear, and to his need/want for novel, risky action. He makes a great surgeon. This is different to (internal) medicine doctors who generall work in teams and are less commonly found in extremely high stakes moments that rely soley on them. It's a real positive ego-trip loop for the psychopathic surgeon. Of course, not all surgeons are psychopaths, just like not all lawyers or bankers or CEOs are, but these jobs will attract more of them than others because of the clinical, detatched nature of the work needed,

I would have expected journalists to be more sociopaths than psychopaths

Reply 7

qwer1234

Original post by K.C

I would have expected journalists to be more sociopaths than psychopaths

That may or may not be the case. The focus on this study was on psychopathy and which professions attract them most. Knowing that psychopaths have an affinity for journalism does not negate the possibility of there being even more sociopaths in journalism.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

K.C

Original post by qwer1234

would you believe me if i said i were a sociopath

Reply 9

qwer1234

Original post by K.C

would you believe me if i said i were a sociopath

je suis le sociopath de internetz, 'allo!

Reply 10

K.C

Original post by qwer1234

je suis le sociopath de internetz, 'allo!

i don't speak english sorry

Reply 11

qwer1234

Original post by K.C

i don't speak english sorry

Que?

Reply 12

K.C

Original post by qwer1234

Que?

kore wa bakagateimasu

Reply 13

Arieisit

Original post by K.C

would you believe me if i said i were a sociopath

You're too much of a "goody good" to be a sociopath. You're not even remotely manipulative.

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Reply 14

K.C

Original post by Arieisit

You're too much of a "goody good" to be a sociopath. You're not even remotely manipulative.

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Reply 15

Kanairee

I think without being trained at all and being asked to perform surgery, no matter the confidence you had in your own abilities, you'd still feel pretty ill about it. Surgeons have the ability to detach the emotional part and physical sickness by focusing on the job at hand, and being methodical. Being able to do that doesn't make them psychopaths, it just makes them better at their jobs, so it's necessary.

Reply 16

cynicphysicist

S'up, aspiring heart surgeon here :h:

I'm generally pretty good with gore and such larks, but there are some things (like severe blisters) that just make me feel ill, hence my decision to opt for cardiology.

Somehow I don't think I'm psychopathic, I just love medicine and the intricacy of the heart :tongue: