The Sociopath Next Door
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By: Martha Stout
Format: Paperback
From: Broadway
Pub. Date: February 2006
From: Broadway
Pub. Date: February 2006
Product Details:
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2006-03-14
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 256
Ean: 9780767915823
Isbn: 0767915828
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2006-03-14
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 256
Ean: 9780767915823
Isbn: 0767915828
ABOUT THE BOOK
EDITORIAL REVIEW
Who is the devil you know?
Is it your lying, cheating ex-husband?
Your sadistic high school gym teacher?
Your boss who loves to humiliate people in meetings?
The colleague who stole your idea and passed it off as her own?
In the pages of The Sociopath Next Door, you will realize that your ex was not just misunderstood. He’s a sociopath. And your boss, teacher, and colleague? They may be sociopaths too.
We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt.
How do we recognize the remorseless? One of their chief characteristics is a kind of glow or charisma that makes sociopaths more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They’re more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than everyone else, making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced. Fundamentally, sociopaths are different because they cannot love. Sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they are indifferent to others’ suffering. They live to dominate and thrill to win.
The fact is, we all almost certainly know at least one or more sociopaths already. Part of the urgency in reading The Sociopath Next Door is the moment when we suddenly recognize that someone we know—someone we worked for, or were involved with, or voted for—is a sociopath. But what do we do with that knowledge? To arm us against the sociopath, Dr. Stout teaches us to question authority, suspect flattery, and beware the pity play. Above all, she writes, when a sociopath is beckoning, do not join the game.
It is the ruthless versus the rest of us, and The Sociopath Next Door will show you how to recognize and defeat the devil you know.
USER REVIEWS
"We need to protect ourselves better from the 'human predators' among us and this book gives us sound and easy to understand advice on how to do just that. It is surprising though that the author is able to give this advice in a manner which still demonstrates a depth of care and compassion for our fellow human beings and for the 'human condition'."
~ Written on 2008-08-14
~ Written on 2008-08-14
"Awesome book, very close to reality. I have seen many of these individuals in my life, professional and military, and they really exist and they are expert manipulators. Dr. Stout gave us a master piece. I will recommend this book to any mental health therapist and to school administrators."
~ Written on 2008-08-02
~ Written on 2008-08-02
"The parts about describing sociopaths and how to identify them and even how to deal with them and protect yourself are VERY good. This is a book I would recommend for everyone to read.
But her descriptions of conscience and what it is has more to do with her personal world view than science. I think Wikipedia does a more concise and better job of describing conscience. Too bad, because it was mostly very good otherwise. Through much of the book she also injects little snippets of her personal beliefs and views as if they are the only possible "right" way of thinking. This is done in a very subtle way. I think the author has very liberal, progressive, views and this is reflected in parts of the book. She just goes all "gooey" in places."
~ Written on 2008-07-31
But her descriptions of conscience and what it is has more to do with her personal world view than science. I think Wikipedia does a more concise and better job of describing conscience. Too bad, because it was mostly very good otherwise. Through much of the book she also injects little snippets of her personal beliefs and views as if they are the only possible "right" way of thinking. This is done in a very subtle way. I think the author has very liberal, progressive, views and this is reflected in parts of the book. She just goes all "gooey" in places."
~ Written on 2008-07-31
"This book was fantastic! After being the victim of a sociopath this book gave me great insight into how these type of people operate and why they do the things they do. This is a must read for anyone caught in the mental grip of a sociopath. It will not only show you how to recognise one but also you how to get away from them before they destroy your life."
~ Written on 2008-07-23
~ Written on 2008-07-23
"I found this book to be understandable, readable, and appropriate for any young adult or adult reader interested in learning more about sociopathy. (AKA, antisocial personality disorder.)
Stout provides excellent and clear examples, allowing the reader to differentiate between someone with unsettling character flaws and a true sociopath.
It was a fascinating page-turner, but more importantly, once the reader has an accurate understanding of sociopathy and how to recognize it, Stout closes with a set of RULES for dealing with a true sociopath in your life. Sociopaths can be harmless, but they can also be quite dangerous, and I found the real-life strategies for dealing with a sociopath (should you have to interact with one) to be lifesavers. (Maybe literally!)
A final note: It is my understanding that there is a big difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. A sociopath lacks the ability to feel guilt, remorse, and love. A psychopath lacks these emotions as well, but the difference is that the psychopath also lacks the ability to feel fear, which is what makes them far more dangerous. (Reference "Emotional Capacities and Sensitivity in Psychopaths" by Willem H. J. Martens, MD, PhD, 2003)"
~ Written on 2008-06-16
Stout provides excellent and clear examples, allowing the reader to differentiate between someone with unsettling character flaws and a true sociopath.
It was a fascinating page-turner, but more importantly, once the reader has an accurate understanding of sociopathy and how to recognize it, Stout closes with a set of RULES for dealing with a true sociopath in your life. Sociopaths can be harmless, but they can also be quite dangerous, and I found the real-life strategies for dealing with a sociopath (should you have to interact with one) to be lifesavers. (Maybe literally!)
A final note: It is my understanding that there is a big difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. A sociopath lacks the ability to feel guilt, remorse, and love. A psychopath lacks these emotions as well, but the difference is that the psychopath also lacks the ability to feel fear, which is what makes them far more dangerous. (Reference "Emotional Capacities and Sensitivity in Psychopaths" by Willem H. J. Martens, MD, PhD, 2003)"
~ Written on 2008-06-16