The Psychopath Test
A Journey Through the Madness Industry
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4.4 • 275 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
Uncover the madness at the heart of society in this Sunday Times bestseller.
'The belly laughs come thick and fast' – The Observer
'Chirpy, inquisitive, funny' - Craig Brown
What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this engrossing exploration of psychiatry's attempts to understand and treat psychopathy, British journalist Ronson (whose The Men Who Stare at Goats was the basis for the 2009 movie starring George Clooney) reveals that psychopaths are more common than we'd like to think. Visiting Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital, where some of Britain's worst criminal offenders are sent, Ronson discovers the difficulties of diagnosing the complex disorder when he meets one inmate who says he feigned psychopathy to get a lighter sentence, and instead has spent 12 years in Broadmoor. The psychiatric community's criteria for diagnosing psychopathy (which isn't listed in its handbook, DSM-IV) is a checklist developed by the Canadian prison psychologist Robert Hare. Using Hare's rubric, which includes "glibness," "grandiose sense of self-worth," and "lack of remorse," Ronson sets off to interview possible psychopaths, many of them in positions of power, from a former Haitian militia leader to a power-hungry CEO. Raising more questions than it answers, and far from a dry medical history lesson, this book brings droll wit to buoy this fascinating journey through "the madness business."
Customer Reviews
Fantastic insight
This is a must have and a must read book. Fascinating insight into the workings of the human mind. Why is it of value? Well if you don’t work for yourself you may be working for or with psychopaths and for me this is a corporate survivor handbook. Loved it!
Amazing!
Absolutely amazing book! It's been a long time since I last found a book that would grasp my attention but this one has done a lot more than that! Gives a great insight into the world of psychiatry so anyone interested in the field should surely read this one!
The Pyschopath Test
A really interesting read. Very well written.