The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

Is anywhere written that this book is not new? This looks like a a second-hand book with dog-eared pages and some humidity-related deformation. .If you want to buy it for a gift- be aware of it.

Review: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry By Jon Ronson "This is a story about madness. It begins with a curious encounter at a Costa Coffee in Bloomsbury, Central London," and from this meeting the crazy journey takes-off for Jon Ronson, and for us. Ronson takes us with him as he tackles some serious topics with just the right mixture of seriousness and "Monty Python-like" British humor . The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson is a real page turner, and extremely well researched. I loved every minute of it. I hated for the adventure to end. When I read nonfiction, I am always looking for the takeaway! I ask myself, what did I learn from having spent hours reading this book? Well, there are so many takeaways to be found within the pages of The Psychopath Test. From Ronon's encounter with the Scientologists, where we learn their views on psychiatry, to his interviews with Tony (not his real name); an inmate classified as a psychopath at Broadmoor Wellness Centre, a prison for the criminally insane in England, to his travels abroad where the plot thickens, and more and more is revealed about the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, and of course, psychopaths. Did you know, out of every hundred people, one is a psychopath? Did you know that there is a real psychopath test or checklist called the PCL-R Checklist? The checklist has twenty items to tick-off, but not all necessarily have to apply for one to be a psychopath. Interestingly enough, the checklist is employed by such agencies as the FBI. What type of items are on this test? Well, checkout the first eight: Item 1: Glibness/Superficial Charm Item 2: Grandiose sense of self-worth Item 3: Ned for stimulation/proneness to boredom Item 4: Pathological lying Item 5: Conning/manipulative Item 6: Lack of remorse or guilt Item 7: Shallow affect Item 8: Callous/Lack of empathy Ronson doesn't just present the list, he goes on to share real case studies where the checklist was applied. These were each fascinating reads, in and of themselves, but after reading them I began to think about the folks that have walked through my life, some which I've known well, others who were just on the periphery, and then some others who were walk-ons, important for only a brief amount of time. Two immediately came to mind that scored off the charts on this test. Each individual was practically a twenty out of twenty. You can't help, but be on the "Psychopath Patrol" after finishing this book. Another one of the many fascinating chapters was entitled "Night of the Living Dead." It was here that the reader learns the history of Sunbeam's demise and the corporate psychopath who brought this company to its knees. Interestingly enough, psychopathic CEOs, as well as, psychopathic politicians are not uncommon. In fact, "a disproportionate number of psychopaths can be found in high places." Which makes them quiet common. According to Robert Hare, PhD, the creator of the PCL-R Checklist, "'Corporate and political and religious psychopaths ruin economies. They ruin societies.'" To take it a step further Mr. Hare suggested that, "Why is the world so unfair? Why all that savage economic injustice, those brutal wars, the everyday corporate cruelty? The answer: psychopaths." Mr. Hare is not alone in these conclusions Martha Stout, a professor at Harvard Medical School and author of The Sociopath Next Door, stated: "They are everywhere...They are in the crowded restaurant where you have your lunch. They are in your open-plan office. As a group they tend to be more charming than most people...They have no warm emotions of t heir own but will study the rest of us. They're the boss or the coworker who likes to make other people jump just for the pleasure of seeing them jump. They're the spouse who marries to look socially normal but inside the marriage show no love after the initial charm wears off." After reading The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson you too will be on the "Psychopath Lookout". In case you are unfamiliar with Jon Ronson, he is the author who gave us The Men Who Stare at Goats, and I can't wait to read that one too. Needless to say, Jon Ronson has a new fan. Final Thoughts for those of you out there who don't plan on reading this one: "People who are psychopathic prey ruthlessly on others using charm, deceit, violence or other methods that allow them to get what they want. The symptoms of psychopathy include: lack of a conscience or sense of guilt, lack of empathy, egocentricity, pathological lying, repeated violations of social norms, disregard for the law, shallow emotions, and a history of victimizing others." - Robert Hare, Ph.D The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

Ce texte de réflexion sur la psychopathie ne s'adresse pas à des spécialistes, mais constitue une très intéressante réflexion sur la façon dont la société, les médias, le monde de l'entreprise perçoivent la maladie mentale et la psychopathie, pour tantôt la médicaliser, tantôt en tirer profit. Le récit, qui est un travail documentaire de journaliste, est plein de rebondissements inattendus. Jusqu'aux toutes dernières pages, on se demande où l'auteur va en venir. Ce qui se passe, c'est que l'auteur emmène son lecteur avec lui dans ses déplacements d'enquêteur, et dans ses interrogations et revirements d'auteur: de ce point de vue, le texte est plein de suspens, on ne s'ennuie pas un instant, ce qui est, en soi, une prouesse. On lit ce texte sur la folie comme un roman policier. Et on en ressort avec bien des questions sur la folie, stimulation pour aller plus loin dans sa propre réflexion.

Vino usado pero en buen estado. A tiempo y bien empaquetado. Lo recomiendo, da libros una segunda vida.

First of all, if you are looking for an extremely in-depth look at Psychopathy and the assorted sciences and dimensions within and around it, you'll be a bit disappointed. Ronson's work should be taken as supplementary reading than primary (For that, check out - Without Conscience by Robert Hare and Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton). It, nevertheless, should be given a chance and trust you me, you will thoroughly enjoy it. Ronson's curious case regarding an enigmatic package being distributed to academia worldwide, plunges him into the world of mental health professionals and the disciplines involved therein. The book makes for a fascinating read because Jonson often poses some difficult questions with humorous sincerity, from the mystery of Tony to the megalomaniac Al Dunlap to the PCR-L. While some people may be offended by the lack of in-depth explanation of certain things, i.e. the scientific concepts that warrant a more detailed inspection (Scrutiny of certain portions of DSM, Autism, Bipolar Disorder), the element of frustration doesn't surface simply due to Ronson's engaging style of prose that manages to sustain an equilibrium when it comes to verbiage and detailing. I wouldn't like to give things away, the Book is best experienced if you jump into it without any prior knowledge about the what and the who. It's a quick read, it's a page turner and by the time you reach the penultimate pages, you'd feel both awe and incredulity and a new-found appreciation for Jon Ronson (as I did).

An engrossing piece of work in the field of psychology which more or less is a narrative thesis of the author's case studies on a few psychopathic subjects, barring the monotony of a case study or a thesis but rather a page turner for that matter. Worth every penny.