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)

Broad text on sociopathy.

Sound more like a college text book. I thought this would show more case histories than theory.
It's interesting if you are a student of sociology perhaps.

Interesting book.

A good insight into the mind of a sociopath and ways of dealing with them or just understanding how they think.

great book

the book started and I could not stop listening to it! great narration and examples.

Eye opening information!

Quite frankly, I think the statistics in the book are conservative. I have worked with sociopaths, dated sociopaths and even married one. I think there's more ot there than we think.

You need to know this information.

Where does The Sociopath Next Door rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is not fun to read. Too many people in this world fit into the category of sociopath.

Only one problem with this book...not long enough.

Absolutely fascinating to hear the stories of people that are sociopaths. I am sure I have worked alongside one or two in my career, now that I understand their behavior. Martha Stout's stories and summaries heightened my sense of conscience as she explains the importance and value of a life with said conscience. Both my thumbs are WAY UP on this book.

Learned a few things

Not exactly what I was expecting, probably a book for the layman. Interesting and disturbing insight into the psyche of a sociopath.

Eye-opening Revelation!

I'm not sure how much I believe the 4% figure, but for the remaining part of this book, I think it is spot on! I have a budding interest in psychology, & I am considering going back to school for a degree. Reading this book showed me just how interesting the science could be. The case studies were interesting and understandable as well as being realistic. Based on our culture, we are taught that all sociopaths are violent killers with no conscience, but this is not true. I understand now that this label could apply to so many people in my life, that I have never felt quite right about. This book is a must-read for anyone living in our fast-paced dog-eat-dog world.

Sociopath inside of us.

We all have a little sociopath inside of us. Some more or less than others, but we all do. That being said, after reading this title, one might question oneself if they are a sociopath. This book was interesting to read because we all choose everyday on what is right, wrong, moral and immoral. We tend to justify our action by rationalizing our action before acting on it. We feel guilt by having a conscience and feel rewarded by doing the right thing, but yet, we draw the line at being a sociopath by having a moral responsibility. This book does a text book explanation and examples of a sociopath. The thought of being alone, having success through other means and being acting social, does not necessary us being in this category, but the lack of having a conscience does.

Prepare to question everyone

There were 3 main take aways from this book, no worries there are no spoilers here. Really tough to pay attention to, lots of opinions and conjecture and a cautionary tale.