Synopsis:
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 25, 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 25 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.
Edition:
Audible audiobook
My Thoughts:
Of all the books out there dealing with sociopathy, I’d say this one is best left to those who prefer exposition over detailed information. Don’t get me wrong – there is definitely some interesting information here, and it is well delivered. However, the book itself feels more like a pop culture-infused book of light case studies than it does an informational text. On the one hand, that makes it feel much more approachable (less dense) than a lot of similar books. But on the other, it also makes it feel a little…melodramatic.
The narration, performed by Shelly Frasier, felt pretty much in tune with what I would have expected for a book like this. It was capably done, but nothing to write home about.
Overall, I don’t know of a better book on sociopathy off the top of my head, but I’m confident they exist, and that I’ve read at least one or two of them. It’s a fine book, but a little lighter fare than I would have preferred. I don’t know – my long-term student brain just loves those dry-ass academic types of books, I guess. Maybe you like your psych texts a little juicier though?
Rating:
It was fine.
I guess that could have been my whole review. Sorry to keep you. 🤣
The Sociopath Next Door By Martha Stout, ph.d Tantor Audio Published: July 28, 2005 ISBN: 9780767915823 Paperback, Hardcover, E-book, Audio 256 pages
