The psychopath inside ebook

This couldn't be more wrong. The truth is, that charming person who holds the door open for you at work all the time, the charismatic ex you have that everyone loves, but had a bit of a mean streak behind closed doors, the guy from college who loved extreme sports, or even your surgeon - they are all quite possibly psychopaths.

And, unless you know them intimately, and know what you're looking for, it's unlikely you'll ever spot it. So, what is a psychopath - really? How can you recognize it? Are they dangerous? Or do we as society actually really need them?

How do we know if they're just a bad kid or could develop into something worse? This book will walk you through the history being psychopathy, how to recognize the signs, and what to do if you ever find yourself in a relationship with one. It also looks at new scientific developments and research into the condition, and profiles some of the ones that were truly evil - the world's worst. Let's hope your charming ex isn't one of those. Topics of Discussion - What is a Psychopath?

Grab Your Copy Today! Confessions of a Sociopath Author : M. Our risk-seeking behavior and general fearlessness are thrilling, our glibness and charm alluring.

Our often quick wit and outside-the-box thinking make us appear intelligent—even brilliant. We climb the corporate ladder faster than the rest, and appear to have limitless self-confidence. Who are we? We are highly successful, noncriminal sociopaths and we comprise 4 percent of the American population. Score: 5. Score: 2. Why do some people cheat and steal while others you can trust with your life?

Why are some husbands more faithful than others—and why do women tend to be more generous than men? Could they key to moral behavior lie with a single molecule? Paul Zak recounts his extraordinary stories and sets out, for the first time, his revolutionary theory of moral behavior. Accessible and electrifying, The Moral Molecule reveals nothing less than the origins of our most human qualities—empathy, happiness, and the kindness of strangers.

Murderous Minds Author : Dean A. From neurological imaging to behavioral studies, Dean Haycock's account of the groundbreaking research reveals what scientists are learning about the psychopaths living among us. Neuroscientist Dean Haycock examines the behavior of real life psychopaths and discusses how their actions can be explained in scientific terms, from research that literally looks inside their brains to understanding out psychopaths, without empathy but very goal-oriented, think and act the way they do.

But what does this mean for lawyers, judges, psychiatrists, victims and readers--for anyone who has ever wondered how some people can be so bad. Could your nine-year-old be a psychopath? What about your co-worker? The ability to recognize psychopaths using the scientific method has vast implications for society, and yet is still loaded with consequences. If you love watching true crime and wonder about the psychopaths among us, this is the book for you!

It certainly gives you flavor. I don't think I could have had such a strong reaction to this book, if the flavor wasn't here. At the same time, if you want an objective book on psychopathy, I would look somewhere else. View all 8 comments.

Dec 10, Kitty rated it did not like it. View all 3 comments. Nov 16, David Rubenstein rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , psychology , memoirs. James Fallon is a neuroscientist, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine at University of California, Irvine.

He is an active researcher in brain structure. So, it was with shock and some degree of disbelief, when he found that his own brain scan showed that he, himself is a psychopath! And then, additional evidence came in that he is a psychopath. First, a relative did a genealo James Fallon is a neuroscientist, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine at University of California, Irvine.

First, a relative did a genealogy of his father's ancestors. It showed that seven of his ancestors were murderers! They had murdered their close relatives, never outsiders.

The famous case of Lizzie Borden is among his ancestors! And then, James Fallon asked his friends and relatives to comment on his personality--the whole truth, no holds barred. And he got the truth; Fallon is a fun guy to be around, but totally untrustworthy.

As an example, he took his own brother on a trip to a particular cave in Kenya, where he new that Marburg disease related to Ebola! When his brother learned that Fallon knowingly took him to this dangerous place, he realized just how untrustwothy he is. Fallon does not want to harm anybody; he is not a violent man, he is married and has children, and never committed a violent act. But he has no empathy for other people. He can fake empathy, but does not really feel it in his gut.

But nevertheless, he is a distinguished scientist, and has made many contributions to neuroscience. This is a fascinating book; about two percent of the world's population are psychopaths.

They are not all violent; they have learned to cope, and many probably do not even understand what "empathy" is all about. How can you know you lack a feeling, if you have never felt it yourself? View all 4 comments.

