The Psychopath

Declaring that movies grant psychopaths much more power and fascination than they deserve, Wilson (psychology, Stephen F. Austin State U., Nacogdoches, Texas) profiles the various types portrayed, beginning with the computer HAL in 2001. He also discusses evil's imperfections, breach of character, mood and circumstance, the power within, justice, and other aspects. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Psychopath: Theory, Research, and Practice is a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in the study of psychopathy. As research into psychopathy over the past two decades has burgeoned, it has had significant implications for clinical practice, with important ethical considerations raised as interest into psychopathy has moved into the real world. This volume is the first comprehensive review of these applied topics. Dr. Robert Hare, a leading authority on the subject, introduces the work by discussing the current state of psychopathy research, highlighting its advancements, potential pitfalls or impediments, and future trajectory. Subsequent chapters give a historical overview of psychopathy, examine measurement issues, etiological theories, and practical considerations. The Psychopath provides a solid foundation from which research and practice into this socially destructive condition can advance into the 21st century. This book will attract academics, researchers, theorists, practitioners, lawyers, judges, law enforcement personnel, students, and other professionals interested in or working with forensic psychology. It also serves as a supplementary text for graduate students enrolled in programs with a specialization in forensic psychology or criminology.

The Psychopath Factory: How Capitalism Organizes Empathy examines how the requirements, stimuli, affects and environments of work condition our empathy. In some cases, work calls for no empathy – characters who don’t blink or flinch in the face of danger nor crack under pressure. In other cases, capitalism requires empathy in spades –charming, friendly, sensitive and listening managers, customer service agents and careers. When workers are required to either ignore their empathy to-do a job, or dial it up to increase productivity, they are entering a psychopathic modality. The affective blitz of work, flickering screens, emotive content, vibrating alerts and sounding alarms erode our sensitivities whilst we are modulated with attention stimulants, social lubricants and so called anti-anxiety drugs. This is amidst a virulent and exacerbating climate of competition and frenzied quantification. Capitalism pressures us to feign empathy and leverage social relationships on one hand, whilst being cold and pragmatic on the other. We are passionate and enthusiastic whilst keeping a professional distance. Sympathy, care, compassion and altruism are important; The Psychopath Factory: How Capitalism Organizes Empathy argues that itis a mistake to presuppose that empathy can achieve these. Rather than being subject to the late capitalist organization of our empathy, psychopathy could be a means of escape.

Similar to the bestselling Sociopath Next Door comes a unique look at the psychopaths among us and how our society--from businesses and governments to religions--encourages and rewards psychopathic behavior, and what average citizens can do to survive and thrive when we must live with, learn from, or be led by sociopaths. Psychiatrists estimate that 1 percent of the adult population are psychopaths. That's about two million Americans. And they are our bosses, our politicians, our priests, and our neighbors. And they are running our economy and our lives. Every day in the news we hear about people in positions of power doing deplorable things--in business, politics, and government, from sexual harassment to polluting the environment to covering up crimes. And it's no wonder considering a small percentage of people wield a large amount of power, and that these very same people fit the definition of a "psychopath." A highly engaging and gripping read, Cameron Reilly's book adds to our growing understanding of sociopaths with a detailed analysis of how our society encourages and rewards psychopathic tendencies, and how, because of this, psychopaths the world over have risen to power. Using historical references to pop culture examples, Reilly offers a field guide to psychopaths--how to spot them and how to outmaneuver them so you can keep your sanity intact. This is the first-of-its-kind book to examine the shocking evidence and then suggest practical solutions for saving us all.

Draws on insights from several disciplines to answer questions of widespread interest about how to understand and treat psychopaths.

In this madcap journey, a bestselling journalist investigates psychopaths and the industry of doctors, scientists, and everyone else who studies them. The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey through the minds of madness. Jon Ronson's exploration of a potential hoax being played on the world's top neurologists takes him, unexpectedly, into the heart of the madness industry. An influential psychologist who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are, in fact, psychopaths teaches Ronson how to spot these high-flying individuals by looking out for little telltale verbal and nonverbal clues. And so Ronson, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, enters the corridors of power. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud in Coxsackie, New York; a legendary CEO whose psychopathy has been speculated about in the press; and a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane who insists he's sane and certainly not a psychopath. Ronson not only solves the mystery of the hoax but also discovers, disturbingly, that sometimes the personalities at the helm of the madness industry are, with their drives and obsessions, as mad in their own way as those they study. And that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their maddest edges.

Psychopathy and Criminal Behavior: Current Trends and Challenges fills a gap in the market by covering new topics and angles not addressed in other literature. The book's authors approach the interaction of psychopathy with different types of crime, reflecting on comorbidity with other disorders, symptoms and emotional function. In addition to examining questions of prevention and treatment, they present new developments with solid theory and scientific evidence, also addressing forensic realities. This is a must-have guide for practitioners, students or anyone interested in psychopathy, criminal behavior and the various avenues of treatment. Provides a direct and concise approach, reflecting on the construct of psychopathy and its implications in forensic settings Includes sections on models of development in psychopathy and the neuropsychological fundamentals of the role of psychopathy in violent behavior Written for researchers, practitioners and students

This book develops a new theory of psychopathy, the antisocial personality, as the foundation for a new mode of therapeutic intervention. It begins with a definition of psychopathy, examines its etiology, and describes the psychological dynamics that characterize the psychopathic personality. Also it explores and critiques the four existing major theoretical perspectives on the nature of the disorder. Offering a new theory that utilizes the strengths of the the others and summarizes the relevant research supporting it, the book goes on to apply its clinical implications in diagnosis and therapy.