The Sociopath Next Door

By: Martha Stout

Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

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)

This is a very useful book

I just bought the Audible version of this book after reading the hardcover book. This book is worth reading again! If you have ever been unlucky enough to have been involved with someone (authority figure, work colleague, child, marriage partner, etc.) who is a sociopath you'll need to read this book to help you understand what is happening, has happened and why.

It is particularly chilling and terrifying to see what is happening globally right now. When you read about the way "a lovable & charming" sociopath operates and what motivates him, you can better understand why we find ourselves in such an inexplicable, polarized and hateful mess both at home and abroad.

Knowlege is power and this book can empower us all - if we read it. Another illuminating must-read book on this subject is "Without Conscience, The Psychopaths Among Us" by Hare.

Everyone Should Read This Book

If you haven’t been involved with a sociopath and you want to keep it that way, or maybe you aren’t sure if someone is a sociopath and you want to find out, or if you were involved with a sociopath and you want to learn to protect yourself in the future?

Read this book.

Lightbulb Moment!

This book was a great help to my family. If you have had dealings with a sociopath, and chances are, you have, you will be blown away by the similarities between your experiences and the composite examples from Dr Stout. Get ready for the goose bumps.

Excellent book

Starts with why the author decided to write it, includes how to recognize a sociopath and deal with the ones you will meet, why they are the way they are, and the consequences of their behaviour to themselves. Actually explains why you're better off with a conscience. Facinating and well written.

Fascinating

Any additional comments?

A sociopath book not about serial killers but instead about your average sociopath — the stepdad, the co-worker, the boyfriend. A Harvard psychologist, Stout says 1 in 25 people is a sociopath, meaning they have no conscience. I found the whole thing fascinating, especially the stray comment about how sociopaths are more dangerous in societies that worship greed and individual accomplishment while they are more innocuous in societies that reward cooperation and community achievement — that’s because life is a game for the sociopath and being a ruthless cooperator is very different from being a ruthless capitalist.