The fifth emperor of Rome, Nero, r. After fingers were pointed at him for setting Rome ablaze, Nero blamed Christians for the deed. Apparently he had them thrown to dogs, nailed to crosses, and on occasion, he dipped them in oil, set them on fire, and used the light to illuminate his gardens at night. Of course he famously killed his mother and his two wives. Some blamed him for kicking his second wife to death. Stories surrounding the life of Emperor Caligula, have reached legendary proportions, making it hard to separate fact from fiction.

A theme that seems to run through all the stories, is that he loved displaying his god-like power. He snatched his second wife from her wedding to another man. His third wife was a married woman whose husband was forced to give her to the emperor. He paraded his fourth wife naked in front of his friends. It was after a severe illness that Caligula became really ruthless, and he apparently had family members killed around him left, right and center.

Eventually Caligula was the sole survivor, and only escaped death due to the fact that Tiberius's only heir died young. Apparently he also had fun boiling people alive. Above: Woodcut of Tepes dining among people he had impaled. But what characteristic makes certain people to be perceived as evil? And if they were psychopaths, could it be that their cruelty stemmed more out of ruthlessness in order to hold on to power, than out of sadistic bloodlust?

Because the main characteristic, it would seem, of a psychopath, is that he or she manipulates people and circumstances without the slightest twinge of conscience. One of the things that these three men had in common, is that once they had managed to attain power, a sought-after commodity for a psychopath, they abused that power for their own personal gain without a second thought for it's effects on other people.

So, what is a psychopath? Are psychopaths intrinsically evil? And are they really as evil as the characters in the stories above? Hollywood and popular literature would certainly have us believe that they are. But in terms of psychology and psychiatry, the term has always been challenged and controversial.

The DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria. It is the standard diagnostic reference book for psychologists and psychiatrists. Before , psychopathy was still recognized in the DSM as presenting: affective and interpersonal traits such as egocentricity, deceit, shallow affect, manipulativeness, selfishness, and lack of empathy, guilt or remorse.

Psychopathy - renamed antisocial personality disorder - was now defined by persistent violations of social norms, including lying, stealing, truancy, inconsistent work behavior and traffic arrests. Because many of the classic traits of psychopathy were impossible to measure objectively, the diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder ASPD and dissocial personality disorder DPD respectively, were added.

These diagnoses have been referred to or include what is referred to as psychopathy or sociopathy. There is agreement that not every individual with an antisocial personality disorder AsPD is a psychopath.

In fact, research shows that only one third of people with AsPD meet the criteria for psychopathy. So as you can see, this is a very hard term to wrestle down and label effectively. So with all of this background in mind, imagine you went for a brain scan, and the doctors doing the scan, told you that you were a psychopath, based purely on your MRI scan.

Would you believe them? Neuroscientist James Fallon happened to be doing research on what the brains of psychopaths look like, when he found, to his disbelief, that his own brain looked incredibly similar to those of diagnosed psychopaths. Shocked, Fallon went on a journey of discovery, trying to figure out how he, a respected scientist, could possibly have the brain patterns of a psychopath.

It was very interesting to see the phenomenon of psychopathy examined from a neuroscience point of view. One of the most salient things that I have realized with recent reading about psychopathy, especially with a neuroscientific vantage point informing the phenomenon, is that the basic difference between psychopaths and "neurotypicals" is that they simply have an under-active sense of both fear and of personal responsibility, or what people might generally call "caution" and "conscience".

Fallon suggests this lack has it's origin in the brain's inherent anatomy, but one can't help wondering if the chicken or the egg came first. Do psychopaths act without conscience because the area in the brain regulating it, is genetically and unalterably under-active?

Or, did this area become under-active because of learned behavior, and due to traumatic early life circumstances and experiences? There are suggestions that the former makes a psychopath, and that this condition is completely incurable, and that the latter makes a sociopath, which might be curable.

Fallon investigates questions such as these, as he combs his own genealogy for psychopathic behaviors in his close ancestors. So in addition to the scientific inquiry, lies nested a personal story of denial and discovery. This parallel narrative gradually unfolds and builds momentum to climax into a chilling conclusion. Altogether, I think this book lends a unique perspective, and also helps to demystify some of the myths surrounding psychopathy.

For example: Myth: Psychopaths are very rare. Truth: There are more of them than you realize, because many of them manage to hide their true nature very well.

