A book that I have had on my list to read for forever is The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry. Its a book that starts with a bit of a tangential mystery but delves into the world of Psychiatry and the phenomenon of diagnosing Psychopaths. As defined a psychopath is a person who exhibits anti-social behaviors that are at the basis caused by a person's complete lack of empathy. Jon Ronson wrote another very interesting book, The Men Who Stare at Goats, so I was quite excited to delve into this one.
Ronson begins his journey after receiving a request to help solve a puzzle that went out amongst a slew of Academics. Ronson's path to find who sent the puzzle eventually leads him down another path, one to examine what separates most people from those who posses the traits that make up a Psychopath. Ronson introduces a wide variety of people on his quest to find psychopaths and what makes them. From Bob Hare who invented the most widely used list of traits, to Scientologists who battle the psychiatry profession as being far too willing to label everyone with a disorder. The book introduces people like Tony, who has been institutionalized while likely scoring high on the checklist, to the former CEO of Sunbeam Al Dunlap, who definitely scores high. That story moves from Ronson being a self proclaimed expert at spotting Psychopaths, to a more nuanced view of how hard it actually is to spot personality disorders, especially ones as dangerous as Psychopathy.
The book is very good. Ronson has an easy reading style, and the book is relatively short. Its an engaging book that really makes you start to wonder just how clear cut so many mental disorders ad labels are. A definite suggested read.
Ronson begins his journey after receiving a request to help solve a puzzle that went out amongst a slew of Academics. Ronson's path to find who sent the puzzle eventually leads him down another path, one to examine what separates most people from those who posses the traits that make up a Psychopath. Ronson introduces a wide variety of people on his quest to find psychopaths and what makes them. From Bob Hare who invented the most widely used list of traits, to Scientologists who battle the psychiatry profession as being far too willing to label everyone with a disorder. The book introduces people like Tony, who has been institutionalized while likely scoring high on the checklist, to the former CEO of Sunbeam Al Dunlap, who definitely scores high. That story moves from Ronson being a self proclaimed expert at spotting Psychopaths, to a more nuanced view of how hard it actually is to spot personality disorders, especially ones as dangerous as Psychopathy.
The book is very good. Ronson has an easy reading style, and the book is relatively short. Its an engaging book that really makes you start to wonder just how clear cut so many mental disorders ad labels are. A definite suggested read.
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