Dr Karen Mitchell, a consultant with a business studies background, published a 2024 study that identified 20 attributes of high-functioning psychopathic personalities across four clusters. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was developed in 1980 by Professor Robert Hare using data from incarcerated men, which limited its applicability to non-incarcerated and female populations. Mitchell's five-year qualitative research involved interviews with professionals in human resources, social work, law enforcement, academia, and religious leadership who had encountered individuals displaying predatory traits in non-criminal contexts. Participants reported concerns that such individuals could damage careers, seek revenge, or cause severe personal harm, illustrating the difficulty of recognizing these behaviors in professional settings. The study categorized the attributes into four clusters: a need for control and grandiose self-view; predatory, exploitative, and cruel behavior with disregard for laws and boundaries; a façade of normality that is deceptive and manipulative; and emotional detachment, callousness, and lack of remorse. Mitchell noted that these traits differ from clinical definitions that emphasize impulsivity, arguing that Hare's instrument was derived from a low-functioning prison sample and does not capture high-functioning presentations. Essi Viding, professor of developmental psychopathology at University College London, said that the confidence and untruthfulness displayed by these individuals can short-circuit detection of danger signals, allowing damage to occur before recognition. Scholars such as Andrew Lobaczewski and Harrison Koehli have described how public figures may employ deceptive statements that create widespread confusion, a phenomenon they call the 'big lie'. A 2019 French court ruling linked workplace torment by executives to multiple suicides at France Télécom, illustrating the broader impact of predatory behavior outside criminal contexts. Research suggests that individuals with high levels of these traits cause extensive harm, and experts recommend developing inoculation strategies to protect people from victimization. Mitchell concluded that recognizing the red flags of high-functioning psychopathic behavior is essential for reducing the widespread harm they cause.