Myth: All psychopaths are killers. Truth: Not necessarily. The stereotypical "psychopathic killer" is more of an extreme, an outlier. Many of them are not violent, but rather, manipulative, and you'd see them quite highly represented among, for example, stock traders or CEO's of companies, where ruthlessness would be an advantage, but that's as far as it goes.

Apparently they're also relatively highly represented among surgeons, where it would clearly not be in their interest to exhibit some of the more extreme anti-social tendencies, but where it does help to have nerves of steel. Fallon does drive home quite hard on his view that a psychopath is definitely born and not made, but then, one should approach that with care, since he has an interest in protecting his own research and his own character with such a viewpoint.

This would strengthen the view that, as many sensationalist novelists will have us believe, "evil" can exist from the cradle. Admittedly there is some evidence for such a viewpoint, but it's a hard one to definitively prove, especially since in Fallon's case, his psychopathy did not emerge as badly pathological sociopathic behavior, which, as he himself points out, is probably due to the fact that his circumstances while growing up, were positive and nurturing.

A lot of it seems to be, as it is with so much in psychology, a matter of degree. Highly recommended to those interested in the phenomenon. View all 7 comments.

Sep 16, Beth rated it really liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the science. I skimmed through some reviews and saw many people didn't like the book because they thought the author was full of himself and down plays the wrong he has done and the hurt he has caused others.

Of course he is and has. If truly a psychopath even lite or pro-social as he says he literally cannot fathom empathy or emote it genuinely. What he says in the book aligns with much of what I've read about sociopathy and psychopathy, but he delve I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the science.

What he says in the book aligns with much of what I've read about sociopathy and psychopathy, but he delves deeper into the anatomical, structural, and functional defects in the brain that cause these disorders. And I love that everything he's thought and taught for so many years regarding genetic determination suddenly requires another think. And yes, you must keep in mind that he is a liar as you read, but also that telling the truth doesn't hurt him either.

He simply doesn't really care. I found the book fascinating and would read it again to better absorb the science. Oct 07, Mia rated it did not like it. While maintaining that he has insight into his grandiose and self-centered thought patterns, the author has failed to recognize the degree to which he comes across as a boorish ass.

He should have hired an editor to save him from himselfor heaven forbid maybe he did do that and the original draft was even worse.

Some of the genetic information discussed borders on interesting, but it is presented poorly and decorated with pseudoscience Indigo child? Are we trapped in Mothering Magazine world? The end result being that without reading up on the research he is describing, I would not believe his interpretation of any of it. In our graduate seminar on personality disorders we were taught that the difference between "officially having a personality disorder" and "just being an asshole" is whether the symptoms are having significant negative impact on the person's functioning: ability to form and sustain relationships, ability to support himself, ability to perform activities of daily living as needed by one's station in life, etc.

With that framework in mind, and taking at face value Fallon's claims to have good relationships with his wife, children and "thousands" of colleagues, I think it's safe to say he's just an ass. Whether or not he's a psychopath or has a psychopath's genetic profile is irrelevant and rendered uninteresting by the quicksand of his self-involvement.

He's a libertarian! No kidding? View 2 comments. Sep 11, Gina rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfiction , science , memoirs-biographies-autobiographies , medical , mental-health. James Fallon is a neuroscientist who was conducting studies comparing brain scans of psychopaths vs. To make the study valid, he needed a control group. Many of his family and friends volunteered to have the scans done for this purpose. Imagine, if you will, that he is sitting as his desk working diligently on his study when he notices a scan that would i James Fallon is a neuroscientist who was conducting studies comparing brain scans of psychopaths vs.

Imagine, if you will, that he is sitting as his desk working diligently on his study when he notices a scan that would indicate a severe and profound - such as he had never seen to date - predisposition to violence and psychopathic behavior. The scans did not include names, so he assumed this was a scan from a known psychopath, but due to the extreme differences, he elected to find out who the scan belonged to.

And - no spoiler here as he tells you this at the beginning of the book - the scan is his. The revelation that his brain had all the qualities he was seeing in true psychopaths to a very high degree led him to a journey he never expected in the beginning. He had never committed any type of hideous crime, nor was he a violent individual by nature. And yet, when he thought long and hard about his own thought processes, he had to admit he lacked empathy for others, among other things common to those we would consider psychopaths.

