Most people are repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murders that increasingly populate our movies, television programmes and newspaper headlines. 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. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centred, remorseless and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets - and they do not always ply their trade by killing. Presenting a portrait of these dangerous men and women based on 25 years of scientific research, the author describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists and other predators who charm, lie and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides information and insights for those seeking to understand this devastating condition.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Problem. "Experiencing" the Psychopath. Focusing the Picture. The Profile: Feelings and Relationships. The Profile: Lifestyle. Internal Controls: The Missing Piece. Crime: The Logical Choice. White-Collar Psychopaths. Words from an Overcoat Pocket. Flies in the Web. The Roots of the Problem. The Ethics of Labeling. Can Anything Be Done? A Survival Guide. Epilogue.

Reviews

After listening to this crash course in personality interpretation, listeners may find themselves suspicious of everyone who happens across their path on an ordinary day. Hare has spent years researching some of the greatest criminal psychopaths the world has ever known, and now he wants to show the general public how to spot them in a crowd. Paul Boehmer delivers a well-paced reading that allows the author's work to speak for itself. His narration is unadorned and straightforward, without becoming dry or-pardon the pun-deadly serious. His reading does justice to the author's years of hard work and makes for an engaging audiobook and a fascinating look at the dark side of life. A Guilford Press paperback. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

'Fascinating, chilling, and accurate... The world's most renowned psychopathy researcher has leavened sharp scientific insights with page-churning case descriptions in a rare publishing feat: a book that is both highly readable and highly reputable.' - John Monahan, PhD

The word psychopath conjures up visions of the horrific deeds of Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer for most people. But not all murderers are psychopaths and not all psychopaths are murderers. Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder whose most prevalent characteristic is lack of remorse and whose cause and cure are still unknown. Unlike Hare's previous writings, geared to professional clinicians and researchers, this title attempts to clarify psychopathy for the general public. Hare is a recognized expert in the field of psychopathy, and whereas the content here is good and the explanations accessible to lay readers, the presentation is choppy and repetitious. Owing to interest in the more famous psychopaths, this book will probably be popular in public libraries. Although it is by no means scholarly, academic libraries may consider it because of the author's expertise. Another book to consider is Herve Cleckley's classic, The Mask of Insanity (Cleckley, 1988).-- Jennifer Amador, Central State Hosp. Medical Lib., Petersburg, Va.