The Sociopath Next Door

By: Martha Stout

Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2005 Martha Stout (P)2005 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Stout is a good writer and her exploration of sociopaths can be arresting." (Publishers Weekly)
"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)

Interesting and informative, but very dry

While there has been much research done about sociopathy and psychopathy since this book was written, it still gives a very informative, feet-on-the-ground, practice vs. theory, real-world-usable knowledge on who, what, and how sociopathy and psychopathy look in a real life setting.

Strangely Fascinating

Any additional comments?

This book was scary to listen too, but very engrossing. It ended on a somewhat hopeful note. It helped me understand my former coworker, a classic sociopath who killed his teenage sons before killing himself.

Interesting, Not horrible, Good narrator

While perhaps not earth shattering in its content, I did find this book interesting. One thing I particularly liked was as I listened a question would occur to me and it seemed every time I wondered something I found that whatever I was wondering about (theory of causation, or brain differences, or relation to attachment disorder) was the next thing to be addressed. The book starts with a discussion of the prevalence of sociopaths in society, and the 1 in 25 people statistic explained a lot of what happens in the world. As the author first discusses and portrays sociopaths, I was a little concerned that given the nature of the behavior of stereotypical sociopaths that I was in for an upsetting read. However with the exception of one episode which was unfortunate for bullfrogs, the book is safe even for the tenderhearted. I think the author did a great job showing different types of sociopaths outside the stereotype, and i like that while starting on a scarier note that the book ended in a more positive way. Really enjoyed the narrator - she really brought the characters to life. Her Doreen Littlefield in particular was perfect.

Interesting

Very interesting with examples of sociopathic behaviors for relevance. Dense too, so I might listen to it again.

A little too research oriented for my taste

This sounds like a well researched book but seemed almost like a textbook. I am a surgeon but never really enjoyed this type of book on Audible. I am interested in sociopath and learned so things but felt like I was taking medicine to finish it. No hit on the author just not what I enjoy listening to. I listen to Audible for enjoyment, not work.

informative and interesting

this book is very eye opening to understanding why some people don't care about anything, even you. it shows a deep understanding and also questioning of what sociopaths are.

Very well researched and written book; eye opening

I wish I had read this book years ago. It would have helped me spot a sociopath. The book has lots of scientific data as well as theological examples to support various points, but it's not dry. In fact, it incorporated stories about various people - all of which are very interesting and surprising, which supports the author's research. Excellent book!

Informative and Validating

As the survivor of marriage to a person with a diagnosed narcissistic personality disorder, I was interested in this book. It helped me understand the distinction between NPD and sociopathy as well as helping me understand more about what happened to me. I particularly enjoyed the 13 Red Flags to watch out for. I appreciated that the author is careful to emphasize that anyone can fall under the influence of a sociopath, even a trained clinician!

The narrator, Shelly Frasier is perfect for this kind of non-fiction. She comes across as knowledgeable without being clinical or cold. The stories are narrated in a way that entertain and educate. She has taken some difficult material and made it accessible and easy to listen to. I listen at 1.2 speed, and the pacing was perfect. 

I am glad I got this in the audio format. I think I had an easier time listening to it than I would have had reading it. I do wish a PDF of the 13 Red Flags was included with the audiobook.

Fascinating read

Different than I expected and thoroughly enjoyed. So many insights into the human condition. Fascinating to learn more deeply about having a conscience. Confirmed unfortunately more people than expected don’t have one which explains much. Why one can never understand some amoral behaviors of others, that part is just absent.

Great Read!!

Very informative read. i like the reader as wellnas she was clear and refreshing. An interesting topic for sure.