The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
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.
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.
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Community Reviews
An easy, interesting read. It reaffirms some things I already knew or suspected. Reading it reminded me of a specific family member. I'm glad we cut ties with him. It does make you question the whole psychiatric medical profession and the drug companies as well. But I was questioning the drug companies already.
As someone who is extremely interested in studying and working with psychopaths (among other criminals), this book was super interesting to me. I know that some people felt that the author meandered too much, but I really liked following his stream of consciousness. When I'm reading nonfiction, I'm always more interested and invested when I can get into the author's head and really hear his voice rather than some dry book talking about facts and numbers. I enjoyed his attempts to diagnose himself with the DSM (we all do it!) and his discussion of his anxiety (I feel him!).
I also really liked the fact that the author talked to people from all aspects and dimensions of the discussion on pathology (and diagnoses as a whole). He really got a full picture of the situation, from the guy who started it all to people who are actually psychopaths (both criminal and civilian) to other psychologists who lament the over-diagnosis that is going on these days. As someone who uses the DSM but is skeptical over some of the changes from 4-TR to 5 and also used to do neuropsych and diagnosis, I appreciated the last chapter of his book about over-diagnosis, because it really is an endemic of the last 10-20 years. Not to say that people don't have real problems and disorders, but people are getting diagnosed younger and younger, and it's not without consequences.
The author really reveals how psychopathy is prevalent in our culture today, mostly involving CEOs, political people, and other leaders. This was a really good book to follow the book I was reading before this one ([b:Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us|119730|Without Conscience The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us|Robert D. Hare|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429543504l/119730._SY75_.jpg|1499492]) because it was a much less jargon-y and more updated discussion of psychopathy based on Robert Hare's original research. I also really liked hearing about how some of those psychopaths who aren't criminals justify their way of viewing the world to themselves. This definitely means that my cats are psychopaths!
My main criticism is that the author talked to scientologists for research. I know he wanted to talk to doubters of mainstream psychiatry, but there are plenty of researchers and academics who disagree with the current system, the DSM, and so on. It would have been much more credible for him to talk to those people rather than people who don't really have any research or study to back up what they believe, and it lowered the credibility of the book for me until I got past that section. I took off a star for this since it was a good chunk of the book, but otherwise, I found this book super readable and engrossing.
I also really liked the fact that the author talked to people from all aspects and dimensions of the discussion on pathology (and diagnoses as a whole). He really got a full picture of the situation, from the guy who started it all to people who are actually psychopaths (both criminal and civilian) to other psychologists who lament the over-diagnosis that is going on these days. As someone who uses the DSM but is skeptical over some of the changes from 4-TR to 5 and also used to do neuropsych and diagnosis, I appreciated the last chapter of his book about over-diagnosis, because it really is an endemic of the last 10-20 years. Not to say that people don't have real problems and disorders, but people are getting diagnosed younger and younger, and it's not without consequences.
The author really reveals how psychopathy is prevalent in our culture today, mostly involving CEOs, political people, and other leaders. This was a really good book to follow the book I was reading before this one ([b:Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us|119730|Without Conscience The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us|Robert D. Hare|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429543504l/119730._SY75_.jpg|1499492]) because it was a much less jargon-y and more updated discussion of psychopathy based on Robert Hare's original research. I also really liked hearing about how some of those psychopaths who aren't criminals justify their way of viewing the world to themselves. This definitely means that my cats are psychopaths!
My main criticism is that the author talked to scientologists for research. I know he wanted to talk to doubters of mainstream psychiatry, but there are plenty of researchers and academics who disagree with the current system, the DSM, and so on. It would have been much more credible for him to talk to those people rather than people who don't really have any research or study to back up what they believe, and it lowered the credibility of the book for me until I got past that section. I took off a star for this since it was a good chunk of the book, but otherwise, I found this book super readable and engrossing.
I ignored the fact this guy wrote Men Who Stare at Goats, because that was a book I just couldn't finish. His interview on the Daily Show sealed the deal for me and I got this book. HIGHLY entertaining look at psychopaths and other mental illnesses. Which sounds weird, I know.
One of the theories that Ronson worked with here is that higher ups in the business and political worlds are psychopaths. He wasn't able to fully validate that theory but I have no doubt it's true. Bob Hare came out with a Psychopath Test. A checklist of sorts that allows people to determine who is a psychopath. But like all psychology, it's not that black and white. Almost all of us could tick off some of those traits that make a psychopath and there's no real threshold to determine who "fails".
Ronson also covers the fact that children are being diagnosed with disorders that technically are not mental disorders that children should have and he explains (accurately, I think) how drug companies are taking advantage of this and becoming drug pushers to parents.
I ended up reading this in just a few days, it was really that engrossing.
One of the theories that Ronson worked with here is that higher ups in the business and political worlds are psychopaths. He wasn't able to fully validate that theory but I have no doubt it's true. Bob Hare came out with a Psychopath Test. A checklist of sorts that allows people to determine who is a psychopath. But like all psychology, it's not that black and white. Almost all of us could tick off some of those traits that make a psychopath and there's no real threshold to determine who "fails".
Ronson also covers the fact that children are being diagnosed with disorders that technically are not mental disorders that children should have and he explains (accurately, I think) how drug companies are taking advantage of this and becoming drug pushers to parents.
I ended up reading this in just a few days, it was really that engrossing.
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