The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success

I would and have because it is a very interesting topic and gave me a different perspective on psychopaths.

The individual stories of various psychopaths was intriguing.

There really wasn't much cause to differentiate since it was a non fiction book. He fell flat while trying one accent though...he should just have read it straight.

No. It is a non-fiction and scientific type book. It would not make a good movie.

You'll be talking about this book a lot to your friends and colleagues after you read it. It is very interesting.

Kevin Dutton (Split-Second Persuasion: The Ancient Art and New Science of Changing Minds; Why the Science and Religion Dialogue Matters) has just published a very informative volume titled The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us about Success. In this very interesting book, Dutton provides a more contemporary, nuanced view of psychopathy. He reveals it as a continuum of context driven behaviors (Ruthlessness, Charm, Focus, Mental Toughness, Fearlessness, Mindfulness, and Action) that can be turned up and down at will. He shows how psychopathic behaviors are characteristic of the saint and sinner, monks and serial killers alike. This book helped me to better understand why psychopaths are able to function ably in the work environment and find success. Certainly, it has brought psychopathic behavior into clearer focus for me. A wonderfully absorbing, engaging approachable work of prose, Dutton’s most recent book is well worth reading.

? is our world just full of anxious depressed people
? are there some among us who avoid these pitfalls
? what would it be like to be hard wired against those problems

dr. kevin dutton has written a snappy book to look into that
in chapter after chapter he jets off to speak with "world experts"
he's on a very public mission to redefine the term psychopath

as you might expect he sees it as "a spectrum disorder"
( i suspect he's borrowing a tool from the autism/asperger's people )
he then demonstrates possible positive aspects of the condition

the most interesting of the "experts" are the ones that disagree with him
robert hare and steven pinker may be more insightful than the author
they seem to have a thoughtful wisdom that dr. dutton has yet to acquire

in one chapter they talk about the character of men that abuse women
they are carefully divided into cobras (psychopath) and pit bulls (anti-social)
it is a very insightful and perceptive way to look at the problem

psychopaths,as defined by dr. dutton, have been with us forever
education and IQ and family support separate the murderers from the CEOs
if you work with successful driven people you've met them many times

dr. dutton now has several videos all over you tube these days
his haircut and verbal cadence betray a subtle psychopathic style
? well could it be that it takes one to know one / perhaps

Absolutely - as the title suggests, there are traits found within a serial killer's psyche that suggests we all have something to learn from the way their brains are wired.

The examples and cases provided by Sutton.

It was clean and easy to follow.

No extreme reaction - just really enjoyed it.

Excellent read! This book was a quick and easy read for anyone interested in the fine line that separates psychopaths from heroes. Dutton does a great job outlining the traits that people attribute to psychopaths in an attempt to correlate those qualities with everyday, successful folks.

Dutton also does a good job keeping the topics concise and clear, rather than cluttering each topic with terms and theories that require a few psychology classes to understand. Aside from the format, the subject matter is really interesting to me and I appreciate the length and depth that was taken in this book.

I'll probably read this book a second and third time.

Pros: Great length and fascinating topics.
Cons: Could have used more insight to altruists; however I understand that altruism rests on the opposite side of the spectrum to psychopathy. The overlap that Dutton provided served as a great opportunity to go a little more into altruism to really appreciate the entire scope.
Bottom line: Highly recommended to anyone interested the dynamic between heroes and villains.