As an example, he relates a story of when he was part of a group in his class that had to visit a morgue. Lying on the table was the body of a very young girl. While the others were horrified at the death of the child, his first instinct was to comment on the beauty of the white dress she was in rather than the fact that a child was dead. The book is an extremely interesting read for anyone interested in how the brain works and why we think the way we do.

View all 6 comments. Jan 14, Nancy rated it did not like it Shelves: non-fiction , memoir , science. This could be a great book club read except that some of the members might buy the book which just seems wrong.

Fallon pretty much spends a whole book telling us what a jerk he is. Buying the book rewards him for that. Stealing the book hurts the bookstores, not Fallon. Maybe take a copy out of the library.

As a libertarian who believes it is just fine to let people starve, Fallon can't possibly approve of spending tax money on library books. In any case, do not read this book alone. If you don't This could be a great book club read except that some of the members might buy the book which just seems wrong. If you don't close it up and walk away after a few chapters because the author gives you the creeps, you will want to discuss it with someone.

What makes a psychopath? Is James Fallon one or are his scientific discursions just a smoke screen justifying his bad behavior? What should society do about psychopaths? This book could spark a lively conversation, but do you really want to have James Fallon's shadow overhanging your book group? Though I forced myself to finish this, it was agony. This guy's narcissism, evident on every page, was insufferable.

As a tour of a "pro social" psychopath's brain and mind I'd guess he has plenty more personality disorders in the mix , I couldn't wait for the journey to end. As he says, he does not care one whit for other people's feelings, and his every behavior is motivated by some perceived benefit he derives. Here's an example: as a Libertarian he felt compelled in the 's to refuse fed Though I forced myself to finish this, it was agony.

Here's an example: as a Libertarian he felt compelled in the 's to refuse federal grant money for his research. But guess what -- he "softens" later because NOT to accept such grant money seemed "silly" given the "good research" his lab produces. This kind of thinking pervades the entire enterprise. I felt extremely sorry for his wife and family. I'd love to hear the stories he claims to have "left out" because I'm sure they showcase some truly insensitive and appalling behavior.

I don't care if the guy is a smart scientist with a very high IQ -- no amount of self-aggrandizing bravado could sell me on how much better and more glorious he is than everyone else.

In fact, his admission to seeking cold, distant, impersonal "revenge" on people who affronted him sometimes even years later in ways that people wouldn't recognize as revenge ought to strike a note of chill in readers. If we need to cull the human race, let's start with this guy and people like him. No loss. Oct 26, Jason Koivu rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction , autobiography , psychology-philosophy , science.

Continuing my Halloween reads. I was afraid that there might be a twist, where I find out I'm the psychopath! Oct 30, Becca rated it really liked it. Overall - very interesting. For those that say this was a narcissist's memoir, I just have to say that it was a book about him, and his brain Non-fiction memoir from a research neuroscientist who inadvertently discovered his brain scan is similar to that of the psychopathic killers he had been studying.

The truth is, that charming person who holds the door open for you at work all the time, the charismatic ex you have that everyone loves, but had a bit of a mean streak behind closed doors, the guy from college who loved extreme sports, or even your surgeon - they are all quite possibly psychopaths.

And, unless you know them intimately, and know what you're looking for, it's unlikely you'll ever spot it. So, what is a psychopath - really? How can you recognize it? Are they dangerous? Or do we as society actually really need them? How do we know if they're just a bad kid or could develop into something worse? This book will walk you through the history being psychopathy, how to recognize the signs, and what to do if you ever find yourself in a relationship with one.

It also looks at new scientific developments and research into the condition, and profiles some of the ones that were truly evil - the world's worst. Let's hope your charming ex isn't one of those. Topics of Discussion - What is a Psychopath? Grab Your Copy Today! Author : Kent A. Avoiding the sensationalism rife in so many other accounts of psychopaths, Becker examines how psychopaths think, view others, and rationalize their alarmingly exploitative behaviors.

Illuminating the psychopath's baffling, disturbing attitudes with vivid examples, Becker provides lay readers and clinicians alike with a lucid, concise, yet comprehensive, understanding of what makes psychopaths tick. This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting.

A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything. Combining Jon Ronson's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.

Author : Robert D. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath.