Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door

How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator

By: Martha Stout

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

From Dr. Martha Stout's influential work The Sociopath Next Door, we learned how to identify a sociopath. Now, she tells us what we actually can do about it.

“Mandatory reading on how to effectively deal with sociopaths before you get hurt.” (Joe Navarro, former FBI special agent and the author of Dangerous Personalities)

While the best way to deal with a sociopath is to avoid him or her entirely, sometimes circumstance doesn't allow for that. What happens when the time comes to defend yourself against your own child, a ruthless ex-spouse, a boss or another person in power? Using the many chilling and often heartbreaking emails and letters she has received over the years, Dr. Martha Stout uncovers the psychology behind the sociopath's methods and provides concrete guidelines to help navigate these dangerous interactions.

Organized around categories such as destructive narcissism, violent sociopaths, sociopathic coworkers, sociopathy in business and government, and the sociopath in your family, Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door contains detailed explanation and commentary on how best to react to keep the sociopath at bay. Uniting these categories is a discussion of changing psychological theories of personality and sociopathy and the enduring triumph of conscience over those who operate without empathy or concern for others. By understanding the person you're dealing with and changing the rules of the game, you'll be able to gain the upper hand and escape the sociopath's influence.

Whether you're fighting a custody battle against a sociopathic ex or being gaslighted by a boss or coworker, you'll find hope and help within this audiobook. With this guide to disarming the conscienceless, Dr. Stout provides an incisive new examination of human behavior and conceptions of normality, and gives listeners the tools needed to protect themselves.

©2020 Martha Stout (P)2020 Random House Audio

Misleading Title, disappointing content

The title and explanations of this book lead the buyer to believe that the book’s focus is on dealing with and OUTSMARTING or defeating or simply dealing successfully with sociopaths.
Nonsense. The entire book simply describes stories and scenarios that anyone who has had dealings with these sick people and/or has already researched - knows all too well.
Long-winded, verbose chapters and exhaustive explanations of the simplest concepts make this book seemed targeted to the fifth grade reader.
The book should be titled - understanding a bit about sociopaths through children’s stories.
I had high hopes for the book due to the rave reviews on here.
And I am pleased to know that so many have found this book helpful. Especially those dealing with these sick people.
However, the only way I can see anyone finding this book useful or helpful is if they truly have little to no understanding of the psychopathic/sociopathic mind.
I thought the book would be filled with strategies. Tips. Deep understanding into what makes sociopaths “tick,” the different types of sociopaths. Violent/non-violent. Real strategies for dealing with these insane and destructive people.
The strategies do not begin until the very end.
Every one of them is self-explanatory.
I can honestly say that I learned nothing except that this author wanted to capitalize on the success of her first book and simply wrote a book of 95% fluff.
Complete and utter waste of time if you are a victim of real abuse of one or more of these lunatics.
Who this book is good for would be those who wish to understand what a sociopath is and how they operate.
NOT HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM.
It was well narrated. It was informative.
It was largely fluff without the substantive content advertised.
For those of us who are educated and have an understanding of these sick people, but are unwilling to sink as low as the psychopaths and lie, but understand danger and true need, being victimized and abused daily -
this book is near useless.
Lastly, I found it dishonest and disappointing that she saved the strategies for the very end.
Don’t waste your time.

A MUST if you're in a custody battle!

Of all the books I've read on the matter, this is the first one that explains how to handle such individuals if you're in court over custody battles. I would highly recommend this book before any parent takes their narcissistic or sociopathic ex to court over custody so you can derive a game plan that's most effective to what's truly important - keeping the child(ren) safe.

Sociopaths and narcissistic individuals

Great listen and read, very very recommended to everyone who’s ever met someone difficult, and who has found themselves to be a bit selfish sometimes.

One of the best things to teach young ones and ourselves.

Important information for all of us!

Most of us including myself have only had a few true sociopaths in their life. Having read this I'm now know how to keep myself and my family safe. The tactics mentioned in this book work. Thank you so much.

As Good As I Expected

The author has done it again. I will listen to this book again and again and have already recommended it.Buy this book and her other one also

useful and healing

a follow up to her book, The Sociopath Next Door, this book is more of a how to. practical tips to effectively deal with the sociopaths we are unlucky enough to spend time with. Therefore, it isn't as much of a story as the previous book. More dry but maybe more important.