Throughout my adult professional life, I’ve encountered people who have a (to me, at least) very curious way of interacting with other people. They look at individuals as ‘resources’ and relationships as ‘transactions’. Picture a spider’s web of contacts where ‘Bob’ is replaced with ‘has tools I can borrow’ and ‘Melissa’ is replaced with ‘can get me into my favorite club without a cover charge’.

I’m trying my best to articulate this. It’s like these people only create relationships based upon what material gains it can offer them. They aren’t really interested in the PEOPLE so much as the ADVANTAGE a relationship with them affords. Does that make sense?

Now to me, this is very bizarre. I just don’t think this way, but I’m told that it’s quite common - almost ‘the norm’. Is this true? If so, I’m really bewildered by it. What do y’all think?

  • kbal@fedia.io
    37·
    2 days ago

    Yeah I’ve met people like that. I believe they’re normally called “psychopaths” for short. They tend to be concentrated in particular places and occupations and of course they will all tell you that it’s perfectly normal and that everyone else is also like that and just hiding it.

    • BurgerBaron@quokk.auEnglish
      16·
      1 day ago

      What’s the old saying? A monster cannot imagine someone better than themselves.

      That’s why they project all the time.

    • turtlesareneat@piefed.caEnglish
      10·
      1 day ago

      Sociopath is more the clinical designation these days, but that’s assuming they lack certain emotions, or have the capacity to turn them off. OP could also just be describing highly transactional, self-interested people who’ve shut down their empathy in the quest to rise upward. There are some narcissists here, but there are also just a lot of assholes with no real pathology.