"The Sociopath Next Door"

[MountainLaurel]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35469-2005Mar14.html

"What's this book about?" the airport security guard asked me, having minutely inspected all the other contents of my carry-on luggage. "How to tell if your neighbor is crazy?" He laughed appreciatively. He'd taken the hook: The person living next door to you may look normal but could actually be about as benign as a pod person in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," so you had better avoid him or risk having your life ruined. That is the intriguing core of Martha Stout's "The Sociopath Next Door," a self-help guide to the detection and avoidance of sociopaths -- or people without consciences.

Whenever the author sticks to this theme (which, unfortunately, is only part of the time), the book works. Its topic is certainly worthwhile and timely, particularly in light of the recent arrest of a suburbanite suspect in the BTK serial killings.

In their various guises, sociopaths can devastate the lives of others. The author's well-done composite case studies read like short stories. Although Stout, a clinical psychologist, informs us at the outset that "any resemblance . . . to any actual person is entirely coincidental," the characters she presents -- a ruthless tycoon, a cunning mental-health professional, an extra-grouchy neighbor and an inveterate moocher -- feel authentic. Take the fascinating and tragic tale of a man whose sociopathy was concealed from his family and community for years. How many times have we heard about the serial killer who was a Scout leader or an "upstanding" citizen who baked pies for elderly neighbors? The book could have used more stories revealing the many masks of sanity (to borrow the title of a classic book on the subject) that sociopaths wear.

Stout's chapter on possible causes of sociopathy is fascinating. She produces data suggesting that sociopathic traits may be partly heritable and that environmental factors may exert a lesser influence on people with those traits than it does on their normal counterparts. On the other hand, she effectively uses the heart-rending adoption experiences with neglected Romanian babies as an example of the critical role of nurture in developing the capacity for attachment and love. Stout argues that American culture actually favors sociopathy (which is far less common in East Asian countries). This theory is worth pursuing in its own right. Might the violent video games, movies and song lyrics to which many in our culture are exposed predispose to sociopathy? Possibly, but thus far this is unsupported by data.

Anyone read this yet?

[Name removed]

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[Sugarbleus]

2. Haven't read it, but I might. My son in law is a

sociopath/narcissist. He was all charm and can do in the begining then the absolute evil came out of him. He is ruthless, compassionless, lies all the time, throws tantrums when he can't get his way...then, in a blink of the eye, he can switch back to CHARM.

He isn't stupid. He's cunning. My daughter had to run away from him for her sanity (and safty).

From what I understand this guy's upbringing was less than stellar. Alcoholic family, beatings, degrading him, part time absentee parents. The whole family is utterly dysfunctional even to this day, though they "appear normal". The family lacks compassion and sensitivity in any form. It's creepy. His younger brother's personality is also affected...and guess what??? That one is a city cop!!!

Thanks for the headsup on this book.

[China_cat]

3. I just got it

If 'Skip' isn't W, I'll eat the book.