Questions About The Sociopath Next Door

by Martha Stout (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (1)

Has the information in this book good for practical purposes in the real world or is it more for study material and alarmist?

Matthew Very practical. I bought this book to learn about myself.. or more accurately, with the hopes that it was NOT about myself. I've done my share on unco…moreVery practical. I bought this book to learn about myself.. or more accurately, with the hopes that it was NOT about myself. I've done my share on unconscionable acts, and wondered how closely I would mirror Dr. Stout's example patients. I'm very happy to report that I am not a sociopath! :)

I feel like this book is really two books in one. The first, is a professional (but very readable for a layperson like me) description of what a sociopath is, along with stories about some of her patients. The last few chapters, however, is about human conscience in general. What is it? Where did it come from? Is it better to have a conscience which can limit us (in the sense of power and materialism), or to be unbound by the moral constraints which the majority of us adhere to. She could (and maybe should) easily devote an entire book to these last topics!(less)

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Unanswered Questions (1)

I’m wondering why is nobody who writes academic books (textbooks) about psychology and social psychology do not describe these people. Why we haven’t experiments, statistics, and a theory about a sociopath?

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