I recently finished reading The Sociopath Next Door and recognized some of the traits it described in a number of people I’ve had the misfortune of running into over the years. Thank goodness I didn’t recognize any from this book. ( )

I should be upfront and advise that I was required to read this book for a college course entitled "Psychopaths, Sociopaths, and Serial Killers". Keeping that in mind, I have to say that this was a very interesting and informative book. This book offered information on being able to identify psychopaths, how to handle them in your work environment, and how best to keep yourself safe from them. The one lesson that this book enforced was that not all psychopaths are out to hurt you. There are well-established careers that employ psychopaths on a regular basis such as attorneys and surgeons.

There are examples given of psychopaths in prison who achieve high levels on the Psychopath Test which is one given so as to classify true and dangerous paths from those who may be less dangerous. All in all, this was an eye-opening read that made me better understand the world around me. ( )

Was going to give it two stars because:

- It's sensationalist (serves me right for reading a book on this topic, I guess).
- It focuses almost entirely on convicted criminal psychopaths, when the vast majority are never convicted of any crime.
- It is anecdote after anecdote with almost no enlightening statistics information about studies or evidence
- He asserts things without offering proof, and sometimes the things are objectively wrong (e.g. saying that people are getting more violent)
- He says a few things that make me think he really admires psychopaths and wishes he wasn't weighed down by conscience

So that is all two stars... And then he said this:

Some criminals learn to do crime. They are raised in families or social environments in which criminal behaviour [...] is the accepted norm. [...] Dramatic examples of these sub-cultures of criminals include [...] the brands of Gypsies common in some parts of Europe.

You can't just make a sweeping statement about a race like that! NO STARS FOR YOU. ( )

Great book, if you are interested in the subject. Much deeper detail than many other books. ( )

Ze zijn bekend uit films als Silence of the Lambs, maar ook uit de misdaadrubrieken in de krant: de koudbloedige, gewetenloze moordenaars die met hun verbijsterende en tegelijkertijd intrigerende misdaden de maatschappij schokken. Bekende voorbeelden uit de recente geschiedenis zijn de massamoordenaars Ted Bundy en John Wayne Gacy. Maar er zijn ook kinderen die martelen en moorden. En er zijn 'zorgzame' verpleegsters die hun patiënten vermoorden. Het zijn allemaal dramatische voorbeelden van psychopathie.

Individuen met deze persoonlijkheidsstoornis zijn zich volledig bewust van de gevolgen van hun daden, maar ze zijn niet in staat zich te bekommeren om de gevoelens van anderen.

Op basis van 25 jaar wetenschappelijk onderzoek, schildert dr. Robert Hare in dit boek een wereld van vermeende artiesten, prostituées, zorgzame verpleegsters, verkrachters, dieven etc. die weten te charmeren, liegen als de beste en zich een weg manipuleren door het leven. ( )