Review: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry By Jon Ronson
"This is a story about madness. It begins with a curious encounter at a Costa Coffee in Bloomsbury, Central London," and from this meeting the crazy journey takes-off for Jon Ronson, and for us. Ronson takes us with him as he tackles some serious topics with just the right mixture of seriousness and "Monty Python-like" British humor . The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson is a real page turner, and extremely well researched. I loved every minute of it. I hated for the adventure to end.
When I read nonfiction, I am always looking for the takeaway! I ask myself, what did I learn from having spent hours reading this book? Well, there are so many takeaways to be found within the pages of The Psychopath Test. From Ronon's encounter with the Scientologists, where we learn their views on psychiatry, to his interviews with Tony (not his real name); an inmate classified as a psychopath at Broadmoor Wellness Centre, a prison for the criminally insane in England, to his travels abroad where the plot thickens, and more and more is revealed about the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, and of course, psychopaths.
Did you know, out of every hundred people, one is a psychopath? Did you know that there is a real psychopath test or checklist called the PCL-R Checklist? The checklist has twenty items to tick-off, but not all necessarily have to apply for one to be a psychopath. Interestingly enough, the checklist is employed by such agencies as the FBI. What type of items are on this test? Well, checkout the first eight:
Item 1: Glibness/Superficial Charm
Item 2: Grandiose sense of self-worth
Item 3: Ned for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Item 4: Pathological lying
Item 5: Conning/manipulative
Item 6: Lack of remorse or guilt
Item 7: Shallow affect
Item 8: Callous/Lack of empathy
Ronson doesn't just present the list, he goes on to share real case studies where the checklist was applied. These were each fascinating reads, in and of themselves, but after reading them I began to think about the folks that have walked through my life, some which I've known well, others who were just on the periphery, and then some others who were walk-ons, important for only a brief amount of time. Two immediately came to mind that scored off the charts on this test. Each individual was practically a twenty out of twenty. You can't help, but be on the "Psychopath Patrol" after finishing this book.
Another one of the many fascinating chapters was entitled "Night of the Living Dead." It was here that the reader learns the history of Sunbeam's demise and the corporate psychopath who brought this company to its knees. Interestingly enough, psychopathic CEOs, as well as, psychopathic politicians are not uncommon. In fact, "a disproportionate number of psychopaths can be found in high places." Which makes them quiet common. According to Robert Hare, PhD, the creator of the PCL-R Checklist, "'Corporate and political and religious psychopaths ruin economies. They ruin societies.'" To take it a step further Mr. Hare suggested that, "Why is the world so unfair? Why all that savage economic injustice, those brutal wars, the everyday corporate cruelty? The answer: psychopaths." Mr. Hare is not alone in these conclusions Martha Stout, a professor at Harvard Medical School and author of The Sociopath Next Door, stated:
"They are everywhere...They are in the crowded restaurant where you have your lunch. They are in your open-plan office. As a group they tend to be more charming than most people...They have no warm emotions of t heir own but will study the rest of us. They're the boss or the coworker who likes to make other people jump just for the pleasure of seeing them jump. They're the spouse who marries to look socially normal but inside the marriage show no love after the initial charm wears off."
After reading The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson you too will be on the "Psychopath Lookout". In case you are unfamiliar with Jon Ronson, he is the author who gave us The Men Who Stare at Goats, and I can't wait to read that one too. Needless to say, Jon Ronson has a new fan.
Final Thoughts for those of you out there who don't plan on reading this one:
"People who are psychopathic prey ruthlessly on others using charm, deceit, violence or other methods that allow them to get what they want. The symptoms of psychopathy include: lack of a conscience or sense of guilt, lack of empathy, egocentricity, pathological lying, repeated violations of social norms, disregard for the law, shallow emotions, and a history of victimizing others."
- Robert Hare, Ph.D
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
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It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy.Highlighted by 656 Kindle readers- ‘If people like you, you can manipulate them to do whatever you want them to do!’Highlighted by 501 Kindle readers
- Psychopaths get bored easily. They need excitement. They migrate to the big cities.Highlighted by 493 Kindle readers
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Must read! But unfortunate for the way of handling the delivery.
I would recommend to my friends to read the book. Terrifying yet interesting. Only problem was that book came with some scratches and dents.....wish it was handle properly and neet.
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- Pablo Vera PrendesReviewed in Mexico on August 14, 2019
Intetesting read regarding psychiatry
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- Eugene FulgenceReviewed in Japan on January 21, 2022
To all shoppers on the fence over the book, it's worth it
