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From Publishers Weekly
[Dr.] Stout says that as many as 4% of the population are conscienceless sociopaths who have no empathy or affectionate feelings for humans or animals. As Stout (The Myth of Sanity) explains, a sociopath is defined as someone who displays at least three of seven distinguishing characteristics, such as deceitfulness, impulsivity and a lack of remorse. Such people often have a superficial charm, which they exercise ruthlessly in order to get what they want. Stout argues that the development of sociopathy is due half to genetics and half to nongenetic influences that have not been clearly identified. The author offers three examples of such people, including Skip, the handsome, brilliant, superrich boy who enjoyed stabbing bullfrogs near his family's summer home, and Doreen, who lied about her credentials to get work at a psychiatric institute, manipulated her colleagues and, most cruelly, a patient. Dramatic as these tales are, they are composites, and while Stout is a good writer and her exploration of sociopaths can be arresting, this book occasionally appeals to readers' paranoia, as the book's title and its guidelines for dealing with sociopaths indicate.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
“A fascinating, important book about what makes good people good and bad people bad, and how good people can protect themselves from those others.”
—Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
“The Sociopath Next Door is a chillingly accurate portrayal of evil--the decent person’s guide to indecency.”
—Jonathan Kellerman
“A remarkable philosophical examination of the phenomenon of sociopathy and its everyday manifestations…Stout’s portraits make a striking impact and readers with unpleasant neighbors or colleagues may find themselves paying close attention to her sociopathic-behavior checklist and suggested coping strategies. Deeply thought-provoking and unexpectedly lyrical.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A chilling portrait of human beings who lack scruples the way someone born blind lacks eyesight…Stout describes respected professionals who tell outrageous lies simply to confuse colleagues… authority figures who deceive, seduce and even murder just to relieve the boredom that is the usual state of the sociopathic mind. A useful—if appalling—guide to help you recognize conscienceless individuals.. [and] a heartening affirmation of the empathic mindset that comes naturally to the vast majority of humans.”
—Martha Beck, O Magazine
“The Sociopath Next Door is a chillingly accurate portrayal of evil–the decent person’s guide to indecency. Martha Stout draws upon sound scientific data and clinical experience and her writing is graceful and compelling.”
—Jonathan Kellerman, author of Therapy, When the Bough Breaks, and Monster.
“[Stout] provides provocative discussion about the role of conscience in the ‘normal’ world. Highly recommend.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“One in 25 Americans is a sociopath–no conscience, no guilt. It could be your mean boss or your crazy ex. [The Sociopath Next Door] is an easy-to-follow guide for spotting them.”
—Newsweek
“I recommend this book, especially to those who think they may be vulnerable to sociopaths. It contains good stories, useful advice and clinical and scientific nuggets.”
—Washington Post
Winner of the 2005 Books for a Better Life Award --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
—Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
“The Sociopath Next Door is a chillingly accurate portrayal of evil--the decent person’s guide to indecency.”
—Jonathan Kellerman
“A remarkable philosophical examination of the phenomenon of sociopathy and its everyday manifestations…Stout’s portraits make a striking impact and readers with unpleasant neighbors or colleagues may find themselves paying close attention to her sociopathic-behavior checklist and suggested coping strategies. Deeply thought-provoking and unexpectedly lyrical.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A chilling portrait of human beings who lack scruples the way someone born blind lacks eyesight…Stout describes respected professionals who tell outrageous lies simply to confuse colleagues… authority figures who deceive, seduce and even murder just to relieve the boredom that is the usual state of the sociopathic mind. A useful—if appalling—guide to help you recognize conscienceless individuals.. [and] a heartening affirmation of the empathic mindset that comes naturally to the vast majority of humans.”
—Martha Beck, O Magazine
“The Sociopath Next Door is a chillingly accurate portrayal of evil–the decent person’s guide to indecency. Martha Stout draws upon sound scientific data and clinical experience and her writing is graceful and compelling.”
—Jonathan Kellerman, author of Therapy, When the Bough Breaks, and Monster.
“[Stout] provides provocative discussion about the role of conscience in the ‘normal’ world. Highly recommend.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“One in 25 Americans is a sociopath–no conscience, no guilt. It could be your mean boss or your crazy ex. [The Sociopath Next Door] is an easy-to-follow guide for spotting them.”
—Newsweek
“I recommend this book, especially to those who think they may be vulnerable to sociopaths. It contains good stories, useful advice and clinical and scientific nuggets.”
