This post is part of a recent series on the problematic ways disturbed characters tend to think.  Their erroneous ways of thinking engender problematic attitudes, and most especially to problematic behaviors. Some of the thinking errors addressed in prior posts include:

• “Unreasonable Thinking”
• “The Possessive Thinking of the Disturbed Character”
• “Having to Win: The Combative Thinking of the Disturbed Character”
• “Prideful Thinking”
• “Quick and Easy Thinking”

Disturbed characters don’t think about the rightness or wrongness of something when they see an opportunity for personal gain or profit. Their main concern is how they can exploit the weakness of person or take advantage of a situation for their own gain. They are quick to recognize an opportunity whenever it presents itself.  They’re also adept at subtly creating opportunities to abuse or exploit others.

Opportunistic thinking is one of the thinking errors that promotes the development of an antisocial attitude. To be sure, no one can be successful in life unless they are prepared for and willing to take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself.  But always looking for opportunities to profit personally without consideration of the impact on everyone else can be a very big problem.  One only needs to look at how greedy Wall Street executives took advantage of opportunities to reap spectacular profits while all the while knowing that the “bubble” would eventually burst and leave the economic well-being of the country in shambles to know how problematic the issue of opportunistic thinking really is.

We’re nearing the end of the series on the thinking errors common to disturbed characters.  When the current series is finished, we’ll begin a series on the problematic behaviors and tactics that result from such ways of thinking and which disturbed characters use to avoid responsibility and manipulate others.