Customer Reviews

Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us

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As a person with an isatiable appetite for true crime and criminal psychology books i must give this book my highest regards. I dont think there is hardly a person alive who could not benifit from reading this book. Alot of laymen that i come across have the mistaken impression that the term "psychopath" translates into "serial killer". Although this is what might be inferred by popular media (e.g- movies like Psycho or the less known movie Psychopath) it is not the case. In this book, Hare (one of the most respected authorities on Psychopathy and aruguably the most knowledgable in the world) explains that serial murderers are the rarest expressions of psychopathic disturbance. Much more likely than encountering a serial killer he explains, is an encounter with a savvy, smooth talking con artist. One out to use charm, manipulation and agression to control and exploit his fellow man. Goals for this behavior include sex, money, material posessions or occupations. Hare explains not only why psychopaths are highly inclined to commit crimes but what makes psychopathic criminals different than thier "sane" counterparts. He also gives specific descriptions of the symtoms that define the disorder. To sum it up, this book will fascinate, shock, educate and even scare its readers. From psychology students, to liscensed practitioners, to true crime fans, to those involed in any aspect of the criminal justice system or even to those who have no previous interest in the subject this book is a must have. THESE PEOPLE LIVE AMONG US. They are out there in the millions. If we ever hope to make it out unscathed we must know our enemy. Parole boards and judges must be able to recognize the methods of deception and behavioral traits of those affected with the disorder, as indicators of psychopathy will have serious implications concerning the possibility of rehabilitation. Psychologist need to also be well aware that they too are susceptible to victimization at the hands of a psychopath. I have read many stories of well trained and expierienced clinicians dancing like a puppet for a manipulative genuis plenty adept at pushing all the right buttons. Perhaps the best use for this book however, is to educate and prepare the average citizen to distingiush the sincerely amicable soul from the exquisiteley charming individual out to destroy lives for the most trivial of gains. Enjoy this book and make yourself aware that these cold and terrifying aberrations of human beings are lurking out there, anticipating the arrival of their next victim.

( English not my first language...) I am a nurse, and have often worked around psychopaths...and let me tell you that they come in all shapes and sizes, not necessarily with " amphibian eyes" and they do not necessarily display all the caracteristics Dr Hare has compiled through the years...

Great 101 book for students or people who only deal with psychopaths in books or by phone....but in the real world, many of them ( psychopaths) are calculated,very patient and do not give into the impulsiveness Dr Hare likes to describe.

I think that, just like you would find in nature ( lions, wolves, cheetahs, etc...), some predators can be sophisticated ( i.e. never getting caught)and some are the impulsive, live for the day ones that Dr Hare describes.

This books has its good points, goes straight to the point...but Dr Hare repeats himself a bit a times.

This was an excellent book to read especially if you are in contact or living with someone that has these traits.Will be looking for another on what to do if you live with someone that is psychopathic.

Highly recommended to read. Hare deals with the serious subject of psychopathy in a thorough way and covers all the essentials. Throughout the text the subject matter is illustrated by many examples from real life, which makes it easier to understand.

The disturbing fact is that about 1 out of 25 people is a psychopath and most of them do not end up in jail or mental institutions. On the contrary they climb the corporate ladder, become politicians or just simply con or defraud ordinary people without getting caught.

Best protection is to understand about psychopathy and how psychopaths operates in our midst.

Read it along with these other complimentary books on the subject: "In sheeps clothing", "The sociopath next door", "Political Ponerology" and "The Mask of Sanity".

This book is essential for the healing of family members and/or victims whose lives have been impacted by the puzzling acts and deceptions of a psychopath. Hare does a wonderful job of boiling down the technical research of a body of work pertaining to these individuals to its simplest, palatable form for the layperson. It is an excellent place to start one's research if you are forced to continue your relationship and/or dealings with this dysfunctional and possibly destructive personality type. I couldn't give it a more outstanding review.

It is becoming more and more important to be able to identify the psychopath. Why? Because these predators are the ones ultimately running our governments, religions and corporations. Dr. Hare's book is not only easy to read, but has very important information on how psychopaths think and act, two ways to identify them. His findings have been used by many other psychologists in identifying psychopaths; Dr Stout and Dr. Cleckley to name just two of them.

He shows how easily one can be conned by these people. Which is why we need to read all the information that we can. And this book is loaded with information that you can use.

I wanted to hear that a fair fraction of the human population (10%?) are psychopaths, unable to experience the emotions of shame, guilt, empathy, and sympathy for the plight of others. This book told me that. Why am I not happy, then, with this book?

First, the author spends most of his time entertaining the reader with the goulish exploits of famous serial murderers and other notorious killers, yet has not the slightest evidence that they are psychopaths. Give me a break with your titillating stories, Dr. Hare!

Second, Hare stereotypes psychpaths to a degree even a rank amateur like me can appreciate. All the people he interviews and describes are good looking, intelligent, verbal, social charmers, impulsive, glib and lie extensively. Each and every one, mind you. I really don't believe psychopaths are so uniform in their personalities.

Third, virtually all of the evidence concerning the psychology of psychopathy are from interviews and writings of the psychopaths themselves. But if they lie freely and without compunction, why should we believe their own stories? There is, of course, absolutely no reason. We just want to believe them, so we do.

Fourth, we know that some psychopaths are quite sadistic (they torture their victims, kill animals) while others are simply devoid of feeling for others. Shouldn't these be two different types of personality syndrome? If not, shouldn't Hare tell us why?

Conclusion: This is a very good read with lots of gruesome titillation. Dr. Hare evidently wrote a Psychopathy Checklist, but we never get to see it, or to find out why it's a valid indicator of anything. Dr. Hare tells us what we want to hear, so we go away happy. I didn't learn much, but I'm happy.

Anyone wanting to know more about just how the mind of a psychopath works needs to read this book. Dr. Hare hits the nail on the head in his detailed descriptions of this dangerous personality. Although, he is quick to warn the reader against diagnosing the psychopath, those who have come in contact with one will surely gain some invaluable insight regarding exactly what hit them if they have become the victim of one of these sorts. I, for one, learned much and am heeding his wise advice!

I consider this book a survival guide that should be read by every thinking person. In fact, after reading the book cover-to-cover (several times!), I bought copies for my closest friends and urged them to study the material. I never truly believed in the soulless human being until I read the exploits and warnings contained in this book. Bravo to its author for saving lives and sparing victims!

Hare's book, along with Martha Stout's (The Sociopath Next Door), are probably the most accessible, easy-to-read introductions to the reality of psychopathy. Without Conscience is loaded with entertaining and disturbing accounts of researchers' experiences with psychopaths. You can see almost first-hand the psychopath's strange use of language, his total disregard for the truth, his absolute lack of guilt or conscience.

Hare debunks some of the myths of psychopathy, like the idea that it is the result of poor child rearing, and that it is the same as 'antisocial personality disorder'.

If you enjoyed this book, a more advanced work is James Blair et al.'s The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain. It gets more into the actual neuroscience, and is more up to date. Also, probably the best book on the importance of the problem of psychopathy on society and culture is Andrew Lobaczewski's Political Ponerology. It is an analysis of the effect of psychopathic individuals on political processes (particularly Nazism and Communism, but equally applicable to modern systems like Neoconservatism).

I consider all of the above books to be essential reading. What you don't know CAN hurt you.