—Washington Post
Winner of the 2005 Books for a Better Life Award --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The nasty neighbour,
This review is from: The Sociopath Next Door (Paperback)
Recently, a number of books have appeared that identify a bracket of `people without conscience'. Among these we have Flipnosis, Without conscience, In sheep's clothing, alongside this book and several others. All of these books warn us that there are a proportion of evil people in society who feel no guilt, thus they become powerful manipulators who may or may not commit hideous crimes. We are presented with a number of profiles and then instructed to avoid contact with the beast as much as possible. The result is that we will scan down a mental checklist looking for these people, and our filters might be quite biased as we attempt to fit various people we have known into various brackets.What a lot of this literature apparently fails to do is to identify the full complexity, gradations, and variations in the conditions described (except for Robert Hare's book, 'Without Conscience', which is a scholarly book that concentrates on real psychopaths).The people described in these books show a considerable variety of behaviours, and with a little reflection we can see that the situation is infinitely more subtle than we might at first think. Despite this, the sensationalism causes us to think in terms of polar extremes. Martha Stout's book offers us a good look at the beast because she has worked with many of these people. Her knowledge enables her to very readably step inside the beast and narrate the kinds of thought processes that take place. This is done with such credibility that we almost empathise with the people under scrutiny. In fact, if she didn't also narrate the thoughts of the `normal' people inside these stories with equal skill we would probably feel rather uneasy about the author herself! A message comes across in all of these books - and in most reviews of these books. Certain evil people see the possession of conscience as something that prevents the rest of us from getting what we really want, consequently they see conscience as a weakness that we have. They consider themselves to be above the laws and rules that govern the rest of us and hate being told what to do. Although they do not possess conscience themselves, they can gain a thorough understanding of the boundaries of conscience that govern the rest of us, hence they can become highly skilled at making other people feel guilty, and can use this skill to considerable effect. They become skilled manipulators who make people behave like puppets as they pull various strings. Although capable of committing acts of extreme cruelty without remorse, most of these people would probably never go this far. Instead, these people will find that they can use their `power' to more productive effect elsewhere in society, and indeed they do. They might effectively bully their way right to the top. The range of options open to these people is, after all, rather large, running along a scale from murder at one end, through bodily harm, through fracturing, through intimidation, through manipulative story-telling, to verbal bullying at the mild end of the scale. Maybe there are many gradations of conscience rather it being a simple matter of with or without. I would like to think so, and I would like to think that many of the unpleasant and manipulative people in this world DO have some moral standards. 4% without conscience? This means that I should know a dozen potential killers. I think not. My girlfriend has a highly manipulative boss, but we both agree that her boss has a conscience. When we are confronted with a real psychopath the danger is real, and obviously we have to avoid them. But I really believe that most manipulators are simply people who have found a set of behaviours that enable them to get what they want. No more: No less. In fact, rather than isolating the manipulator, could I suggest working from the other end - maybe some of us are too nice and others take advantage? However, if you know you are dealing with a psychopath I suggest you RUN. Robert Hare's book, which is academic and completely credible, tells us that there are probably 100,000 psychopaths in New York City (population 8,214,426), which works out at about 1.2%, and he suggests that at some time in our lives (singular) we may well be at risk, either physically or financially. With this in mind, Martha stout's book is essential reading because it gives very readable accounts of the sort of risks we might face. Hare also warns that it is not for amateurs to try to give clinical assessments, so we should all avoid the temptation to label people unless we are fully qualified.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book even better shipping,
By
This review is from: The Sociopath Next Door (Paperback)
I ordered this book just because I saw it on TV and seemed interesting to read. The book itself is a really good read if you are into sociopaths and psychopaths. It isn't stories in regards to people who are sociopaths but she does use anecdotes to help understand that there are more then just one kind of sociopath. The book itself is more of a discussion in trying to get people to understand that the sociopath isn't always violent as movies and tv make them out to be.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read, digest and pass on next door,
By
This review is from: The Sociopath Next Door (Paperback)
This is a fascinating book, which should be regarded as an excellent primer to an underrated and poorly recognised subject. As a healthcare practitioner, and victim of a sociopathic "colleague", I could relate to every page, but yet ended up with a clearer understanding of the condition. Over the years I have found it difficult to fully explain, even to educated friends, how clever, devious and manipulative these people can be. The unfortunate connotation with psychopathic killers is always there and any warnings and descriptions of "evil" characteristics are quietly assumed to be exaggerated. The book is an easy and comprehensive read, while still providing a reasonable overview of the known science behind the disorder. The listed 13 warning signs are very insightful and likely to be helpful to every reader. After finishing the book I simply wanted my family members and friends to read it too, just in case!Don't worry about the occasional poor review - maybe about 4% of reviewers are - - well, different.
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